The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-27
REMARKABLE EXPERIENCES
 OF YOUNG PEOPLE AT DANCE
Heroic Conduct of Young Farmer
 Saves Many Lives.
4 Second storm Swept the Town Yes. terday and Blew Dovvn Resi- dence and Negro schoel BufIa- . sing-MsrtiaI Law Declared
 aaa Military on Duty.
storm Swept the Tswn Yes
BY E. L. MAY.

BY E. l.. MAY.
 Fort Deposit. April 29.--(Special. .)---r visited the scene of the havoc wroughk by the cyclone at Fort Deposit yesfar- day. and to say that it carried a bosom of destruction In its path ie but a milA expression.
 Three-quarters of q mile this side of what few days ago was a peaceful and happy little town. one noticed here and there on either side of the rail- road. trees twisted in two as though some terrible monster in his frenzy. gnawed them on. On arriving al ma depot. tho extent of the destruction was visible on every hand. The depot build ing was built in 1859, and was perhapa the most solid structure in the town. Sixty feet of 1t was In ruins. Tnfa seems to have been the width of the track of the terrible visitant. Trees or solid water oak, two feet in diameter. were blown literally out of the earth. one or the strangest freaks of the force of the storm was where two trees were standing side by side, one being thrown In a northeriy direction, ana the other in the opposite way.
 A Remarkable Experience.
 The most remarkable experience had was at the armory. where a large para " Of young people had congregated to enjoy dance. Everything moved on as smoothly and pleasantly as a dreafs, and about 9 o'clock tpere came a ter- rlble sound which was due to the snakins or me building and causing t to culver as straw in the awful whfra of the clements. It was nature rnn mad and seemed bent. as 1t were, on sweeping away everything In it's path The noise was due to the building be- Ing broken at several places m the roof. Had 1t been the hat of nature that thts structure should go down in m a n Mw that most of the seventy-five or hun dred young people there Assembled. would have been carried In an lnafart Into the boundless depths of eternity Perhaps not one would have sscapaa unhurE
 This marvellous salvation was due to two causes, one being that the build sng.t a low one-story wooden structure, was braeed together from end to end by several powerful iron rods, and by number of iron rods running across the building from side to side. The other cause was the heroic conduct Of A young farmer living several miles out In the country by the name of Gerald Bush. But for his presence of msnd and coolness. there would have been a wild. peil-mell rush out of the doors. He closed the doors and forbid ans one to pass out All this while the de- bris from the front end of the armory
 
 ings, were passing through the air like missiles flung from the hand of q demon.ac monster. To add to the ters TOT. there was the incessant rattle 1x hailstones, and the constant culver cx the flashes of lightning. and those whe looked out upon the scene from difter- ent places said that the light was 90 brilliant at times as to reveal the full proportions of the devastation.
 When the fierceness of the wrath Of the clements was realized, according Co the statement of one young lady. there was an Involuntary dropping on thafx knees of many present and thus the Rock of Ages was appealed to. for tha3 comfort and protection which He alone could give. This is q grand tribute to the faith of h human nature. It is to its credit and it's glory.
 The arms belonging to the soldier boys were drenched and many of them
 Mr. Lawrenee's Fate.
 The young man. Lawrence. who met A tragic fate, was not in the armory as heretofore stated. He. with several companions. was at a livery stable two doors therefrom They all made rush to cross the streets. and for some reason. when he had partially crossed 1t. he turned back and went towards the armory and started to retrace his steps in the direction from which he started. and when near the middle or the street, a piece of flying timber struck him on the back of the neck ana snapped the cord of life in a twinkling. of his tragic fate.
 The first shock came from the south west, and rapidly hurried on it's fell course of destruction and woe This gave the hope that this was the end, but anon. another terrific force came A. statement of many, was not altogethef so violent as the first shock. To ada to the terror of the situation. there were occasional shrieks, making the living dread that the stricken and dead might surpass the widest flight of the imagination.
 In every direction one could look there were marks of ruin. The streets and sidewalks were strewn with debris everywhere. so much so as to make passage perilious and uncertain. The wierd nature of the havoc wrought would stagger the keenest perception.
 Mir. Davis, one of the leading mer. chants of the place, occupies a low one-story brick building about a block west of the south end of the depot Que corner of the front end of the roof was slightly damaged The roof, which was practically flat, did not show much evidence of having been disturb- ed. and the stock of goods, with the exception of the front corner. were practically intact. A similar but wider building right against it. had the appearance of a legion of monsters having paid their fell visit The goods to a great extent were damaged. but at the time I visited the spot had not been removed to a nearby warehouse. Shoes by the hundred pair were rend- cred almost useless. and hat boxes full of hats when taken hold of crumbIed to pieces like charred paper when touched. but in most cases the hats were practically dry and unhurt. Other classes of goods like colored fabrics and groceries were rendered practically useless.
 Loss to Merchant.
 In this structure there was q Stock