The Pensacola journal., 1920-03-30
Combined Reports From Eight
States Place Total Loss of
Life at Hundred Sixty
RELIEF WORK is RUSHED
Red Cross and Salvation Army
Send Supplies and Nurses
to Stricken Districts.

pAHIs Ill, as Wen as III OLneF sections
of Georgia and Alabama where Sun
days tornado took heavy toll of life
and property. Reported tonight, 40
Shown dead. divided as follws: La
Grange. 26; Red Ridge. Ala, 8: Agr.-
cola, Ala, 5; West Point, Ca, 10:
Macon and Milner, Ca, each
The business section of West Point
twas almost demolished. The damage
at La Grange was chiefly in the mill
section.
It is estimated that $50 were injured
at La Grange and so at West Point.
The damage al La Grange is estimated
by the mayor at between a million
and a million and a quarter. The mayor
OF West Point estimated the loss there
at around three quarters of million
dollars. There has been no disorder
at either place. The river is rising
rapidly at West Point and several
residence sections are inundated.
Twelve of the dead in West Point
and La Grange are white and twenty
four negroes. The officials said there
had been no check up by them of the
actual dead and it might run higher.
but they did not think the official
reports would be much enlarged.
Red Cross relief workers reached
both towns Monday and spent a busy
day aiding the injured and homeless.
Emergency physicians from Atlanta
returned tonight, but the Red Cross
nurses remained.
Among the first to rush to the re-
lief of the stricken citizens OF La
Grange and West Point were rep
resentatives of the Salvation Army,
who supplied food or shelter, and, in
many instances both, to many of those
left destitute by the storm.
AS soon as the news of the de-
struction wrought by the storm
reached Atlanta, Brigadier A. W..
Crawford. commander of the Saliva
tion Army in the south, instructed
90 attain Alex NicoI and his wife. of the
Atlanta headquarters, to leave at once
for La Grange by automobile to as
sist Captain Bivens and Lieutenant
Inglett, in charge of the Salvation
Army post in that city.
Besides assisting in caring for the
injured, and serving food and hot
coffee to the homeless, the represen-
tatives OF the Salvation Army also
assisted in the distribution and erec-
tion OF the hundreds of tents and cots
that were rushed to the stricken cities
Brigadier Crawford has instructed
the Salvation Army workers in the
devasted district to notify him at one
what further assistance can be rem
dered by his organization.
The greatest damage at La Grange
centered in what is known as the
hill side mill section, where it is esti-
mated that three hundred small resi-
dences were either destroyed or
severely damaged. Fire broke out in
the wake of the high winds and many
Of the frame buildings were burned.
The churches and schools in La
Grange were transformed into tenn
porary hospitals. Three hundred army |
tents are being sent from Atlanta by |
the military authorities here.
Al West Point the damage is re-
ported TO have been confined to the \
business section of the town. which /
was practically wiped out. Less than
six months ago this town suffered /
heavily from floods and was just re-
covering from losses sustained at that
time. "A temporary pontoon bridge.
thrown across the Chattahoochie at
that time, was swept away last night /
and army engineers left Atlanta last
hight to replace it.
Chicago March 2e.-The death list |
in Sundays tornadoes that swept sec |
tions of eight states, stood tonight at !
E6o. The known dead in six western |
MATES numbered los. while 30 were
killed In Georgia and Alabama.
The property loss in the Chicago
area alone is estimated at six million, |
while the loss in other states is large. |
Elgin, H., was the worst sufferer, with |
loss Of four million.
Chicago and it's suburbs show the
greatest toll of life, twenty-nine per-
sons being killed, with the greatest
loss at Melrose Park. Ohio, where
wire communication is gradually be-
ing restored, reporter "a known dead.
1t is thought when the rural districts
are heard from this figure will be in
creased. Indiana reported IT known
dead and Michigan reported five. Wis
consin and Missouri each reported one
person killed.
It is estimated that property damage
in and about Toledo will run into mil
lions. At Swanton, Ohio, damage has
ct#se to s1,0oo.0oo is reported. Reports
ofkaeath and destruction are steadily
coming 10 Toledo from surrounding
points.
More complete reports are expected
when communication is re-established
with Bowling Green, Swanton, Martin,
Liberty and other points swept by the
M hurricane.
A dozen or more Michingan cities
we're cut off from the rest of the world
and it was reported they were in the
INC. 2-conitnued on Page Two.)