The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-03-06
TORNADO RACES
OVER ALABAMA
Leaving Debris of Destroyed
Homes, Churches, Stores
in Its Wake.
FIVE MEN LOSE LIVES
Property Damage Estimated
at Near Million Dollars.
Towns Devastated.


Towns Devastated.
Montgomery. Ala, March 6.-Day-
light this morning revealed terrific
destruction of the tornado which
swept southeastern Alabama and
swept on into Georgia late yesterday,
leaving in it's wake debris of homes,
churches, stores, public and other
buildings which will total a damage
Of nearly million dollars.
The business section at Pollard, the
telephone exchange, the railroad de-
pot and other buildings, including a
church, were damaged. The railroad
depot and few houses at Flomaton
were razed.
At Lumpkin, Ga. meagre reports
state, the railroad station, postoffice
and negro school building were
badly damaged and other buildings
suffered losses. Unconr1rmed reports
state that two negro pupils were
killed when the school building COL
lapsed.
Railroad traffic is greatly delayed
throughout this section.
The storm was.a regular twisting
tornado, and its path through the de-
.vastated section is quarter to half
a mile wide.
Much property damage was dcne
at Flomaton, also the following
buildings being destroyed or dam-
aged. .a-i..a., y, X. e.. Y sA.ss y .s,s<a.
Telephone exchange buiIdfrg,, ,bioWf
off foundation and almost completely
wrecked, all wires leading to II being
down.
n. d. Finlay's brick store un-
roofed his storage and warehouse
building was blown down.
The hotel building was completely
wrecked.
Numerous smaller buildings wreck
ed or damaged.
Louisville G. Nashville depot un-
rooted.
Plant of Lindsey Lumber company
damaged considerably.
Negro church, which was also used
as a negro school, was destroyed.
Brick store building, formerly oc-
cupied by Jernigan & Walton, badly
wrecked.
Louisville q Nashville train, NO.
s, was delayed some time on account
Of telephone poles falling across the
tracks.
Macon, Ga, suffered destruction OF
wire traffic
Struck Flomaton.
Flomaton, Ala. March "a tor
nado coming from the southwest
struck the edge Of Flomaton yester-
day afternoon injuring one man and
agtiftn n 4 pd tOdAV be -
tween five and six thousand dollars.
John Barnes, young man IN paN
ery, was struck on the head by fall
ing bricks and injured. The roofs on
the Louisville g. Nashville depot and
the Star. bakery were lifted Off ana
the buildings wrenched from their
foundation. A farmhouse two miles
from Flomaton was also badly dam
aged. Buildings occupied by the
Flomaton Mill company, short dis
tance from town, were blown down.
Four Known Dead.
Eufaula, Ala, March 6.-With four
persons known to be dead, five more
or less seriously injured, citizens of
Eufaula today were clearing away
debris left in the wake of the terrific
tornado, which swept the town late
Yesterday. causing property loss est-
mated at nearly $l,000,000. Telephone
communication is impossible. while
one telegraph line is working out OF
the town. Automobile roads are
badly washed out and strewn with
fallen trees, wires and telephone poles.
Many Buildings Wrecked.
Hardly a building in Eufaula was
left untouched by the storm. which
ranged through a path a quarter to
a. half mile wide. The McRae build
ing. the Catholic church. a three
story store building and an auto
mobile warehouse were totally de-
stroyed. The Bluff City inn, a large
frame hotel, and a number of other
buildings in the business section were
damaged badly.
The dead whose bodies had been
recovered today are: Rev. w. p.
Dickinson. pastor of the Methodist
church; f. ]. Searcy, broker: DR..
j. l.. Adams, an optician, and ). r.
Lawton. travelling representative OF
tho southeastern Underwriters as
sociation, whose home is in New Bed
ford. Mass. They were all killed in
tho collapse Of the McRae building.
Persons injured ip the wreck of the
building were: J. j. McRae. proprie-
tor Of mercantile business operat-
ing in the building; Miss Emma VIZ
lie Northup, Miss Alice Wells. John
Whitlock, a jeweler, and G. w. Whit
lock, all residents of Eufaula.
Fears that deaths had occurred In
the residence section where many
buildings were razed and badly DAM
aged proved groundless today. which
search was made by rescus parties.
Four Deaths at Eufaula.
Albany. Ga, March 6.-Reports
from Eufaula. Ala, early today in
dicated that the loss of lives in yes
terdays tornado remains at four. the
number originally stated. Fears that
death had occurred in the residence
sections where many buildings were
damaged and destroyed proved
groundless.
Citizens worked all night clearing
away the debris and removing the
bodies of dead end injured.