The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-04-25
COMMUNICATION CUT OFF FROM
MAIN TOWNS BUT MEAGER RE
PORTS SHOW MANY LOST SEW
ERAL RESIDENTS BY DEATH.
TERRIBLE SCENES FOLLOW.
Children Were Not Spared From
The Clutches of the Furious Wind
Demon.

New Orleans, La, April 25.-Six tor
nadoes, leaving death and ruin in their
wake. have swept Louisiana, Missssip-
pi Alabama. Tennessee and Texas in
the last forty eight hours.
It is impossible to give a correct es-
innate of the dead and injured, but 1t
IS declared that 300 dead and over 500
injured is a conservative figure.
The property loss is estimated as at
least S1OOO.OOr.
Amite, small town in southeastern
Louisiana, was entirely destroyed. The
dead are estimated at from 10 to 10.
Physicians engaged in relief work at
Amite assert that this estimate is cor
rect
A wind which was of cvclonic proper
tions, swept over portions of Louisiana,
Mississippi. Tennessee, Alabama and
Texas late Friday, leaving trail of
dead and injured The number of
killed is estimated at close to 300 and
the number of the injured at half a
thousand. with many portions of the
afflicted districts to hear from. Most
of the dead are negroes. Perhaps a
dozen white persons were caught in
falling buildings and either fatally in
jured or so seriously disabled as to re
quire medical attention.
The loss of life was chiefly in the
quarters Of colored persons. where the
wind destroyed their cabins. burying
the occupants in the debris. or in the
farming sections of the country. where
trees were uprooted. telegraph and tel
ephone poles torn up and general de-
struction became an encore to a storm
which swept with tornado-like fury
throughout the country.
Property Loss a Million.
1t is still difficult to state the exact
F1oss of life or the extent of the destruc-
tion Of property. for there is little or
no communication with the points
where the wind and rain did its great
est damage. but the property loss is
certainly at least 81 100000.
In Louisiana. scores of small towns
were destroyed or partially wrecked.
These include Amite City. Arcadia and
Independence.
Belle Grove Melton. Logan. Pine
Ridge. Quitman Landing, Fairchild
Greek and Purvis are seriously damag-
ed by the storm.
In Alabama Bergen was the chief suf-
serer. Many were killed. among them
the wife and daughter of Section Mas
ter Moore. Fifty persons at the low
est estimate were injured Those
most seriously hurt were carried to
hospitals at Birmingham. Ala. One
woman. Mrs. Edward McCully. died on
the train. Two other members of this
family were seriously injured
Blown From Tracks.
The railroad tracks and considerable
other property damage was done.
Reports also say that the storm
struck Albertsville. Ala, late yester-
day afternoon and destroyed nearly
the entire northern portion of the
town. A cotton mill was blown down
the storm ranging northward doing
much destruction to life and property
An unconfirmed report from this sec
tion gives the death list as from 40
to so, with scores of persons injured
A special train was sent from Birm-
ingham last night. carrying physici-
ans and squad of state militiamen
TO the district. Aid is also pouring in
from all other directions.
From Meridian, Miss, comes q re-
port that Mrs. John Minniece and her
child were killed outright and John
Minniece was seriously injured. while
a number of other persons were hurt
and there was considerable destruc-
tion of property.
Fifth Of Population Gone.
Richland and Lamourie. La. were
struck by the storm and nearly fifth
of their population injured.
Winchester. Miss, small town. is
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