The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-05-12
CYCLONE CAUSES A QUARTER OF MILLION DOLLAR DAMAGE.
INJURED RUINED TELEPHONE AND EEc
TRIO LIGHT LINES DEMOLISHED AND BUSINESS DENoRAI1zED

4RAS LIN
Just about 4 o'clock last Fri
day afternoon, May 7th 1915.t the
worst disaster which has ever
befallen Clarendon county came
almost in the twinkling of an
eye, when a great cyclone
swooped down in the centre of
the town of Manning. The day
will go into history as one to be
remembered and reckoned, like
the night of the 31st Of August
1886, when the bowels of the
earth groaned, the surface shook
and trembled, and buildings
rocked and swayed and people
were panic stricken. But the
net result of that fearful disast-
er to lives and property in Clar-
endon county was small to COM
pare with what the cyclone did
in Manning last Friday after
noon. Three persons were kill
ed, and a number badly injured,
horses were killed. houses and
stores were blown down, stocks
of goods almost demolished,
trees torn down, and debris car
ried for miles.
! When the big dark blue cloud
seemed to slowly assemble in
West, and extended all the way
from northwest to south west,
lit was hailed with welcome and
delight, as people were wishing
for more rain, and only those
twho were more easily alarmed
by disturbances among natures
elements, had any cause to fear.
The cloud seemed to move for
ward in normal innocence. when
presently there could be heard a
roaring in the southwest, ap-
parently up in the air, but the
great width of the cloud did not
indicate more than q general
blow and a rushing of air usually
incident to such conditions. But
as the large drops of rain began
to patter down and were hailed
with welcome, or about thirty
seconds afterwards, the great
circling, whirling, rushing cy-
clone seemed to swoop down
from the southwest, like q
mighty ball which had been
struck somewhere in that di-
rection and went bouncing and
bounding along in it's route of
destruction, with the centre of
the town of Manning as one of
the places where it chose to hit
the ground and then bound
again in the air and go rapidly
in it's north.eastward direction.
The real cyclone came so quick
ly, and the path Of it's course
was so narrow, that people in
the southern and northern ends
of the town had no idea that
anything so unusual was hap.
pening, and in fact were start.
led and shocked when told that
the blow was severe enough TO
blow down trees and buildings.
It came down about the section
of the residences of Treasurer
Wells, Mr.. W. T: Sprotb and Mr.
W. R. White, and in the street
there many trees were blown
down and torn up. 1t seemed
to lift itself over the residence
of Mrs. ingram Bagnal, to i'm
mediately descend again and lay
fat the old dispensary building
and almost completely demolish
the large brick sales and feed
stables of Cofey and Rigby,
killing or fatally damaging two
horses. Part of the front of
the stables of D. M. Bradham
and Son was blown down, DR..
Charles B. Geiger's Office and
Capt. W. c. Davis Office came
in for severe damage, q large
warehouse of the Manning Hard
ware Company was blown down
and numerous small buildings
in that block were blown down or
more or lezs badly damaged.
But the most intense severity OF
destruction and disaster to life
and property seemed to be re-
served for the strictly business
blocks of the town. In the store
known a. the Nettles building,
4ho ald lanlxincn., ctnro the