The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-22
Army Hospital Men Ordered to
Lower Peachtree.
Alabama Town Wiped Out by
Fierce Storms.
LATER REPORTS SAY 60 DEAD
Disaster Extends Over Wide
Range OF Territory.
Damages to Property Will Run
Into the Millions.


! Washington. March 22-Under
rush orders from Secretary Garrison,
| medical officer and three members
of the army hospital corps are pro-
ceeding from Fort OgIethorpe, Ga. to
Lower Peachtree, Ala. the town viz
tuaIly wiped off the map by Thurs
days and Fridays tornado The ac-
ton was taken after an appeal for
help was received by President Will
SON
The American Red Cross today no.
titled the governor of Alabama that
it would give all the aid possible to
the sufferers in the stricken district
The Red Cross agent at Birmingham
was asked to make a report on the
extent of the disaster to the depart
ment of justice
Damage Was Great
Chicago, March $50 severe was
the effect of the sIeet storm yesterday
on telegraph and telephone wires that
it will be several weeks before the
damage has been repaired complete
ly. There was some Improvement to-
day, but, at best. Geographic service
was feeble and liable 70 Interruption
Some curious routings of messages
Were made necessary by the prostra-
ton of the wires. 1t is only IS miles
from Chicago to Milwaukee, but press
kilograms from Chicago went to Pitts
burg and around on a leased wire
Omaha, Kansas City and Minneap-
oils to Milwaukee The Associated
Press leased wire to Peoria was rout-
ed via Pittsburg and ST. Louis
1t is estimated the damage done to
wires will aggregate s2.00O,000. the
heaviest loss which the telegraph and
telephone companies have suffered
from storms in the last five years
Twenty-Seven Are Dead.
Mobile, Ala, March 22.-Twenty-
seven persons are dead and thirty
two injured, some so seriously that
of the cyclone which swept Lower
Peach Tree, Ala, yesterday, accord
ing to a special dispatch to the Reg
ister from Pine Hill, Ala Seventeen
of the dead are white persons. The
property loss will amount to $4,000.
Indiana Recovering
Indianapolis, March 22-Indfana be-
gan to recover today from its wind
storm which did damage estimated at
a million dollars cost two lives in
jured a number of persons and para
lyzed wire communication throughout
the state Large gangs of Hnemen, sent
out by the telegraph and telephone
companies had communication partially
restored TO many places today, but the
wires were shaky in several fnstan-
ceS-
Warmer weather today Iessened the
suffering among many families whose
homes had been partially wrecked by
the storm Warmer weather is also
predicted for tomorrow.
Although a number of persons were
reported fatally hurt yesterday no more
deaths had been reported today
Death List Crows.
More than 60 persons are reported
a hun int
mortally by storm of tornado in
tensity which ragged over central, west
ern, southern and parts of eastern
states yesterday Property damage
viii run well into the millions.
Definite information has been recefv-
ed accounting for more than 40 persons
dead, with reports from points tenn
porari1y cutoff from wire communica-
ton by the storm adding hourly to the
list
Reports from Alabama show the loss
of life was heaviest in that state the
number of dead there being already
definitely place at %, with additional !
fatalities reported but not Confirmed.
The town of Lower Peach Tree. was
practically wiped out Two are dead
in Indiana; two in Tennessee; three in
Ohio; two in New York; one in Michi
gan, and two in Louisville
Accompanying the death lists are es-
Inmates of injured totallfng more than
d hundred, with additions COMING in /
at brief intervals.
Coming up out of the southwest
early Friday morning just as spring
ushered in, the storm swept with
startling suddenuess diagonaIIy across
the country from nothern Texas TO !
the county from northern Texas to
biSectIng the Mississippi valley and
moving northwestward across the
OHIO into the Great Lakes region.
Snlfr1ng winds of great violence /
accompanied in various sections by-
snow, sleet and hail characterized the
storm, easily the most destructive of /
the year and rarely equaIed in the ex-
tent of its scope and damage. Build 4
ings toppled before the blow in nearly /
a dozen states and death lay in its
wake
Immense Property Loss.
The property loss was great all
along the storms track Besides de-
molish1ng or unroofing buildings and 1
Telling trees, the high winds, rain, hail
and sleet did serious damage to earIyi
crops. according to reports Estimates
Of damage to property from Indiana
and Michigan alone aggregate So. o0O.-I
900, about evenly divided Early re-
100000 or more from sections of the
storm region indicated that the total 1
would reach large figures
Wires fell in all directions Not /
in many years has there been such a !
prostration of telegraph and teIephonei
service Chicago was cut of for hours
from communication from points east
BY devious routes connection finally
was established 1t will be week I
before normal service is restored /
in many districts where wire COM
munication was crippled and washouts
occurred
The wind which wiped out SO much