The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-11-19
Winona, Mathis0n and Maben Are Hardest HIt By Yestsr-
 days Destructive Wind NUMEROUS BUILDINGS ARE BLOWN DOWN IN ATHENS, ALA,
Railroads Are Completely Tied Up, and Floods Spread Terror Among
 Inhabitants of Rossville,
 Tenn.-other Damage.

Memphis, November 1S.-Eight persons are known to have lost their lives. scores of others are injured and property and crops suffered great damage, the extent of which because of the lneagre reports yet obtainabe cannot be estimated at this time as a result of one of the most torrential-like wind and rainstorms ever experienced in this section.
 The storm, which originated on the gulf last night and early today, swept north eastward through portions of Alabama, Central and Northern Mississippi ard Western Tennessee and In it's northward course razed scores of substantial build ings. partially demolished hundreds of others, caused complete demoralization of railroad traffic and cut off telegraphic communication with many points in the affected territory.
 Cotton Badly Damaged.
 Cotton in the fields blown uown by the wind was beaten into the ground, and II not totally, badly damaged. Besides the loss of life and property damage which is known to have occurred a mum ber of points directly in the pathway of the storm cannot be communicated with,
 
 ceived it is said loss to both life and property will be greatly increasej Wolf river, small stream running eastward of this city, is out of it's banks m many places and in the vicinity of Rossville, Tenn, is several miles wide, the town being completely inundated and the popu- lace in a state of bordering on panic. Throughout almost the entire district rain continues to fall tonight but In de- creased volume.
 Loss at Athens, Ala.
 The storm approached Athens. Ala, from the west and cut a path 300 yards wide through the southern portion of that city. A score of buildings were wrecked but no one was killed or seriously injured.
 At Winona, Miss, the Catholic, Chris tan and negro Methodist churches and the Hesty brick yard were demolished and numerous buildings unroofed and badly damaged. Among the largest build ings damaged at this place are the post office, opera house, the oil mill, the com press, warehouse of the Jackson Mercan- tile company and the residence of E. J.. Dunkston. Besides these about twenty five smaller buildings were almost com pletely destroyed
 Photographic communication Is completely proStrated.
 Of those buildings not totally destroyed the compress was probably the most badly damaged. The roof of this building was torn off by the wind which at times reached almost tornado like velocity, fall ing on the home of E. K. Dunkslcn, 250 yards away.
 The windstorm was preceded and fol- lowed by heavy rains, causing serious washouts along the route of the Illinois Central railroad and badly damaging crops.
 At Mathison, Miss, serious damage is reported to have occurred and woman killed by falling building.
 Two Burned to Death.
 At Tchula falling tree striking small frame building caused it to be set afire, woman and child being burned to death At Nonconnah creek, a few miles from this city, last night railroad trestle fell under the weight of a switch engine, the engine plunging into the swollen stream, carrying with it Engineer c. V. Peterson and Fireman A. R. Ritchie who were drowned
 Buildings Down at Mathison.
 At Mathiston, Miss, nearly every build ing in the southern portion of the town was destroyed. These include the Baptist church. public school building, several brick buildings and a number of resi- dences.
 At this place a negro woman was killed and several others were injured Near Okolona, Miss, three lives were lost The property loss at this place cannot be as- certained tonight. At Haben, Miss. Ben Wofford. a telegraph operator and his wife sustained injuries which may cause their death. At this place the Maben bank and several brick buildings were demolished.
 At Bolivar, Tenn, nine inches of rain fell in twenty-four hours and thousands of head of cattle were caught in the low lands. Relief parties were out today, but because of the high stage of the water little could be accomplished in rescuing the drowning cattle.
 All of the railroads passing through Jackson, Tenn, are tide up by washouts near that city and about one thousand feet of the Mobile and Ohio tracks near McNairy. Tenn, has beep washed away. The water in this vicinity is higher than ever before known. At Grenada, Miss, where serious damage was reported to have occurred, the damage was insgnifi- cant. Among those points in the storms s path with which communication Is cut off is West Point, Miss. Throughout North ern Louisiana heavy wind, rain and electrical storm was also experienced, causing serious damage in some sections. Tn portions of Arkansas some damage was done to crops by heavy rainfall.