The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-05-12
From The Daily Item, May 8.

county passed over the upper part of
the county on Friday afternoon al
about 1890 o'clock leaving death and
destruction in it's wake. At least one
colored man was killed, another was
probably fatally wounded and a negro
woman was seriously hurt by lightn-
ing. Cotton, corn and pats were WHIP
ed out of existence in the path Of the
storm n houses were overturned and
trees had their limbs orr off and
some We're uprooted by the force OF
the wind.
The storm approached the violence
of a tornado and carried fear to the
people over whom it swept. Many
were left homeless, especially among
the colored people, and many will suf-
fer great financial loss as the result
Of the vino and hail. The wind
storm lasted about five minutes and
was Immediately followed by a terrific
hail storm, the great stones tearing
out glasses in the houses and cutting
the rowin crops to the ground.
Rain came also and practically the
whole country vas flooded by a short,
but heavy downpour.
The storm seems to have come
from due west, striking first those
farms just across the Wateree River
Swamp from Richland county. 1t
continued its course through Hagood,
Rembert, Heriot and Rose Hill and
dp to~afds Comprehension.
tails Of the storm could not be obtain
ed this morning, but persons from the
section over which the storm passed
and who lived near the path taken
by the storm report it as having been
most terrible.
The negro who met death lived on
Mr.. Browns place, near Rembert,
and another negro on the same place
was probably fatally injured. A COL
ored woman on Mr.. Wilson's place at
Rose Hill was stunned by lightning,
but later recovered from the effects
of the shock. Mr.. G.. A. Lennon
stated this morning that the crops on
his place On the Wateree River near
Hagood were practically ruined. On
his place at Hagood two buildings
were overturned, and his cotton crop.
$50 acres, was totally destroyed. his
corn was also wiped out and his oats
were almost totally destroyed. The
corn and cotton will have to be re-
planted. AT Mrs. Allston's place,
many of the big oak trees were broken
on or blown down. Part of the roof
or the house, it is reported, was
dow off and several tenant houses
and outbuildings were damaged. The
crops were badly DANCED. Chas. w.
sanders, c.. A. Ellerbe, Tom Brown,
Z. w. Chandler, and the L. M. Brad
ley place and Thomas Wilson were
among the sufferers from the wind
and hail. Mr.. Thomas Wilson had 900
acres of cotton destroyed on his Rose
Hill plantation which will have to
be planted over. Other crops were
also badly damaged.
Supervisor Pitts stated this morn
ing that he had received a message
from HagoOd that many trees had
been blown down across the road in
neighborhood Of Hagood, but other
wise he had not heard of any dam.
age to the roads. 1t was stated by
some of those who had beer in that
section that the hail at Rembert was
as big as a mans fist. w. r. Phil
lips, who was at Ellerbe's store. stat
ed tina the wind was terrible, that il
whipped the big oak trees around and
broke the trees down and uprooted
them. The hail stones, he stated,
were as big as guinea eggs.
At Rembert Mr.. j. l.. ellis store
was badly damaged, as were several
others, the wind and hail breaking
the glasses and damaging the
contents; the depot at Rembert was
lifted up by the wind and moved
nearly two feet on it's pillars.
This storm seems to have been an
separate One from that which
struck Manning later in the day, for
it came at about 1890 O'Clock. II. foo
came from the west, however. sum-
ter seems therefore to have beon
nearly in the middle between the
paths of the two storms. neither of
which was felt here.