The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-13
TALLADEGA CYCLONE
 DOES $165, ,000 DAMAGE BUT NOLIVES ARE LOST
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twister, all right. It was going round and round and was sucking up all kinds of things and burling them out again. It was the worst looking thing I ever saw. The first wind knocked me down and I crawled under the buggy, which was standing near. Just as l did so the wall came down with a crash on the buggy. If l had been a minute later would have been killed. After stay ing under the buggy for few minutes crawled out and was promptly floored again. The best thing for me to do was to hug the ground. And l did tight"
 Hobbs Tells of Storm
 C. O. Hobbs. another fireman, was clos ing the front door of the station when the cyclone struck the building. The horses became frantic and broke their halters. They rushed out of the build ing, snappng the chain across the door as if it had been twine. Hobbs said q rushed to the chain to let the other horses out when the full force of the cyclone struck me. l was hurled 60 feet across the street. l struck the ground but once. l was damned against the embankment on the other side of the street and held there until another fire man came to my rescue and we both managed to clutch a tree. So great was the force of the wind that we were spun round and round"
 The most awesome feature of the cy- clone was the absence of thunder and the incessant lightning. It was not the forked tongued thunderbolts but solid sheets of blue flame that swept across the sullen sky lighting up the scene be- low. In spite of the fact that all lights in the city were out the courthouse square was lighted as bright as day.
 There were two eases of presentlment f,, ttanr ba xNalltnutOp diver on Saturday afternoon notified the people that the cyclone was coming and to back up the prediction took out two tornado insurance policies.
 Aunt Sarah Woodward, an aged ne- gro woman, also predicted the cyclone and moved out of her cabin in the west ern part of the town. The house was few sticks left to show where 1t had been
 Dr. J. T. PlunSet, pastor of the South Highlands Presbyterian church, was in Saturday nigl-t when the cy- clone struck there. Great anxiety was felt by Dr. Piunlkets many friends and his family here in Birmingham, but later reports from the cyclone district proved tkat no one had been injured. No direct word had been received last night, how ever, from Dr. Plunket. He was in Tai- ladega to deliver a commencement ad- dress at one of the colleges.
 Storm at Tuscaloosa
 Tuscaloosa. May 12.-(Special )-Tusca- loosa county was swept by a fearful hail storm, accompanied by high wind and heavy rain, late Saturday afternoon All communications with the out side world was cut off, and telephones were out of commission until today. Re- ports show that great amount of dam age was done to crops and property for miles around Tuscaloosa.
 Great excitement prevailed during the storm for many windows were broken, several houses in the business section were badly damaged by water and several buildings were partly unroofed. Trees were blown down and torn up by the roots all over the city Much damage was wrought to those on the university cam pus. Many runaways have been report ed as a result of the hail. which was the largest ever seen here.
 The Tuscaloosa Light company suffered great loss, for poles are down and wires crossed in every section of the city. No lives have been reported lost, but a g. year-old son of Aubrey Gregory was blown from his fathers arms at River View and was carried a long distance in the air, and yas rescued from the rfver by negro Several picnic parties were caught out and suffered from water and exposure.
 The camp of the Illinois Central rail- road, which is located near Tuscaloosa. was blown entirely away. Tents were blown down. suitcases foated down the flood of water and tho survivors who abandoned the camp are now in Tusca- loosa No estimate can be put on the losses as yet.
 
 Sylacauga, May 12.--(Special )-The storm that passed over this section was heavy. Awnings were torn from several business houses. a skylight from the First National bank building broken and some minor damages to other Total dama ges are estimated at $500. The lines to the electrical power plant were torn down and the town put in darkness. It is reported here that several head of stock were killed on the Hoffman place about and number of people seriously hurt.