Mexico Missouri message., 1906-03-08
THE TORNADO
At MERIDIAN
THE CASUALTIES NOW placid
AT "a DEAD, 4e INJURED.
THE MoNEYLoss, sI,2so ooO
An Army OF Men At work ClearinS
the Streets OF wreckage--suR-
day n Day OF Funerals In
the City.


the city.
Meridian, Miss, March 5.--Before an
army, Of determined men attacking
Meridian's storm-swept and debris
strewn streets, the vast amount Of
wreckage is giving way slowly but
surely. The Sabbath following the dis
astrous storm Of Friday was a day Of
funerals. The merchants and residents
OF Meridian had never protected them
selves with storm or cyclone insurance,
so insurance agents will have little OF
no auditing beyond the FIRE losses. A
million and a quarter dollars is now
thought to be a conservative estimate
of the damage wrought.
After leaving Meridian and entering
Macon, suburban town, five miles dis
tnat, all traces Of the storm seemed to
have disappeared. Little If any dam
age is reported from the country. Ad,
ditions TO the casualty list have been
made, estimates now standing "a dead
and 46 injured, some fatally.
The storm performed its worst worn
on Front street and In the Georgetown
and Jewell Survey suburbs, On Front
street the principal wholesale houses
were located. The Georgetown COM
munity Is. inhabited chiefly by cotton
factory employees, while the Fewell
survey is the residence district for en-
plcyes of the railroad shops
Scores of Homes Wrecked.
Fifteen buildings on Front street are
wrecked The fertilizer factory, cleo
trio light plant and cotton mills are in
ruins, while 500 residences in the path
of the storm were either unroofed OF
totally destroyed.
Fortunately, however. the tornado
did not pass over either the newer and
larger business portions Of the city, OF
the principal residence district. Gen
orally defined, the storm followed the
lines Of the Alabama & 'Vicksburg and
Mobile & Ohio railroads.
Passing from southwest to northeast
after striking the Queen & Crescent
freight depot and utterly demolishing
that structure, the cloud diverted It's
course somewhat and passed along
Front street, its outer edge also touch
ing Front street, where quite number
OF buildings were greatly damaged.
Hundreds of families are either home.
less or left without employment, owing
to the destruction of wholesale houses
freight Offices and manufacturing
plants. In fact, the poor people Of the
city are the greatest sufferers, the list
of dead and injured containing the
names Of only few persons Of prom
inence.
Numerous hairbreadth escapes are re-
ported, and it is nothing short Of mir
acle that more lives were not lost, wheI
F. the extent OF the storm and the destruc
ton wrought is considered.
The work of clearing the debris from
the streets is necessarily slow. NJ
merous brick buildings, from two e
five stories in height, were dumped int
the street, none OF the walls above tbs
first floor being left standing.
Many Of the homeless families arr
negroes, their little cabins being tori
and twisted to snItnterss and they arr
either roaming the streets or seekini
temporary shelter among their fellows
Fortunately, the several fires that fol
lowed the storm did not add greatly t.
the destruction. They were extin
guished through the prompt work o
the fire department and volunteer oiti
gems.
Seven companies of state militia ar
still on guard and enforcing work b!
negroes, 100 being at work Sunday re
moving the debris An order was is
sued ordering the removal Of the troop
on Tuesday. Work of relief was con
tiued all day and hundreds Of mechan
les will begin work OF rebuilding a
once. Reports received from Macon
Marion and Meehan Junction, all o
which were reported destroyed, state'
that there were no fatalities at thos
places. Meehan Junction escaped en-
tifely.