Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1903-06-05
TORNADO BRINGS
RUIN AND DEATH
Storm Strikes Town of Gaines
vile, Ga, and Leaves $50
Dead In Its Path.
COTTON MILLS DESTROYED
Many Buildings, Including Depot,
Hotels, Stores and Dwellings, We're
Razed-FuIIy as Many Injured as
Killed.

Gainesville, Ca, June 2.-Within
the space Of two minutes yesterday
tornado dealt death and destruction
to the city of Gainesville and en-
virons, killing at least eighty-five PEG
pie, fatally injuring forty more, level
ing 100 cottages to the ground and
tearing two stories off the factory OF
the Gainesville cotton mill. OF the
killed probably two-thirds were wo
men and children who were opera
tives in the cotton mill. The dealt
list includes only about six negroes.
The property loss is at least $3.50,
900.
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 storm came from the south out
of almost a clear sky, swooping down
on the Gainesville cotton mills near
the southern railroad station at fiji
teen minutes before 1 o'clock.
With terrible crash the two upper
stories of the building were swept
away, leaving ;thirty-two operatives
dead in the ROOM, The cyclone then
swept around the outskirts of the city
to the suburb of New Holland, two
miles away, where are located the Pa
colet cotton mills, one of the largest
institutions of this character in the
south. The plant of the Pacolet COM
pany was not seriously damaged, but
probably 100 cottages standing near
by, occupied by operatives who were
employed in the mills, were COM
pletely demolished, killing thirty
three people. These were mostly wo-
men and children, as the heads of the
families were nearly all in the fact
tory at work. EN .
DR.. Smith, city physician of Gaines.
vile, says he has visited 100 wounded
and has personal knowledge of 100
dead. -...
The property loss at the Pacolet
mills occasioned by the destruction OF
the cottages and outbuildings is esti-
mated at $4,000 The Gainesville cot
ton mills are damaged to the extent of
$4,000.
The cotton mills were blown down
and nearly every employee in the
building killAl, including large num-
Der of children.
The Southern depot was blown
down. %
The Gainesville Iron works was de-
molished and several people persisted
in the wreck.
The Gainesville Cotton Oil mills
were blown down.
The old Piedmont hotel, now used as ,,
q school and apartment house, was
RACED and half dozen or more peo-
pie were killed in it,
The Richmond hotel was wrecked
and several persisted along with it.
One hundred and twenty of the cot
tages, a school house and church
were blown away in the negro section
If the town.
Five brick stores on the main street
of Gainesville were swept away.
In all two hundred buildings are de.
Fmolished here.
(: The cyclone went on to New Hol.
land and it is believed at least rs PEG.
pie were killed there.
Gainesville, Ca, June 3.-The six
thousand Inhabitants Of this city have
begun to realize the extent of the an.
palling disaster of Monday. It now
seems certain that the death list will
not be much short of one hundred,
perhaps somewhat over a hundred,
the number Of dangerous
y wounded whose chances for recov-
cry cannot now be calculated.
The story Of the storms work of
lesolation has already been told. All
hat remains is the compilation of an
accurate list of the dead and the
and burial of the victims.
Figuring from all available sources.
md giving credence only to those re.
'orted which are believed to be trust
worthy, the following is q summary Of
he effects Of the tornado in Gaines
lille and In environs:
One hundred killed; one hundred
md fifty injured, OF whom probably
wenty will die. XII,
Eight hundred homeless, their resi-
lences having been wiped out Of ex-
stence.
Property loss Of about half ! mil.