The Tupelo journal., 1906-03-09
MANY BODIES IN THE RUINS
Wire Service Frustrated and the
Search For the Victims Car
ried On Under Difficult Con-
ditfOns.
THE UNION DEPOT AMONG THE
BUILDINGS BLOWN AWAY.
Latest Accounts Estimate the Loss
of Life at p White Persons and
Over 100 Negroes. and n Prop
erty Loss of 81 800, 200.

has reached Mobile by telephone that a
destructive tornado visited Meridian,
Miss, at $50 last evening, killing q
white persons and over a hundred col
ored people, and damaging property to
the extent of 81, 500, 900.
There were scores seriously injured
by being caught in wreckage of houses
The tornado caught the city on the
southwest and travelled to the north
east, expending itself in two suburbs
where many negroes were killed and
injured, a whole tenement district be-
ing wiped out.
Two large wholesale stores, one
smaller one, the principal hotel, the
electric lighting plant and all the
smaller property between the Mobile 4
Ohio railroad depot and the business
part of the city are badly damaged.
Twenty-one men were caught in a res
taurant and sevePal were killed. Two
stories of the Y. VI. c. A. building were
wrecked and the upper stories of other
buildings suffered,
The negro tenement district in the
north of the city was demolished and
the debris caught fire, threatening a
new danger. but the local department,
with the help of Hundreds of citizens
overcame this after a hard fight. They
were assisted BIZ the torrential rain
following the tornado. The city is In
darkness and th4 full extent of the dis
aster will not I'D known until daylight.
The known path pf the storm was about
six hundred fcel wide and one mile IN
length.
Sixteen employees of the Queen &
Crescent railro$df were buried in the
ruins, aud as far as could be learned
none of them has been rescued.
A Number KILLED, Many Missing.
Memphis, Tenn, March "A mum
Der of persons are reported to be
killed by the tornado at Meridian and
many are missing and unaccounted
for. Among those known to be dead
are,
J.. r. Barry, police officer.
B. D. McGinnis.
w. F. Nelson, former police chief.
M. T. Singleton.
Mrs. Ella Singleton, wife of above.
=. Singleton, daughter and grand
daughter of above.
Miss Margaret Slaughter.
John Smith, Southern railway engin-
eer; Selma.
W. R. Walton, manager Fordham
transfer company.
Claude Williams.
Five unknown men, found in resi-
derces in one of the suburbs.
Twenty bodies of negroes, found in
Buchanan's tenements.
Two bodies discovered in the ruins of
the Meridian fertilizer company.
Among the injured are: Charles Ell.
mire. w. J. Woodside, T H. Brown,
Ernest Bennett, Frank Woodruff, Will
Yarbrough, w. C. Morrison.
The. Western Union Telegraph Co.
reported having lost Is miles of wire
and the Postal Telegraph Co. also
suffered great damage.
Fire in Devastated District.
Mobile, Ala, March 3.-A private
long distance telephone message re-
ceived from Meridian at 9:35 p. m.
Friday, says the fire is raging in the
devastated district. The work OF the
rescuers is going on bravely, but ow
ing to all lights being out lanterns
and candles are being used and the
work is necessarily slow. 1t is .thought
that many bodies are in the debris. The
union depot is one of the buildings
blown away. The telegraph wires
are still down between sheridan, Mo
bile and other points.