The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-02
Two-Thfrds OF the Victims Are White
Women and Children Employees
of the Cotton Mill.
HAVOC IN THE SUBURBS
WHERE THE HOMES OF MANY OPE-
RATIvES ARE IN RUINS.
Forty Surgeons, Some of Them from
Atlanta, Caring for the Injured,
Many of Whom VIII Die.

GAINESVILLE. Ca. June LA tornado
of terrific force struck Gainesville this 1T
ernoon out of clear sky, causing great
loss of life in this city and in New Holland
and White Sulphur. AS near as can be cal
culated at this hour the results are eighty
five men. women and children dead. per-
haps forty fatally injured and about 100
less seriously hurt, with a property loss
of something like $4,000. The death list
is yet imperfect, not all the bodies having
been recovered and identified. Many Of
them were mangled beyond recognition. the
only means of Identification being the
records Of the two cotton mills. In which
most Of the victims worked.
The death dealing storm appeared sud-
denly almost from clear sky, a little be-
had killed nearly hundred people, torn
two stories from the five-story brick fac
tory of the Gainesville cotton mills. demol-
ished almost 200 cottages, razed two brick
stores to the ground and blown down in
Vulnerable outbuildings. BY what appears
to be a miracle the tornado's fury was con-
fined to the outskirts of the city. the main
business and residence portion being un-
touched The torrents of rain accom-
panied the wind, but within five minutes
after it's first onslaught the sun was shin
ing upon scene of fearful desolation.
The list of dead is confined mainly to
operatives of the Gainesville cotton mills
and the Pacolet cotton mills and two-thirds
of them were women and children.
LIST OF CASUALTIES.
obtainable, at the Gainesville cotton mills
and In the vicinity follows:
Dead-Homer Ash, Gordon Ash, Maude
Gordon, Miss Loggins. Mary Duncan, Miss
Woody, - Knowles. Ed Nabors, Mrs. J.
NJ. Camp and baby. - Waddell, Ethel
Lyle. Lulu Jackson. Miss Clack. Claude
shedd, Annie Garrett. Jack Murphy. Grady
Lee, Dorothy Sloan, Ed Nagles, Mrs. Ma
than Jones, baby of Mrs. Howington.
Henderson, Claude Gordon, Bessie Skinner,
Annie Shubert. Joe Shubert. Daisy Bryson.
Perry Conner (colored). Miss Willie Boone,
Doc. Stovall (colored), Alonzo Force (col-
ored), J. E. Summerville. Ola Miller, Mrs.
Doc Clark, John Simpson, James Simp-
son, General Cumming, Miss Neal. Alice
Subers, Will Addison, Gertrude Addison,
Billy Blackshear. Ada Skinner.
Thompson, w. o. Miller, Mrs. Talley, Bes-
sic Talley, Lulu Edmundson.
Those who were killed at the Pacolet
mills at New Holland, and whose bodies
have been recovered. are: Mrs. H. H. Nell
son, William Taturn, Myrtice Westmore-
land, Maggie Westmoreland. Mrs. H. l..
Mix Mrs. Neeey. Mrs. jamie Ledford and
baby, Mrs. ]. r. White and two children,
baby of Mrs. Magee, Mrs. NJ w. Bodice.
Mrs Bryant and little son, Bennie Hen
bricks, Mrs. 7. A. Coker, John j. Mayne.
Mrs. Marion Willbanks, two children Of
H. l.. Phillips, Mrs. Tom Truelove, Mrs.
William Westmoreland. Albert Lloyd, Mrs.
O'Kelly, Mrs r. H. Passan and little son.
Mrs. Agile. a negro woman. name unknown,
white man, whose name has not been ascer-
tanned.
Those fatally injured at New Holland
number about ten, including Mrs. Hen
bricks and two girls, Bryer Anderson (col-
ored) Mrs. T. j. Ivey and Mrs. Passan.
Besides the foregoing eight men. six
white and two colored, who were killed in
| the demolition of Joseph Logan's store,
| near the Southern depot, and one man and
| one woman met death in the store of
| George Jones, the woman being the wife of
| the proprietor.
Unconfirmed reports from White Sulphur.
seven miles from Gainesville, say that
| about twelve persons were killed there.
| Their names are not yet obtainabie, and
| hopes are expressed that this report is un-
| founded.
The tornado did its appalling work in
| such an incredibly short time that it is
| difficult TO obtain a coherent description of
| it's character 1t appears TO have swept
| down from the southwest, striking the
| Gainesville mills with like the re-
port of artillery. After lifting two stories
from this structure ii swept on to the
northward leaving, a trail of desoation
| along Summit street, which is inhabited
| almost exclusively by negroes. Nearly a
| hundred cottages OF colored people on this
| street were leveled to the ground, but by
| a fortunate circumstance the tenants were
| all absent. having left the city in the morn
| ing to take part in a negro picnic.
| The storm cloud next appeared on the
| plant of the Pacolet cotton mills, at New
| Holland, two miles from the Southern sta
ton. This is one of the largest cotton mills
in the South. employing more than Co
hands. The storm spared Pacolet factory
but entirely demolished hundred of its
| cottages. standing nearby and tenanted BY
Its operatives. Here the fatalities were
! greatest upwards of thirty-five persons be.