The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-05-20
FARMER RELATES
STORMS TERRORS
GIVES EXPERIENCES IN PATH
OF TORNADO
r P. Elliott Tells Of Havoc
Wrought in Horny County
Friday Afternoon

The State.
Marion, May 15.-The terrific tor
nado which swept sections Of Horny
county Friday afternoon, leaving
death and destruction in its wake.
was graphically described by R. P.
Elliott, a farmer living on the plan.
tation of E. NJ. Meares, apparently
the point of greatest damage
81 was out in the yard" said Mr..
Elliott, Shortly before the tornado
came. I am naturally uneasy upon
the approach of storm and thought
ii best to get out and lock around a
bit. My wife and two boys were in
the house.
"It grew blacker and blacker until
it was ALMOST as dark as night, and
sson in the woods across the field
behind the house l heard the most
crashing and shrieking noise II had
heard ia AL my life. l was too terri
fed at FIRST to know what was happen
ing and almost believed judgment
day was at hand.
II ran to the house and shouted to
nay wife and children to come out.
We started for the other big open
field across the road in front of the
house. Just at that moment a Ford
car came into sight. The driver
seemed to be trying to outrun the
storm and was racing along at high
speed.
Roces With Storm
Get out! Get outp ! shouted,
undertaking frantically to wave him
down. At FIRST he paid no attention
to me, probably unable to understand
what said for the noise in the woods.
Then he seemed to understand bis
danger and scarcely waiting to stop
the machine jumped from it.
s"By that time the wind was clear
ing the woods. Il came shrieking
and wbirhng across the field, cloud
Of foliage, branches and dirt in its
embrace. My wife and children and
myself were in the big field across
the road by this time. We ran as fast
as we could, hardly knowing where
we were going or what We We're do
ing. Ne became separated and |
tripped and fell.
f'The storm. wass .nron US by this
time. ,The noise was deafening-a
crashing, splintering, rending and
tearing filed the air. Boards and
blanks, stove wood, bits of clothing
and all sorts of things sailed overhead.
I tried to rise but the violence of the
wind hurled me to the ground as if
had been a auttering autumn leaf.
NY wife and children, too, were down.
81 buried myaface in the dirt, ex-
pecting each minute TO be the last.
For the life of me couldn't say how
long the storm lasted. My anxiety
and fright were such that L was un-
able to think. Then the storm passed.
Everything was sa1iet once more and
the stiffness seemed almost deathly
after the hubbub.
Home Blown Away
"What a sight greeted my eyes as
{ looked around. With the exception
of the kitchen and dining room, my
home was a complete wreck-literally
twisted into bits. As / looked upon
this heap of debris, T thought of what
would have happened to my wife and
children if they had been inside.
t'They were coming toward me
nay wife and two boys-from their
burrows IN the field and apparently
unininred. This at least was comfort
ing.
.'Hhe Ford car had been lifted out
Of the road and dropped over in the
field. An apple tree in the field had
been uprooted. Over in the woods
whence the tornado had come, we'll
defined path could be seen. The tops
Of pine trees had been snapped, oaks
bent and broken and branches strip
ped Of their foliage.
sJohn FIoyd's house just a little
way down the road was a shapeless
pile of splintered timber. And from
it, + realized for the first time, came
piteous cries for help. 1t was Johns
wife. 1 could tell Der voice.
"By this time people began to col
lect. Some of them came from the
big house and some Of them came
from up the road. We all went to
Mrs. Floyds's help. Pretty soon an
other Woman's voice started up and
- Ionoc