The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-04
STORM RAGES IN TWO Georgia and Alabama
 Are Damaged. ONE TOWN MAY BE DESTROYED Fort Gaines, Ga., Reported Wiped
 Off the Map. Following High wind, Wires Co Down and no Communication to Re
 Had with chattahoo-
 chic Valley.
ONE TOWN MAY BE DESTROYED

A storm which swept the eastern section of Alabama during yesterday is believed to have done great damage in the western section of Georgia and the smaller towns of Eastern Alabama. Up to. late hour all wires were down and it was impossible to secure any information regarding the severity of the tornado which ragged down the Chattahoochee Valley.
 Montgomerians who felt the forty four miles per hour gale which swept over the city yesterday did not real ize the fact that tornado was raging somewhere near here, as result of the exceedingly low pressure which has ex- isted during the last ten days.
 The western wing of the real storm. which it is believed has almost com pletely destroyed several of the cities located in the Chattahoochee Valley. struck Montgomery, but before getting here had evidently done It's worst to these small towns.
 Advices received during the day by the Associated Press indicate that Fort Gaines, Dawson, Cuthbert, sheIlman, Graves Station and other small towns in the line of the excessive high winds were more or less damaged, and the last report from Fort Gaines would in- dicate that that town was wiped com- pletely off the map.
 Wires Are Down.
 All wires. practically. south of Mont gomery, were down at o'clock yes terday afternoon, and it was impossi- ble to get news from the devastated district. Shortly before midnight the Associated Press correspondents in Washington were qaerying all cities in the adjacent territory for news con Ecerniug the complete destruction. of Fort fGaines and tf is feared that this progressive little Georgia city was en- tirely destroyed
 At midnight all efforts made by The Advertiser to get in communication with any of the towns adjacent to the territory through which the tornado is supposed to have passed were fruitless.
 The night operator for the Central of Georgia at Montgomer iywas com municated with and stated that he had not been able to raise any of the off ces along the road from Montgomery to Macon. indicating that the wires are down, and that an excessively high wind or tornado has prevailed in the district between Union Springs and Dawson. Ga, as these are, the last points heard from. and wire service Is all right from Macon as far as Smith ville.
 Telephone advices are to the effect, that excessively high winds have pre- vailed all along the Chattahoochee Valley from Columbus down to the gulf and the storm developed into tor nado proportions in some districts.
 In Washington 1t is feared there has been great loss of life in the, wake of the storm, and the continued silence from the smitten towns adds to these fears. There are no facts available on which to base a speculative story of the disaster, and until wire service Is established the exact nature of the damage can not be asceFtained.
 In Montgomery there were many who feared that a gulf disturbance was about toa center here and cause ser ious damage. but 1t developed that on- ly the western wing of the storm was felt here.
 Mercury Takes Drop.
 A southwestern, which attained the maximum speed of forty-four miles per hour struck old Mercury. who has been clinging tenaciously to the 95 degree ledge for the past ten days, and sent him tumbling down several points. No rain accompanied the high wind. but there was very perceptlole change in the atmosphere.
 The thermometer had climbed to 90 -