Mexico weekly ledger., 1910-06-16
DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOHITs
PINE BLUFF THURSDAY EVEN
ING AND SEVERAL KILLED
COTTON CROP IN ARKANSAS is
ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEE"
DAMAGED TO THE tAie"'
OF st,ooo,ooo By the De
WE'RE STORM
Fire Broke Out in Different Portions
Of the City and Added to Loss
Cyclone Was Accompanied by
Heavy Rain.

Pine Bluff, Ark, June 10.
The most destructive tornado thar
has eve visited this city struck zine
Bluff at $3.50 p. m. Thursday
and II is believed several persons
were killed.
Downtown buildings were unrooi
ed. several collapsed and trees were
uprooted and poles torn down In all
directions. The residence and bus
mess sections are strewn with wires
and wreckage.
The two light companies wer
forced to cut off the service and inc
city is in total darkness tonight
The Graphic, the only morning news
paper here, was forced to abandon
its issue Friday. Candles are be
ing used in all buildings and II eV'
cry home.
The storm continued for fully an
hour and was accompanied by a
hail shower that continued for ten
minutes.
Reports from localities adjacent to
this city say the storm was general,
and it is estimated the cotton crop
alone has been damaged to the ex-
tent of 81, 900, 900.
T. G greatest damage was done
along the river front, where the old
stable of Berlin Bros, on East
Court Street, collapsed. Isom Mize
and his 2-years-old daughter, Ola, and
A. ]. Mitchell we're in the office,
used as a bedroom by them. The
roof and tons of brick crashed in
on them, but their lives were saFed
by beams which supported the ceiling
The roof of Berlin Bros ware
house, adjoining the wrecked stable.
was lifted twenty feet into the air
and deposited on top of the Pearee
building.
The roof Of Pruden's stable on Il,
Barraque street, was dropped IN that
street, blocking traffic. The new
building of the Southwestern Tele-
crap and Telephone Company, at
Second avenue and Walnut street,
was damaged, and when the front
part Of the building fell a panic &c.
suited among the telephone girls.
The big brick warehouse OF s,
Bluthenthal & o., and that of the
r. NJ. Knox Co, on the river front,
were completely wrecked.
Fifty launches in the Arkansas
River were sunk and boats in the
Government fleet were blown upon
rock reyetments, The Hotel Jefferson
the most fashionable hostelry in
Southwest Arkansas, was slightly
damaged.
During the storm fire broke out in
two different sections of the city
increasing the loss.
William Ivy, contractor, was cleo
trocuted by a live wire which had
been blown down. His body was re-
leased from the wire which coiled
about him only after re current had
been shut off at the power-house OF
the power7house of the Pine Bluff
Corporation.
Hundreds of shade trees were
blown down and along East Second
avenue poles are down for 10 blocks.
Many windows in downtown stores
were broken. C. H. Montague reports
about $4,000 loss in the destruction Of
several of his boats along the riv.
er front.
Over four hundred telephones are
out of commission and it would be
almost impossible to turn in a fire
alarm. At Altheimer, the only town
which is in communication with Pine
Bluff the storm did much
damage. The front Of the big plan
tatton store of j. S. Mcdonnell was
blown out and his gin also dam
aged. On the Davis, neal Altheimer,
several tenement houses were blown
down and it is reported that sever
al occupants were injured.