The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-03-29
atlanta RedCrOSS
AMSt0rm Victims
Lagrange Heaviest Sufferer
as Cyclone Sweeps Georgia
and Alabama-Many Dead.

SIN known DEAD ana Win estimated
dead reaching a total Of seventy, with
hundreds injured and property loss rum
ming into the hundreds of thousands.
the worst storm of many years swept
, over sections of Georgia and Alabama
early last night.
LAGRANGE, Ga, and West Point, Ga,
We're the hardest hit points, the former
place reporting probably fifty killed and
twenty-one bodies recovered, while at
West Point the death list reached ten.
Five are reported dead at Agricola,
Ala, twenty miles from Opelka.
Hundreds are injured at all these
points, while property damage is re-
ported from Macon, Washington and
Warrenton, Ca, and Deatsvile, Ala,
and other points,
Greatest damage at La Grange CEN
| tered in what Is known as the I'M side
| mill section, where it is estimated that
! 300 small residences We're either de-
| stroyed or severely damaged. Fire
! broke out in the wake of the high
winds, and many Of the frame build
| ings were burned.
Help was rushed to the stricken town
| from the Atlanta chapter of the Red
| Cross, train of army motor trucks
| having reached there at an early hour
/ this morning. Until after midnight II
was impossible TO dispatch relief
train. as the telegraph wires were down
| and the whereabouts of train No, 80, ON
| the Atlanta and West Point railway.
| was unknown for many hours. Every
| hospital in La Grange was filled with
| the injured, and the churches and the
courthouse We're transformed into tenn
| porary hospitals, likewise filled to over
flowing,
Send 800 Army Tents.
Three hundred army tents are being
sent from Atlanta by the military auA
thorities here,
At West Point the damage is reported
to have been confined to the business
| section of the town. which was prac-
| tically wiped out Less than six months
| ago this town suffered heavily from
| floods. and was just recovering from
losses sustained at that time, tenn
porary pontoon bridge, thrown across
| the Chattahoochee river at that time,
was swept away last night, and army
engineers left Atlanta last night. to re-
| place II.
Five white persons and five negroes
are known dead at West Point. Dam
age in other Georgia towns Is con-
fined TO property loss, which was re-
ported as severe at Macon, where
| plate glass windows were nearly all de-
stroyed and the roofs torn from sew
eral buildings.
Word was brought from Agricola,
Ala. by train OF the loss of life there,
but further details are stll lacking
Telegraph and telephone communica-
iion was badly impaired on many lines,
and details Of the disaster are. I'm many
cases. meagre.
Or. scland In Charge.
relief party In Packard trucks
which left Atlanta SHORTLY after mid
night, carrying emergency supplies
doctors and nurses, under the super
vision of Dr Frank k Boland, whC
commanded the Emery unit IN its over
seas service during the world war, vii
reach La Grange and West Point some
time today.
Train No. a. over The Atlanta ant
West Point railroad, reached West
Point at 332 pm, as the storm wa'
reaching it's crest, Conductor Hal W
cline stated the train was held at III,
station until the storm had subsided
He describgu the wind as terrific, &c
, ! Companled by torrents OF rain, ana de
Clared the train was almost blown from
the tracks, The air seemed TO be ful
Of flying objects but the heavy raii
made II impossible to tell what thes'
objects were. Several windows Of th'
train were blown out, At GrantVill'
and Hoganville. between West Poin
and Newman, considerable damage wal
done by wind, rain and hall
At Montgomery, Ala, considerable
damage was done. but thcre has hcei
no report OF loss OF life this morning
Washington and Williamson, Ga, rcror
heavy damage with light. telephone an'
telegraph wires razed.
so Dead at LAGRANGE.
LaGrnuge Ga. March 29.-Cusu1ltio'
resulting from the storm which swop
this section late yesterday were placed
today at about hfty dead aud 100 To q
injured. Approximately 100 homes were
destroyed and the property damage Il
estimated ut S5000On.
At a 7peciul session this morning The
dty council voted 81 O00 for the wOrl
, Of caring for the immediate needs o
storm sufferers
Tho euhstntlon Of the Columbia Pow
or company here was partially wrecked
aud efforts arc being mric today Il
get the old city water plant IN working
order.
10 Dead AZ West Point
Atlanta, Ga. March 29.--Nost Point
Ga. one Of the principal points struci
by the }torm Of SUNDAY afternoon SUI
fcrcd loss OF ten dead and scores IN
iured. The last communication viii
the town was at o'clock this morn
ing when the Rcd Cross hcUdqunrl"r
received message from Mayor Smitl
Lanier. stating that the Ponloon bridge
built by United states army engineer
after the heavy flood last December
had been wnshcd away.
-Four doctors aud six muses. wcr
sent by Rcd cross headquarters to IN
town. but no reports had h"cn rrceiNc
from thcm up to noon today.
2 Alabama Casualties.
Alexander CITY. Ala, March 2o.-ftv
white people and aiN negroes were hile
In the cyclone which swept the terri
tory between Camp llll aud NhNerN
p" lgullnpoost county. yeEctdaN AFTERNOON
. The white dead are j. w. SlnuEht'
and wife. and two children and Mrs. /
NJ. Wilson. Damage To houses and liv
stock is estimated this morning nj h'
tween SEQ. 0OO and $50. 600 Wire com
municatiou with the storm swept are
, has been destroyed