The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1906-03-08
TORNADO RUINSTOWN
DEALS DEATH AND pEsTRUc-
TioN IN MERIDIAN, MISS.
Twcnty-one White Persons and
Over 100 Negroes Are Killed.
Fire Helps TO Add to Loss, Which
VIII Reach mt Least s1,5OO,OOO.

A destructive tornado visited Meri-
dian, Miss, at $3.50 Friday evening,
killing twenty-one white persons and
over 100 colored people and damaging
property to the extent Of $1,5OO,000.
There were also scores seriously in
jured by being caught in wreckage of
houses. The tornado caught the city
OH the southwest and travelled to the
northeast and Travelled in two sub
urbs, where many negroes were
killed and injured, a whole tenement
district being wiped out.
Two large wholesale stores, one
smaller one, the principal hotel, the
electric lighting plant and all the
smaller property between the Mobile s.
Ohio Railroad depot and the business
part Of the city were badly damaged.
Twenty-one men were caught in n res
taurant and several were killed. Two
stories Of the Y. M. G. A. building
were wrecked and other buildings suf-
fered in the upper stories.
Hard Fight with Fire.
The negro tenement district in the
north of the city was demolished and
the debris caught fire, threatening n
new danger, but the local department,
with the help of hundreds of citizens,
overcame this after hard fight. They
were assisted by the torrential rain
following the tornado. The known
path Of the storm was about 600 feet
wide and one mile in length.
The Union and Queen and Crescent
depots were among the buildings de-
molished and it is estimated that more
than score Of dead are among the
wreckage.
d. Il. Bennett, Claud Williams and
Frank Woodruff, employees of the
Meyer Neville Company, were buried
in the debris when that building went
down. Bennett escaped, but the other
men were caught beneath the ruins.
PIows Way Through City.
The cyclone, accompanied by heavy
rainstorm, struck Meridian shortly
after dark. The storm center was in
the southern portion of the city and
particularly heavy along Front street,
one of the principal business streets
Of the town. Nearly every house OH
Front street is reported to have been
demolished.
The Armour packing plant was left
standing and the roof Of this was
gone.
The city was plunged into total
DARKNESS, the electric lighting plant
having been put out of business. The
cyclone did severe damage ut other
points adjacent to Meridian and all
trains entering Meridian were delayed
considerably.
The Western Union Telegraph Com
pany reported having lost fifteen miles
Of wire and the Postal Telegraph Com.
pany also suffered great damage.
The wires were all down between At
lanta, Birmingham, Memphis and other
points.
Whole Squares Devastated.
The tornado passed over in about
two minutes and during that period
several squares were devastated. 4
conservative estimate places the num-
Der of buildings blown down at be-
tween thirty and forty. Among the
heaviest losers are the Meyer & Ne
vile Hardware Company, Tom Lyle &
Co., wholesale dry goods and groceries
Josh Moore, wholesale dry goods and
groceries. The New Orleans & North
western Railroad lost its freight de-
pot and other buildings were destroyed.
The Mobile & Ohio depot is safe, as
well as the Southern hotel, but the
Grand Avenue hotel was considerably
damaged. From the business center
the tornado jumped to the east end,
where number Of residences were
blown down.