The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-03-29
GEORGIA BEARS BRUNT OF STORM
WHICH SWEEPS West POINT, MACON
AND LAGRANGE; ILLINOIS HARD HIT
Millions of Dollars Damage Also
Reported From Illinois and
Indiana Storms.
RED CROSS SENDS AID
Telegraph Wires Down and
Press Dispatches Handled
in Roundabout Way

Associated Press dispatches from
Georgia, Alabama, Indiana and Him
ois. reported sixty-five dead and hun
dreds injured in tornadoes which
swept across those states yesterday
afternoon and last night. Western
Georgia was cut off from the rest of
the world. telephone and telegraph
lines being down. Some of the reports
were handled over railway wires and
some of the information was sent to
central points by refugees. Western
Union messages from Atlanta were
handled north and west, finally reach
ing Pensacola from New Orleans.
La Grange and West Point. Ga,
Were reported destroyed, with heavy
loss of life. At Washington, Ca, $685.
600 damage resulted, although there
was no loss of life. The First Baptist
church. telephone exchange. court
house and high school were unroofed.
Messages received at Montgomery
over railway telegraph lines yesterday
afternoon said that the northeastern
part of West Point, Ga, had been de-
stroyed by a cyclone. with four or five
known TO be dead. All wires went
down in the storm and there had been
no Information available since o'clock
yesterday morning. The dead identi-
fled up to that time included Lem
Askew, Roland Horne, Isom Stanley.
Blake Henry. and an aged man who
was killed when the Presbyterian
church collapsed. 1t was Thought prob
able that others had been killed while
scores were injured.
The pontoon bridge which was
thrown across the river after the De-
cember floods was wrecked by the
tornado. The residential section of
West Point was not greatly damaged.
according to information to Mont
gomery. 1t is said the tornado spent
its fury in the business section of the
city. The three story building of the
West Point Manufacturing Company
was destroyed. the Episcopal church
was demolished. and the roof of the
St. Charles hotel was blown away.
The Chattahoochie Valley railroad de-
pot caved in and many were injured.
1t was here that Askew and Stanley
were killed.
The same town was seriously dam
aged in flood six months ago. Re-
ports received at Macon, Ga. say the
tornado cut a swath between Opelika
and Waverly, Ala.
At least twelve were killed in
tornado at La Grange. Ga. late yes
terday afternoon. according to word
received at Atlanta from Fuller r..
Galloway, mill owner and capitalist
there He said over the telephone that
some reports placed the dead at thirty,
with scores injured.
The chief residences were destroyed
or badly damaged and the court house
and churches were being used as hos
pitals. he said. He requested that aid
be sent from Atlanta, and the Red
Cross chapter there arranged to start
army trucks with supplies and nurses.
Reports from Macon state that "A
tornado struck that city early last
night, injuring several peopis and
causing heavy damage and destroyed
several buildings. Windows were
broken by hail.
The 14-year- old daughter of w. +.
a farmer, Of Deatsville. IS
miles north of Montgomery. was prob
a bly, fatally injured when the tor
nado wrecked their dwelling, causing
i'm juries to seven other members of
the family.
Reports from Chicago say that over
a hundred were injured by a tornado
which swept the country and severai
towns north and west of Chicago
early yesterday. Property damage was
estimated at millions. Wire lines We're
cutting off communica-
ton with the rural regions for severai
hours.
Four blocks were razed, sixty houses
lost, with six known dead al MiiIrose
Park a suburb OF Chicago. ana ~ IN
believed scores were injured severe
also resulted in Evanstowns
and other suburbs
Six persons were killed at Eisini
more than a hundred injured ana many
destroyed. The town was IN
darkness last night and the mayor
martial law, calling out the
national guard and the Volunteers