The Tupelo journal., 1906-03-09

and Crescent. The offices and freight
warehouses of the joint railroads enter
ing Meridian were literally swept of the
face OF the earth. 1t is reported that
sixteen clerks who were working over
time were buried in these buildings, but
the people have been so busy fighting the
fire that it has been impossible to in
vestigate the report. Front street, which
is the principal business street OF the
city, was wiped off the map. Only one
building on the entire street, that Of Ar
mour 4 Co., was left standing and that
was badly damaged.
Hundreds of people were eating their
supper at the various restaurants on this
street and were buried in the debris. AL
have been rescued, but with injuries. The
hospitals here are full Of the wounded
and physicians are going from one to an
other, giving such relief as they are
able.
The news of the terrible misfortune
OF the city spread like wildfre. The fire
alarm bells began to ring out and the
militia was called out. Guards were
placed about the ruined section, which
included about eight square blocks. The
Y. Nj. C. A. building, one Of the finest in
the city, was a mass of ruins, the Meri-
dian Cotton Mills were RACED to the
ground, the new union depot, which had
Just been completed, was wrecked, and
several of the hotels were totally de-
stroyed. All means of communication
with the outside world were cut off for
hours, and it was impossible to summon
help from neighboring towns. Then
when it seemed that the entire city had
been wiped out the fire broke out in a
dozen different places at the same time.
The streets were blocked with debris and
it was impossible to get to some of the
fires. Dozens of negroes who had been
pinioned under the debris of the tene-
ment houses in which they lived were
slowly burned to death, and their cries
for help could be heard for blocks. The
fire department and the citizens worked
heroically, but so rapidly did the flames
spread hat it was impossible to rescue
many of them.
Then the fire broke out among the
business houses, which were RACED by the
storm, and in which it was believed that
many business men had been imprison-
ed. Then the firemen worked with re-
doubled energy, aided by the citizens.
The fires in this section were got under
control at midnight, and it is not be-
lieved that any white people were
burned to death, although escapes were
numerous. As fast as the bodies were
taken from the wrecked buildings they
were laid in rows.
The injured were carried away to the
hospitals. A number who were dug out
of the debris are expected TO die before
morning.
Coming as it did, absolutely without
warning, people had no time to make
their escape. Some were killed as they
returned from their work and Others as
they were eating their supper.
A Southern railway train, with over a
hundred passengers, had just arrived in
the passenger station ten minutes be-
fore the cyclone struck the town. The
passengers had left the depot, and the
train had been backed cut when the
building fell in. The engineer and con-
ductor of the train, who had remained
in the building, were the only ones who
were killed.
Special trains were sent out from
New Orleans to the assistance of the
people there, and to look out for the in
terests of the railroads.
With the exception of the shops all
the railroad property in the city was de-
stroyed, together with thousands of dol
lars worth of freight which was stored
in the warehouses. The warehouses were
saved from the fire, but the Gulf Com
press Company with several hundred
bales of cotton was partially burned, and
several of the walls fell in during the
storm