The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1906-03-08

Al oCChilS pldCCo VI odLOby' AhO W.
nado also did severe damage on twen-
ty second avenue between front and
Railroad streets. Several houses
in this avenue were partially wreck
ed. The work of the storm lasted
for only a brief period, many people
claiming that the entire destruction
was wrought in the brief space Of
five minutes.
SOME BUILDINGS DESTROYED.
Among the buildings destroyed or
practically destroyed were those OF
the Thomas Lyle Grocery Company,
Elmire's restaurant, Meyer Neville
Hardware Company, Grand Avenue
Hotel, Thornton's s Transfer Company
building, Culpepper Hotel, New Or
leans & Northeastern freight depot,
Young Mems Christian Association
building, Meridian Chair Company,
the city electric light plant, W. J.
Woodside & Co., Pearce Compress
Company, Gulf Compress Company,
and innumerable smaller buildings
which were used for residences
by workingmen and negroes. 1t is
generally understood that there was
but little if any tornado insurance
carried. and the loss will therefore fall
heavily upon the owners of the dam
aged property.
The city was the most pitiful sight
any person ever looked upon when
special train bearing forty senators
and representatives, Gov. Vardaman,
the attorney general, railroad COM
missioner and a special correspond
ent of the Associated Press arrived
here.
Word had reached the governor
that help of a muscular kind was
needed in this place and received from
the legislature an appropriation of
$4,000 to be usd in case Of the emer
gency. At the Rankin county farm
81 convicts, a sergeant and guards,
were placed on board and they are
now, together with the members of
the legislature, at work among the
debris.
The first building in the path of
the storm was the Meridian Fertilizer
factory, an immense plant, which was
totally wrecked, the strongest timber
being split to slivers. From there an
almost easterly direction was taken
by the storm and Fewels Survey,
in which more than thousand white
people reside, was next struck, Here
houses were crippled, and many were
blown down. The Meridian Light and
Railway company was next wrecked
and the facilities for lighting were de-
stroyed. Within less time than words
can tell the front street and east and
west sides of Twenty-second avenue
from railroad street was mass OF
ruins. A confagration started and the
sights presented through the lurid
flames was indescribable. The only
damage done to the immense shops
of the New Orleans and Northeastern
railroad was the unroofing of the
round house, which was hurled about
100 feet distant. The freight depot
and many smaller ones were destroy
ed. The records, papers and every
thing contained in the building are
lost, the first floor being blown away
from under the second. The upper
floor was crowded with clerks but
fortunately not human being was
on the first floor. None of them were
more than slightly hurt and no lives
were lost. A row Of brick buildings
along 26th avenue from the freight
depot to 9TH were wholly demolished
The two-story brick Of Theo. Sturgs
was unroofed and the Greenwald junk
house and many smaller buildings
from that corner to 9Th street were
damaged, the fronts being. in many
places, blown through the buildings
The store occupied by Lewis & Co.
was swept from its foundation and
hurled across 25th avenue and 2nd
street.
Every building on the south side OF
End street to the end of the Mobile
& Ohio railroad tracks, a distance
Of ten blocks, was leveled to the
ground. The Alabama & Vicksburg
railroad tracks in front of the passer
ger depot, is one mass of ruins and
there is not building standing ex-
cept the partially demolished plant
Of the Armour company. Tom Lyle Z
wholesale and retail store, Bush Z
planning mill an dwarehouse, the Mey.
er-Neville Hardware Company, which
was five story building, the Thorn;
ton stable, the Y. M. G. Al building
and all the adjacent smaller estab
lishments were demolished.