The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1921-05-18
PATH OF WRECKAGE
LEFT BY TORNADO
Little Boy Loses Life in
Home
OTHER PERSONS
BADLY HURT
Negro Woman Expected to Die. Ten
Houses Blown Down in Horny Coun-
ty. Relief Work to Aid Stricken is
Begun.

Marion, May 14.-One person, a lit
tie whte-boy four years old, is dead,
and negro woman is thought to be
fatally injured from the tornado
which struck Floyd's township in
Horny county yesterday afternoon. The
little boy killed was Francis Jones,
adopted child OF Mr.. and Mrs. Sam
Jones.
Several others arc painfully but not
fatally hurt. One OF these is Flossie
Elliott, six year old girl, who is bad
ly crushed. She was in a home which
was demolished by the storm. Two
women in this same house were pinned
beneath the wrcckagc and one is said
to have become derangad temporarily
IN consequence Of the tragedy. Ruff
Luncie and Gromcry Causie both
white. are also painfully hurt.
The negro woman, who is expected
10 dle, was brought to the hospital
In Marion. She had both lower limbs
crushed
Ten houses were completely wreck
cd. The inmates heard the Noise OF
the approaching storm and many Of
them rushed to the open fields as the
dark cloud swept down on them. This
enabled many to escape with their
lives, who otherwise doubtless would
have been killed in the wrecked
houses.
FJe path OF the tornado is possibly
one-fourth Of mile wide. 1t began
at Gallivant's Ferry and swept from
the southeast toward the northwest.
1T lifted occasionally, and the worst
damage was done on the farm Of e. Nj.
Meares. The residence of Mr.. Meares
was not directly in the path OF the
heavy wind, but one corner of his barn
was cut away by the terrific force of
the wind Five tenant houses on this
place were destroyed.
AT one place several bales of cot
ton were lifted into the air, and one
bale was dropped 15O yards from
where it was picked up. A Ford car
was lifted out Of the road. The occu-
pant saved himself by jumping from
the machine.
Trees were snapped off or uprooted,
the tornado cutting wide swaths
through the woods.
Large crowds went through the ter
rltory today. There was a continuous
string Of cars Of visitors to the scene.
Relief work was undertaken imme-
diately yesterday, a Red Cross nurse
going from Marion to the community.
Mullins, May 16.-There was a mass
meeting of the citizens OF Mullins held
thls morning for the purpose of taking
some steps to help the sufferers from
the recent tornado in Floyd's township,
In Horny county. Committees were alp-
pointed to solicit clothing, provisions,
bedding, cooking utensils, and, in fact
anything necessary to housekeeping.
CanVassing has already begun and the
canvassers are meeting with hearty
response from the citizens as a whole.
Solicitors are also working the
business districts for money and they,
too, are meeting with much success
despite the scarcity Of that article.
This correspondent has visited the
stricken territory and it would be
impossible to give description of the
actual destruction that would be i'm
aginable to the average person. At
least 10 or II families within one small
area are completely destitute, the wind,
terrific in velocity, literally twisting
their homes to bits and leaving them
without one single thing except the
clothes on their backs to begin life
with again.
On visiting the scene one is struck
with the fact that it was nothing short
OF Providence that there were not at
least dozen or more people killed.
The one child is ali that is dead so far,
but there is one white and one colored
woman in the hospitals, who are in a
critical condition.