The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-04-28
BIG LOSS OF LIFE
Ga Several States Caused BY a
Destructive cyclone
THREE HUNDRED DEAD

over One Thousand More or Less
Injured and Many Thousands Ars
Homeless. storm Covered Much
Territory, Nearly Fifty Towns Be
ing Wrecked, Some of Which Are
Almost Wiped Out.
Three hundred and fifty killed, a
hundred or more persons fatally in
jured and many times this number
painfully hurt, together with prop
erty loss running up into the millions,
is theS record so far OF series of
tornadoes that originated in the West
Thursday, sweeping across Texas, Ok
lahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missis-
sippi, Tennessee, Alabama and Geor-
gia Friday and Friday night.
1t left a path of death. desolation
and want in its wake, seriously inter-
rupted communication between cities
in>the South and brought about chao-
tic conditions in many smaller towns.
Mississippi bore the brunt Of the
sterln. Reports from that State in
dicate that the loss of life will be by
far the greatest of any section
through. which the storm passed.
Estimates of those who loss their
lives as a result Of tornadoes in Mis-
sippi place the death list at near three
hundred and fifty, with, a thousand,
or more injured. In Texas, Louis7
lana, Alabama and Georgia the death
lists are also large, with loss of life
in Arkansas and tennessee.
Authentic information is in many
instances lacking owing to crippled
facilities for communication and the
lack of time to form anything like an
accurate estimate of the damage.
The storm, which first appeared in
Georgia at Columbus, on the Ala
bama line, seems to have moved in a
northeasterly direction, striking the
towns of Chipley, Harris. LAGRANGE.
Griffin, Mcdonald, Locust Grove, Ca-
dartown and Cave Springs, while a
portion Of its fury was felt in tle(
eastern surburbs of Atlanta, shortly
after midnight.
Most Of the dead are negroes. Per.
haps a dozen white persons were
caught in falling buildings and either
fatally injured or so seriously disabled
as to require medical attention.
The loss of life was in the quar-
tiers of colored persons where the
wind destroyed their cabins, burying
the occupants in the debris, or in the
farming section Of the country where
trees were uprooted, telegraph and
telephone polls; torn up and general
destruction became an encore to a
storm which, with almost tornado
fury, swept through the country.
1t is difficult to estimate the loss
of life or the extent of the disaster,
for there is little or no communica-
tion with the points where the wind
and rain did its greatest damage.
In Louisiana 1t is estimated that
score of small towns were destroyed
or partially wrecked. These include
Amite City, Arcadia and Inderend-
ence, Belle Grove, Melton, Lorman,
Pine Ridge, Quitman, Landing, Fair
childs Creek, Purvis and Lumberton,
Miss, are reported seriously damaged
by the storm.
In Alabama, Dora was the chief
sufferer. This town is also known rs
Bergen. Four or more persons were
killed, among them the wife and
daughter of Section Master Moore.
Fifty persons at the lowest estimate
were injured. Those most seriously
hurt were carried to hospitals in Bir-
mingham, Ala. One woman, Ms.
McCully, died on the train. Two
other members of this family were
seriously injured. At Bergen cars
were blown from the railroad tracks
and considerable other property de-
stroyed. Reports also say that the
storm struck Abertville, Ala, and de-
stroyed' 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 that
section gives the death list as from 80
to 35 with other persons injured. A
special train was sent from Birming-
ham, carrying physicians and squad
of State militiamen to the district.
Aid is also pouring in from all drec-
tons.
From Meridian, Miss, comes 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.
Richland and Lamourie, La, were
struck by the storm and nearly nth
of their population injured.
Winchester, Miss, small town, is
reported wiped out, though only
two persons are known to have been
Killed.
Natchez, Miss, reports sixty are
known to be dead in the northern
Louisiana storm. Hundreds Of plan
tation cabins are reported destroyed