Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1920-03-31
Lives and Property Destroyed
by Tornado in Georgia.

Atlanta, Ga, March Zo.-At leasI
SO lives are lost, hundred or more
persons were injured and property
damage possibly running into the
millions was caused by tornadoes
that swept through Georgia and Ala
bama late today.
Lagrange and West Point, Ca,
towns near the Alabama-Geogia bor-
der suffered the heaviest, the esti-
mate at LAGRANGE running thigh as
Sc. Twenty-one bodies, six whites
and fifteen negroes were found, 1t
was known. West Point, which lost
heavily last December from the flood
ed Chattahoochee, reported ten dead
and severe damages in the business
section.
The tornado was also felt in Macon
where property damage ran high and
some persons were injured. Washing
ton, Ca, a town near Augusta, also
felt the effects of a storm, but ap-
parently no lives were lost:
The tornado in Alabama took ist
chief toll, according to reports to-
night tAgricola, where five persons
were reported killed and a dozen or
more were injured. Heavy property
damage was caused near Opelika and
high winds and rain were general
over eastern Alabama.
Wire service, both telegraph and
telephone, was partially paralyzed
and it was almost impossible to ascer-
tain exact damage, or to get reports
from many sections of the state that
have felt the effects of the storm.
Heavy rains fell throughout a great
portion of Georgia during the day
might add to the suffering.
The Red Cross here was preparing
tonight to rush supplies to Lagrange
by army trucks as the Atlanta &
West Point Railroad reported it
could not dispatch relief train be-
cause it's wires were down. Its pas
senger train, New Orleans to Wash
ing, No. SO, was not located tonight.
Army engineers were preparing
to go to West Point to rebuild pom
toon bridge they threw across the
Chattahoochee River last December
when floods that inundated the town
and caused seven millions of dollars
property damage destoyed the steel
bridge.
Most of the damage in West Point
was said to be in the business section
and its effects on merchants and
other business men just struggling
from the heavy losses of last Decem-
Der were expected to be almost I'M
possible for them to bear. Half doz-
en- big structures were said to be
damaged.
In Lagrange the chief loss of life
and property was said to be in the
mill section but the town was thrown
into darkness as the electric lighting
plant was partially wrecked. In ad-
dition to this the waterwolis plant
was said to be out Of commission and
Swift & Company's packing plants
was reported wreck.
Hospitals were filled with injured
in Lagrange, according to telephone
reports, and the courthouse had been
made an emergency hospital. The
injured had not been counted tonight
but apparently their numbers ran in
to the hundreds.
Damage in Macon and Washington
Ca, was chiefly confined to plate
glass windows and roofs of buildings,
with property loss rather heavy in
Macon.
Loss resulting from hail and rain
storms was reported from Granville
and Hogansville, towns in the West
Point-LaGrange section small tor
nado struck Williamson, Ga, unroof-
ing some houses. There were no in
iuries or loss of life there as far as
was known tonight.
Lagrange, Ga.