The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-06-17
CITY WRECKED BY TORNADO
Almost 100 Lives Instantly Snufsd
Out at Gainesville, Ga.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN VICTIMS

Turned Night Into Day-Cotton Mill
Operatives Buried Under the Ma chin
cry 200 Homes Demolished - NJ on
Blown Over Tree Tops-Rescue Work.
Gainesville, Ga.-Within the space of
two minutes a tornado dealt death
and destruction to the city Of Gaines.
willie and environs, killing at least 100
people. wounding $50 more and level
ing 100 cottages to the ground and tear
ing two stories off the factory of the
Gainesville Cotton Mill.
Of the killed probably two-thirds
were women and children, who were
operatives in the cotton mills. The
death list includes only six negroes.
Eighteen persons were killed in the
city between the centre Of the town
and the railroad station, where five
large stores were blown down. The
storm had driven many persons into
these stores for refuge.
The cotton mill was q three-story
building. The first story was left
standing, but badly wrecked. The Sec
ond and third floors were completely
demolished, and thirty-two employees
were caught under the wreckage and
mangled.
The tornado struck the town from the
south at 12.45 o'clock. 1t came out of
an almost clear sky. It dropped almost
unnoticed. Before any one realized
what was happening 1t had ripped
down b-ick buildings, frame houses,
churches and school buildings as If
they were structures of paper. The tor
| nado was accompanied by frightfui
roar, and the day was turned into
night. AS people fed from the storm
they were caught up from the ground
| and hurled forward at frightful
speed, some of them over trees and
houses for long distances. A number
Of houses were torn into fragments;
| others were lifted from their founda-
tions and carried intact for blocks;
roofs sailed like leaves in the air and
were carried far beyond the city limits.
People on the streets fed into the
! stores, only to have the big brick
buildings come crashing down upon
them.
After destroying the Gainesville Cot
| ton Mill the tornado swept around the
outskirts Of the city to the. suburb OF
New Holland, two miles away, where
are located the Pacolet Cotton Mills,
one of the largest institutions Of this
character in the South.
The plant of the Pacolet Company
was not seriously damaged, but proba.
bly, 100 cottages standing nearby, oc-
cupied by operatives, were completely
demolished, killing thirty-three people.
These were mostly women and chill
dren, as the hl-ds of families were
nearly all in the factory at'work.
The property loss at the Pacolet Mills
occasioned by the destruction Of the
cottages and outbu ildings Is estimated
at $4,000. The Gainesville Cotton
Mills are damaged to the extent OF
| $4,000.
| The store Of Joseph Logan, near the
| Gainesville Cotton Mills, was crushed
to ruins by the wind, and eight men
who had taken refuge in it were in
stantly killed.
The Jones' general store met similar
fate, and in the ruins two people, one
man and one woman, were crushed
to death. The woman was Mrs. Jones,
wife Of the proprietor.
The roof of the electric car barn was
lifted and the building badly damaged,
the Southern depot was blown down.
the Gainesville Iron Works were de.
molished and it Is believed several
persons are dead in the ruins; the
Gainesville Cotton Oil Mills were
blown down; the old Piedmont Hotel,
now used as a school, was razed, and
half q dozen persons are dead in the
ruins; the Richmond Hotel was
wrecked and several persons perished
with it.
In the negro section Of the town
seventy-flve cottages, school house
and a church were blown away.
Arlington and Brenau Colleges We're
out Of the track of the tornado and
were not damaged.
DR.. Smith, city physician, says he
has visited 100 wounded, and has per.
sonally seen 100 dead.
The local physicians were unable to
cope with the situation, and surgeons
and medical supplies were ordered sent
from Atlanta.
A meeting was held to organize re-
lief committee, at which it was decided
! to issue an appeal to the public for
funds to assist the mill operatives who
are thrown out Of work.
Gainesville, it is stated, can take care
of those now suffering, but there will
be considerable distress occasioned by
the closing down of the mills.
Physicians who have assisted in the
work of relief say that the scenes at
the mills were appalling, the victims
being crushed and mangled in every
conceivable manner.
AS soon as the storm had RACED the
buildings those who were not disabled
Immediately went to work at rescuing
the victims. All the stores in the busi-
ness section that were not hit closed
their doors, and every male citizen
who could lend hand promptly Joined
In the work of rescue. A fire started
In the ruins of one Of the stores, but it
was eXtinguished.
Though the tornado was followed by
furious rain. this ceased within an
hour. the clouds disappeared and the
wind went down. The sun shone
brightly all the afternoon-in striking
10 ba far,.ibla sppnn ot mid