The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-04-10

of warning the little hamlet of Hope
we'll. forty miles north of this city and
one mile from Hanceville, was swept
away early this morning by a cyclone,
| which cut a path Of deselation a mile
wide and two miles long, across a pros
porous farming section of Blount coun-
ty.
Ten persons were killed instantly,
three or four fatally and score seri
| ously injured. 1t is believed that sew
eral of the injured will die
The storm Travelled in a northeastern
ly direction, wrecking everything in it's
wake. The section through which it
passed is fiat, on an elevated table
land in the hilly section of Blount coun-
ty. There was not the slightest init
nation Of its approach until the houses
were being torn to pieces. One of the
first houses struck was that of Nathan
Griffin. The house was demolished and
Mr.. Griffin and his son, James were
killed. Mrs. Griffin was so badly in
| jured that she died later. Another son
and a niece of Mr.. Griffin made a mir
aculous escape by running from the
house before the demolition was COM
plete and saving their lives. They
were injured but will recover.
The house of John Mccoy was then
next wrecked but he and his family es-
capped with severe bruises The home
| of Henry Mccoy, son of John Mccoy,
received the worst impact of the storm.
| His wife was severely injured, two of
! his children are still unconscious and
| may die and he and his babe and two
other children are dead. The storm
| then struck the house of G. c. Oden.
| The trees in the yard were twisted into
gnarled shapes and even the vegetables
| in the garden were torn up by their
roots. Mr. Oden was killed outright as
| were his three daughters, aged Is, IL
| and 9 years respectively. Mrs. Oden
received injuries from which she died
| later.
The home of Mrs. Henry Wharton
was next attacked by the storm and it
was wrecked but Mrs. Wharton was
| not badly injured
Then came the home of r. G.. Quick
1t went to pieces and he and his two
children were injured. but there were
| no fatalities there.
! Cyclone Passes Through Two COun-
Little Rock Ark. April S.-SpecialS
| to The Arkansas Gazette from several
| towns in White and Cleburne counties,
| Arkansas, tell of tornado which swept
| through that section Tuesday night.
| leaving death and destruction in it's
wake. The major portion of the coun-
try through which the storm ploughed
| it's way is remote from railroads. tel
| egraph, or telephone lines. special
correspondent of The Gazette wires
from Searcy, Ark, tonight that he had
passed over a portion Of the track OF
the storm and that trees were twisted
from their trunks and houses demolish-
ed.
Thus far it has been Impossible to as
certain where the storm began, but 1t
is known that it ragged in those two
| counties and the list of casualties will,
| from indications amount to much more
than it now is, with nine dead, three
dying and thirteen others badly injured
The towns of Little Red, Albion, Brad
ford. Heber and Pangburn- have been
heard from thus far.
Bradford, which is on the Iron Noun
tain road was the first point heard
from. Several houses were blown down
there and one man badly injured. The
tornado came from the west and haG
spent its force by the time it reached
Bradford. 1t is feared the little towr
Of Hiram with a population of 80 has
been wiped off the map. 1t is neal
Heber and in the storms track. Moth
ing has been thus far heard from it
, 1t will probsb bly, be several days before
the names OF ell who were killed BY
. the tornado are known.
A special from Heber says: In th'
tornado which swept across this sec
ton last night, A. c. Williams living
5 ten miles south of Heber was killed
He was seventy years of age and livet
2 with his wife on top of one of tn
mountains south Of this town. Hi
house was caught up by the wind am
t thrown down the mountain side, he be
2 ing killed and his wife badly injured.
! At Pangburn, six residences wer