The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-26
FORT DEPOSIT
 IS IN CHAOS Many Houses Are in Ruins. TWO PERSONS ARE BEAD Will Lawrence Runs from Dance
 to Death. Miraculous Escape of Scores of Young Persons Who Were Merry-Mak-
 ine-List of the Tewn's
 Losses.
nY A. R. WILp.

Fort Deposit. April 25.--(special)-- About o'clock last night after con- finual claps of thunder . cyclone struck Fort Deposit. coming from the southwest.
 The first account of its approach was when 1t tore down houses three miles southwest of the town where 1t struck the plantation of Frank McCrary. dA- molishing many of his houses and wounding some of the inmates badly.
 It swept along from there to the town, where it came in full fury, striking first about the residence of V 1T. Hawkins. demolishins all irn- proyements and damaging his resi- dence. It struck the handsome new residence of !. D. Eamar and 1t was stripped of ali galleries and windows. only the main building of'the house re- nlaining.
 The wind took in it's path every bus mess house of the town. almost denio1- ishinK the large store occupied by Jo- seph Norwood. The brick store occn- pied by C.. M. Davis was badly dam : aged, blowing out the front and part of the roof The stores owned by I. N. Black and occupied by R. ! Carr and c. N. Brooks were unrcofed ahd | the fronts blown on The big two story store owned and 6ceupied by T. T. Hattemes was entirely uproofed ana tho front blown off. The store Of v. II Bell, which is a large two-story frame building. was anrocfed and bad Iy dsmaged. " Y
 The Masonic building was partly un- roofed and the handsome hall was flooded. s
 All of the stores were flooded by the unprecedented fan of water. All of the small frame stores escaped but the large brick store occupied by Will Johnson was damaged slightly.
 The railroad warehouse. which was one of the best on the road. and was supposed to be the best built house of the town, is totally demolished, except about thirty feet of one end.
 The Seawell Hotel, occupied by Mrs. Seawell is unroofed and badly dam aged. probably $1,00o. E%
 The width of the cyclone was about 300 yards. moving from Norwoods store to pr. Carr's house.
 The new electric light plant. which has just been completed at cost of about $15.000 to the town. Is about de- molished.
 The residence occupied by A. R.. Jordan is about demolished. His wife has been quite III for two weeks and was taken out of the wrecked home and carried to that of a neighbor in a flood of rain without protection.
 The most miraculous escape was that of about fifty young people who had assembled at the armory to enjoy a dance This is a large. handsome build ing, and every particle of the roof was blown to splinters.
 with much difficulty the cooler head ed young men held the doors until L 4l& "a not let the frantic crowd out. One young man. Will Lawrence, who ran out of the building, was killed in- stantly by falling timbers.
 Only one other death Is reported. or found that of an old negro citizen three miles from town.
 Nearly all of the residences are dam- saged more or less. Nearly all chin- neys and fues were blown down in Q few minutes after the fury of the wind was spent
 The most awful flood ever seen by the oldest citizens here was accompa- nied by a downpour of hail stones which were said by some to be as large as guinea egs.
 When the rain had ceased. the young men and boys gathered down town. and after procuring lanterns began search for any who might have been killed.
 In a few minutes a second cloud came up from the northwest and 1t seemed that there would be a repeti- tion of the storm. Women had became frantic and the suspense was awful.
 Men and women were found taking refuge in the flooded gutters in their night clthes, with the tops on their houses, and every garment wet.
 Today all but the flooded stores have been closed and all persons have been 1 1la the debris.
 Nearly all of the beautiful oaks and alms of the town. many of which had been here since the beginning Of the town. are lying flat. many on houses.
 By daylight the streets were full of persons climbing over fallen trees ana wading through the mud to LOOK atter their nearest loved ones.
 Many cabins. for miles around. are bIown down and the farm lands are in an awful condition.