Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1906-03-04
MERIDIAN SWEPT BY
A TERRIFIC CYCLONE
Left Death And Destruction In
It's Wake.
REscuERs WORKED AL NIGHT

Number of Lives That Were Lost and
the Extent of Property Damage Has
Not Yet Been Asoertained-storm
Came Suddenly.
Memphis, March "a special to the
Commercial-Appeal from Meridian,
Miss, says:
A tornado in the wake Of which fol
lowed death, fire and property loss in
sum not to be estimated at this hour,
and confusion descended about p. m.
Friday and ploughed pathway from
the southern to the eastern suburbs
of the city
At a. M the city was in darkness,
the local guards by campfire patrolled
an area of debris and wreckage from
the Meridian Fertilizer company on
the south, to the Meridian cotton mills,
in what is known as Georgetown, an
eastern suburb of the city.
The known dead are:
Patrick McGinnis, local freight con-
ductor on Mobile and Ohio, killed in
Elmires restaurant
Mrs. C. R. Singleton and little grand
daughter killed in home by falling of
the roof
John Smith, of Selma, engineer on
Southern, killed in Elmires restau-
rant
William r. Nelson, ex-chief of po-
lice, killed in Thornton's transfer~sta-
BILE.
Police officer Tarry, killed in Thorn
TONS transfer stable.
Claud Williams, killed in Meyer-Be.
ville's hardware store.
Five Unknown negroes and whites,
killed in Georgetown, a cotton mill
suburb
Six unknown killed in the fertilizer
mill district
The injured:
- Serrer, clerk, New Orleans and
Northeastern freight depot.
w. ]. Woodside, clerk in restaurant,
hurt internally.
Frank Woodruff, of Admission, Ala,
bookkeeper, Meyer-Neville Hardware
company
w. A. Garrett night clerk in Cam
eron's restaurant, leg broken and Sc
riOusly injured otherwise.
Grady Stone, negro, leg broken and
hurt internally.
Dean an OnoratOr at +ho Mo
bile and Ohio freight depot, hurt in
ternally
Colonel Charles Elmire, slightly in
iured
At 6:1O p. m. the clouds began to
gather. They came hurriedly and
hoyered close and black over the city
At 6:27 the storm came. 1t was esti.
mated as being of 4 minutes duration.
During this time reign of terror pre-.
vailed. The air was filled with mis-
siles of death. 1t seems remarkable
that more people did not meet death.
A rain fell steadily for one half
hour, following the tornado, as if ir
an effort to palliate the terror and aid
in the suppression of the innumerablt
fires that were springing. up. While
Meridian has suffered the great dis
aster of the year, yet she is not help
less, neither in distress, except in
sympathy with those who have lost
life and property.
The residence portion of the city
is safe from harm. Meridian had
always considered herself tornado
proof.
Mount Barton and the Sand Noun
tain hills were accepted as a sentinel
against such disasters as was wit
messed.
The Sowashee valley was crossed
by the storm, and this was most un-
expected, for If ever wind were to
swoop down on the city it was expect
ed through this valley.
E. G. Woodruff, bookkeeper for the
Meyer-Neville Hardware company, had
| the most narrowing experience of
those left to tell the stofJ. He was
pinioned under the debris of this s.
story structure, his foot caught, but
his body peculiarly protected from in
jury.
The fire department has recovered
the charred bodies of several negroes
| taken from the ruins of small tene-