The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-03-06

Mobile, Ala, March Authorization
telegraph wires being down, that Il
destructive tornado visited Meridian,
Miss. at 6-3e last evening, killing q
white persons, and over a hundred ne
grOes, and damaging property to the
extent of $1;500,0 600. There were also
scores seriously injured by belnS
caught In the wreckage of houses. The
tornado caught the city on the south
west, and travelled to the northeast,
extending itself in two suburbs, where
many negroes were killed and injured,
a whole ter ement district being wiped
out. Two~3arge wholesale stores, sew
eral smaAier ones, part of the princi-
pal hotel, the electric lighting plant,
and all the small property between he
Mobile and Ohio railroad, and the bus
mess section of the city was badly
damaged. Twenty men were caught
in ORE restaurant, and several we're
killed. Two stories OF the YIN. G. A.
building = were wrecked, and other
buildings suffered in the upper stories
The Eeg1o tenement district, north OF
the city, was demolished, and the de-
bris caught fire, threatening a new
danger, but the local department, with
the heb of hundreds of citizens, over
came this after a hard fight. They
were assisted by a tnrI4ntial rain, fol-
lowing lthe tornado. The ctty is in
dark1 esS and the full extent of.the dis
aster Will not be known until daylight.
The McOwn path of the storm was
about $4,000 feet wide, and one. mile in
length
MebsIe, Ala, March "a long dis
nee message to the item from Meri-
dian, Miss, says a cyclone accompa-
nice tF heavy rain struck that city
this aevcning at $50 o'clock.
TheaStorm center was in the south
ern portion of the city, and. particular
Iy beaYy along Front street, one of
the principal business streets OF the
town. Nearly every hGuse on Front
stree is reported to have been aemol-
ished. The Armour Packing plant,
from Failich this message was received
by long distance. is n only building
left standing and a roam of this is
gone.
Fire Stroke out in the ruins and de-
spite the heavy rain the fameS were
HN4 A1A4r<L L4SA 'AASHN LAX L ~ NS
filed. A number of bodies are reported
to be III the ruins, and the rescuers
are working by candle light. The city
in in taGAl darkness. the electric light
ing plant having been put out of bus
mess The cyclone did severe damage
at Other. points adjacent to Meridian,
and all trains entering ,MeTidian are
delayed Indefinitely. The Western
Union Telegraph Company reported
having lost fifteen mikes Of Wire,e.asld
the Postal Telegraph ComPa NY also
suffered great damage. The wires .aFe
down berween Atlanta, Birmingham
Memphis and other pbints, and it as
Impossible to secure comnth nicatiol
with b stricken city.
a private long distance message. re-
ceived from Meridian, Miss, &at 9:40
p. m SAY the fire is raging in the de-
vastated district. The Cyork of res
cuers is going bravely on. but owing
to all iigntabeing out lanterns ami can
dies are being used and the work is
necessarily flow. 1t is thought that
$50 bodies are in the wreckage. The
Union Depot is n of tEe buildings
blown away. The telegraph wiRee are
still down E<tween Meridian, Mobile
and other points.
A lone distance message "a The Item
from J. D. Breaux, service Enan Of the
Cumberland Telephone Company at
Meridian. Miss, gives details of the
cyclone hat struck Meridian at $50
this evening Us follows:
During a heavy rain storm at $40
O'clock, a storm cloud develEned in
Ehe south and moved quickly over the
city. striking Front street, the business
s2enter. with full force. The wind was
probably blowing rs miles an hour.
The cyclone passeo over in about tive
xalnutes, and during that period three
or four whole squares were devassat-
ed A conservative estimate places the
nurlber of buildings blown down at
betxe~ thirty and forty. Among
the heaviest losers are the Meyer &
Neville Hardware Company, Tom Lyle
& Co, wholesale dry goods, and groc-
cries. Joseph Moore. wholesale dry
goods and groceries. The New Orleans
and Northeastern railroad freight
depot and other buildings, the names
of which are not obtainable at this
hour. The Mobile and Ohio depot is
safe. as we'll as the Southern hotel,
but the Grand hotel was considerably !
damaged. The guests in the latter |
building escaped, n no n was in
jured. From the business center the
cyclone jumped to east end, where a |
number of residences were blown
down and others badly damaged. Mr.. |
B9eaux states that the number of lives !
lost is small, probably not more than /
three or four persons. One of the
victims, a man named Johnson, is
Lo-o-na5 an ~, Tho xyrooEaro and of 4 n