Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-06-02
A TBRRIFIC CYCLONE.
Strikes Gainesville, Ga, Killing One
 Hundred Persons.

Strikes Gainesville, Ga, Killing One
 Hundred Persons.
 GAINESVILLE, Ga, June 2.-The city was struck by a terrific cyclone, killing probably 100 persons, maiming and tnjuring scores, unroofng the city hotels, other large buildings and de- stro0ing the Gainesville cotton mills. The greatest loss of life is reported in the destruction of the cotton mills, where about eighty persons are report ed killed and scores injured.
 Eighteen persons were killed in the city between the center of the town and the railroad station, where four large stores were blown down. The storm had driven many persons into these stores for refuge. There were 500 persons at work in the cotton mill when the cyclone struck. The mill was three story building. The first story was left standing, but badly wrecked. The second and third floors were completely demolished, and the employees were caught under the wreckage and mangled.
 It is estimated that there are at least SCN NCAlJ -ANG UO01CS uAuC1. LlC W1ONAASC of the third floor, and 1t is not known how many persons on the second floor of the building were killed,
 Nearly every employee in the Gaines vile Cotton mill was killed, including large number of children.
 The Southern depot was blown down
 The Gainesville Iron works was de- molished, and several people perished in the wreck. -
 The Gainesville cotton oil mills were blown down. ~
 The old Piedmont hotel, now used as a school and apartment house, was razed, and half dozen or more people were killed in it.
 The Richmond hotel was wrecked, and several people perished along with it. .. One hundred and twenty-five cot tages, schoolhouse and a church were blown away in the negro section of the town.
 Five brick stores on the main street of Gainesville were swept away. Tn all POO buildings are demolished here. The tornado first hit the town below the Southern railway depot. It dropped unnotced, and before any one realized what was happening it had ripped down brick buildings, frame houses, churches and school buildings as if 1 they were structures of paper One of the first large buildings to fall was the Gainesville cotton mills, a three story structure The third and second stories were shaved off smoothly, and l 1t is believed every person working in them parished About 300 were work 1 ing in them at the time, but a great l portion of them were in the lower story and escaped.
 In the five brick buildings on the main street about eighteen people were killed, most of them employees in the i stores.
 ] A fire has started in this pile of l wreckage, and the fire department is unable to get to it because of the ob- structions in the street.
 As soon as the storm had razed the | buildings those who were not disabled l immediately went to work at rescuing the victims. This work of rescue is now going on, and the piles of dead in the path of the storm are being ident- led and given to relatives as rapidly as possible.
 The tornado tore down all the wires 1 leading into Gainesville except those of the Southern Bell Telephone com pany.
 Twenty-six bodies have been recov- cred from the mills by the rescue par ty. The latest estimates are that 15G | mill and 50 at the New Holland mill