The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-25
COLUMBUS, MISS, STORM SUFFERER Two Killed, Properly Damage VIII Reach $6O,OOO WORST IN TIE SUBURBS Heaviest Damage Was At Plants of Refuge Cotton Oil Go. and colum.
 bus Comfort and Manu-
 featuring Go.
l WORST IN TIE SUBURBS


 11:45 o'clock this morning cyclone struck the southwestern part of this city at the high bluff on the Tombigbee river, just in the rear of the Refuge Cotton Oil com panys plant. The high bluff appears to have split the wind into two parts. One spent it's fury in northerly direction for a block and then changed it's course to due eastward down Eighth avenue. south. The other jumped and struck the Mssis- sippi Cotton oil company's storage room. completely unroofing it.
 The worst damage was done by the first break in the wind, which apparently ab- sorbed the major part of the force. After demolishing the huge smokestack at the Refuge Cotton oil company and stretch- ing it upon the ground as if it were a straw, it's force was directed to the sub stantial plant and building of the Co., lumbus Comfort and Manufacturing com nsny. This is a modern brick building t00x2Oo feet, and well built. The roof was husled 50 yards and fell upon the stor- age department of the same concern. Heavy .tppbers were blown away and ~ '''',,.'',-'q ,,. heavy joisf,y,s i w
 '00 fsssSyss :. sj.!sss, .ss. oaisS 's 'sfs com com si.. eadwastaS i. The warer3omD was aentk wen the crash cames ne i Ger. G)been temporarily closed doM a...srst4@st was injured. Property ioss here was about ss0,00O Ey.'
 Freaks of the Storm.
 The building adjoining the Comfort fac tory is the Columbus Machine company, and the entire frontage of their shop was scattered Five thousand dollars will cover their loss. Eighth avenue shows signs of the destruction A house across the street from the machine company had the porch taken 100 feet away. A new house a half block down Eighth avenue was blown off it's foundation and replaced on earth several feet away. Mrs. Bob Hanson was in the home and was not injured Trees were uprooted and the street for three blocks was a mass of underbrush.
 At Sixth street three blocks from the Comfort factory it seemed that the cy- clone took on a new force and broae itself at the new cement cotton ware house owned by c. F. Sherrod. The sides were crumbled by the wind and the struc- ture. which covers an entire block, col lapsed. J. w. Stansel has a contractors shop in the structure, and only one work was there at the time. Haf was killed instantly. He was John Fearce, colored. Five others had just left the shop a minute before the crash came. The ie at the street Robertson & Co.'S grocery warehouse was left without roof, and little further off the Columbus Marble works suffered a loss.
 Damage Around Cotton Mill.
 The end of the storm which struck the Mississippi Cotton Oil companys roof and gin house. just after the break first came, vented it's fury upon 20 freight cars on the Mobile and Ohio side track They were left without a cover. Three cars were coupled near the oil mill on 15-foot tres tie. The wind struck the middle car and sent it to the ditch below, where 1t rests upside down. The other two cars were untouched. A house at 722 South Fourth street, block away from the Comfort factory, was damaged c. H. Baker and his wife. daughter of P ]. Bearden, were In the home and heard the crash at the
 
 and says he saw the heavy dark. spinning form bearing down towards his home. Be- fore he could get inside his door it had struck the cottage He is painfully hunt in his hip and his wife is bruised and cut around the head. A ear top from heavy box car was blown 30 feet high and land- ed in q large tree about 100 yards away The car remains on the tracks. The total damage can be placed at about S60000.
 Killed By Lightning.
 This afternoon at 3 o'clock an electrical storm, which lasted about 15 minutes visited the city It grew quite dark and the rain fell In torrents. Lightning struck the home of s. c. Johnson at the corner of Nineteenth street and Bell avenue and killed his father, G. N. Johnson, aged S0 He was sitting near a burning electric globe aTis. the lightning followed the wire. Even with the great damage the storm did do the town is indeed fortunate by the wind spending itself on the suburbs and not the residence or main business portion All afternoon crowds have been visiting the ruins.
 Storm Strikes Atlanta.