The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-01-28
MANY DEAD
In Wake OF Terrific
Cyclone in North
Alabama.
AOUDDVILLB Is WRECKED
little Town in Hale County
Is Literally Wiped Off the
Aap-Death List is
Thirty-Eight.

The most disastrous cyclone that
ever swept over northern Alabama
visited Moundville, a town of 800 in
hahitants. Friday morning at o'clock,
and as result, thirty-eight persons,
six white and thirty-two colored, were
killed and sixty-five wounded, Of
whom about a dozen are expected to
die
RFery business house, with the ex-
'ception Of a small drug store, was
conpletely destroyed.
The cyclone struck the city from
tha southwest, dealing death and de-
strqction as it made its path through
the. town. The path of the cyclone
wes quarter of a mile wide.
Where once stood the business por.
ton OF the town, the depot and the
dwellings, there were found scores
OF mangled cattle, hogs, horses and
suffering humanity. So horrible was
the scene that it is impossible to de-
scribe the suffering and destruction.
Persons were blown hundreds OF
feet from their beds in the blackness
of night Through terror, a father,
mother and three children fed from
their home to seek refuge, and in
their excitement left 5-year-old boy
in bed. When morning came he was
pulled from beneath some timber, and
thus far it is impossible to find any
other member of the family.
Bedding, carpets and wearing appa-
:'a are scattered a distance Of ten
miles through what was a forest. but
which is now as clear as if it had been
cut by the woodman's AK.
Freight cars were torn to splinters.
the trucks from them being hurled
hundreds of feet from the track.
The depot, the hotel, ware houses,
gins, thirty homes, the store houses
occupied by R. L. Griffin, A. W. Wig
gins & Son, W. j. Domenick, A. D.
Griffin and W. P. Phifer. together with
their stocks, were completely Destroy
ed. Where they stood it is impossible
to find even the pillars upon which
these structures rested.
Bales of cotton, which were stored
in warehouses, were torn to atoms,
the fragments of lint lodging in trees,
making it appear as if that section
had been visited by snowstorm.
Heavy iron safes were carried by the
storm, the doors of. which were torn
from their hinges.
Hundreds of homeless persons, hus-
bands without wives, wives without
husbands, children without parents.
all without food or raiment, stood
amidst the debris wringing their
hands in despair. '...'
Surgeons were rushed to Mound
vile from Greensboro and Tuscaloosa.
and all possible was done 10 alleviate
the sufferings Of the injured.
Relief measures were at once IA
ken by the citizens Of Tuscaloosa, un-
der Che leadership of General W. W.
Brandon, adjutant general of Ala
bama. Six hundred dollars was raised
for the sufferers within short time,
while the pupils from the female COL
leges at Tuscaloosa wcnt to Mound
vile and served hot coffee and food
to the destitute and wounded.
kilograms were received from Bir-
mingham and other places offering as
Sistance.
The tornado-swept district is a
scene of much desolation, and drew
curious crowds Of spectators for
miles around.
As soon as the victims received
medical attention they were carried to
Greensboro. Many horribly, margled
victims were twenty-four hours with
out attention, owing to the great
scope of the cyclone.
An eyewitness of the scene de-
scribes the cyclone as resembling
great dark clouds. one from the east,
the other from the west, which met
one mile south of Moundville, causing
a tremendous roaring, great gulches
being plowed through the earth where
the clouds met.