The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-02-15
HEAVY TOLL TAKEN
BY GEORGIA TORNADO
TWENTY-SIX PERSONS KILL
ED, SO INJURED AND FIFTY
BUILDINGS DESTROYED.
REMARKABLE STORM FREAKS
Human Bodies, Houses and Cattle
Were Hurled Through Air When
Twister Struck Washington Coun-
ty and Swept Five Mile Path.

Twister Struck Washington Coun-
ty and Swept Five-M Mile Path.
SANDERSVILLE, Ga.-Twenty
six persons were killed, more than 80
injured and between 40 and so build
ings destroyed shortly after noon
Thursday when a tornado swept
through the southwest portion OF
Washington county The mighty
twister RACED a path five miles long
and hall a mile wide extending from
Oconee almost to Toomsboro. The
mill town of Bradner, two miles from
Oconee, was wiped out, not house
being lett.
The tornado tore down all telephone
and telegraph lines and the arrival at
Bradner OF freight train few min
utes after the storm had passed over
the town resulted in the first relief,
when the conductor, seeing the wreck
age and bodies strewn about, ordered
the engine detached and made a hur-
ried trip back to Tennille, eleven miles
away.
Passenger coaches were comman-
deered from the yards of the Wrights-
vile and Tennille railroad and a relief
party OF four doctors and 40 helpers
were rushed to the scene as quickly
as possible.
Boys Head Torn OFF.
Other relief workers later arrived
from Oconee and Sandersville i'll au-
tomobiles and the work of removing
the dead and injured began at once.
Latest reports give Bonnie Frank
! Orr. a 14-year-old boy, as the only
white person killed The list also in
cludes Is negroes killed. The Orr
bows head was torn off, and had not
been found Friday morning.
The greatest damage was done to
the shanties occupied by the negro
workers at Bradner, in all about 40
houses being RACED Two barns also
were blown away, the Shepherd COM
cissary and three section houses.
The Bradner settlement is the lum-
Der mill town OF the ClevelandOconee
Lumber company and several other
smaller mills. About 800 negroes are
employed there and the heaviest cas-
ualties were among these.
Eightv-two children and three
teachers were in school building on
tornado struck The building was lit
erally twisted to pieces, and the frag-
ments scattered for miles around.
Children were picked up by the wind
and carried for some distance, but II
is officially announced that only one
child was seriously bruised.
At Oconee, two miles away two
stores were destroyed and several res
licences.
Furniture Lifted.
A residence on the outskirts Of
Oconee was struck by the tornado
and the top blown off. The wind then
dipped down into the building and
removed every piece OF furniture
through the roofless opening.
The cyclone rushed down on the
mill settlement after the slow approach
OF low hanging clouds and an intense
lv oppressive heat Suddenly the ter
rife whirl OF wind sped over the set
Element and the air became thick with
living debris, human bodies, live stock
and household goods. The cries OF the
injured and dying mingled with the
roar OF the wind. The sensation was
CHASTITY.
Then the mighty whirlwind passed,
leaving its wreckage and the groans
OF the injured to break the awful still
ness that came in its wake.
Hanging in Trees.
A negro man and his wife were
found more than hundred yards
from their home, lying side by side
in the road both dead. The bodies
OF several small negroes were found
in trees, out Of the path of the tor
nado. being suspended on the limbs
by their clothing.
Dead chickens, hogs, COWS and dogs
were strewn in fields and lodged in
treetops far away from the path OF
the storm, having been hurled high
into the air and then dropped back
to the trees, where they were caught
and lett hanging until removed by res
cue workers. In some instances they
were alive and crying piteously from
their injuries.
A negro boy had huge splinter
OF wood removed from his head by
the doctors OF the relief party. 1t had
been driven there by the terrihc press
ure of the wind.
The bodies OF grown negroes were
thrown into the field in a seml-circle
and in the center of the group was
goat. which stood like statue, too
| frightened to move for hours after the
storm passed.
Six fine oak trees along the road
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