New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-04-26
FIVE HUNDRED DIE
IN T0RNAD0'S PATH
HOSTS INJURED BY TEN
PESTS IN SOUTH.
Mississippi the U1orst Suf erer, arith
Three Hundred Killed
ogf Runs Into Millions.


~ Orleans A1ril e5-Proba bly half q thou
,.,s lives lost. hundred or more persons
<...u,, ,niD-A5 and many times this number
,.inf,,lz- hurt together with property loss
-r,-i,r IN in the millions. is the record so far
Of series Of tornadoes that originated in the
West two days ago, sweeping across Iexas'
etlshoma Arkansas. louisiana, MISSISSIPPI.
Tennessee Alabama and Georgia yesterday and
last night It left a path Of death. desolatlon
snd want in its wake, seriously interrupted
co,,rounication between cities in the South, and
h-ouvh- about chaotic conditions in many
smaller towns
Mississippi bore the brunt Of the storm Re
no-.x from that state indicate that the loss OF
life will be By far the greatest within her oor-
oers Estimates OF the number OF those who
,o,- their lives as result of tornadoes in Mis-
sisSinri Mace the death list at about three
hundred with thousand or Ehore injured
Those actually reported thus far from four
states are: Louisiana-Dead, 90; injured. $50
uississippi-Dead. ls3: injured $50 Alahama-
Dead. 81; injured, l15. Georgia-Dead, 70; IN
iured. 100 Minor injuries are not Included
In Texas. Arkansas and Tennessee there was
slso great loss Of life Authentic information is.
.n many instances lacking owing to the Grip
pled facilities for communication anu fhe lach
Of time TO form anything like an accurate esti-
mate Of the damage
The tornadoes lasted altogether ABOUT tWerNe
hours striking promiscuously one town alter
another from before daylight on Friday until
midafternoon.
MANY hours after they struck trains bearing
nearly two hundred injured came crawling eau
tiously out of the tornado district. leaving be-
hiu5 them one town, Purvfs. Miss. utterly de-
molished five others practically blown away
and fifteen little villages in more or less acute
stages OF ruins. With the wounded came the
details Of one OF the worst wind disasters IN the
history Of the Gulf States. Negroes comprised
cf the dead
The towns which suffered the orst damage
in addition TO Plrvis we're Amite La; Mccall
lum, NcLaurin and Winchester, Miss, and Al
bertviile. Ala. The following fifteen towns We're
more or less damaged: Richland and Lamourie'
La: Wingate. New Augusta, Columbus. WaAs'
Braxton Belle Grove Melton. Lornan, Pine
Ridge, Quitman's Landing. Fairchild's CREEK
and wahalak in Mississippi, and Bergen, Ala
Most of these places are merely a COLLECTION
.: a few stores and dwellings. in which the
property losses viii not reach very large hgures.
Around Amite La, and Purvis, Miss. the TWO
worst sufferers, damage which will never De
estimated the aggregate was done to tirnoer
lands. 10 plantations and to railroad property
scattered through belt about five hundred
miles long
TOWN PRACTICALLY WIPED OUT
The destruction of Purvis occurred at about
Ten minutes after o'clock Friday afternoon
and Vas all over IN a few minutes vi
about two hundred dwellings only seven were
left standing The courthouse, the only other
building in town 10 Withstand the wind was
immediately packed with dead and injured ana
served the only available hospital withih
many miles. e. ". Cromwell, of Jackson. Miss
in attempting to describe the storm. said that
I'll h could realize that the air was full OF
flying tiinbers These timbers dealt death 10
many persons who sought safety in the open
az. while the falling Of walls was still greater
PERI TO those who remained indoors
In d field near the town farmer who was
loughing saw the storm approaching and man
sssa 70 get the members Of his family outdoors
Asad behind stumps before the wind struck
ne house was blown away, but none OF the
ieriners family Was injured One OF the chh-
ofsh killed is said to have been lifted high IN
ne air and while still well above the ground 10
Aese been struck by heavy flying timber
'aich caused its death When the storm was
ef special train bearing twelve physicians
sho fifteen other persons went to Purvis.
"ti'Fr i~a- WAS - b3dty damaged tflat IL was
p.' rnder martial law a. by order Of It's
@es The storm struck there just about
mol killing, tao white persons and thirteen
s'"es outright :li,s fatally injuring many
ifs- The total death list of Anlite will reach
'easi twenty five. Father Felix Rumpf Was
=, - "f bell tower Of his church, having just nm
"so ringing the MONDAY bell. He was crushed
osath b. the falling tower. Mr. A n os-
- !" lAinite, caught by the tornado as she
ofiving - her home tree fell across
hoise, killing the animal. but she was un-
-h Forty persons were al dinner in the Com
al Hotel when the storm struck and the
- was carried away. but not one Of the din
'fs was hura
A.,l e psth Of the tornado WAS about two and
- miles aide The greatest 10 of life
r-e The negroes occurred around Natciez.
In concordia Paris La across the