The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-11

decapitated. His head had not been found at late hour tonight.
 The only other white person who met death in the tornado is the three year-old daughter of E. L. Minor, man ager of Shepherds commissary at the plant of the Cleveland- Oconee Lumber company
 Etghty-twO children and three
 teachers were In a school building
 on the edge of the Gardner set-
 tiemcnt when the tornado struck.
 The building was literally twisted
 10 pieces and the fragments seat
 tered for miles around. Children
 were picked up by the wind and
 carried for some distance, but 1t is
 officially announced tonight that
 only one child was seriously
 bruised.
 White persons injured included l. l.. mompkins, c. o. Tompklns, Edgar Tompkins, George Lord and Emery Shepherd Marion Hodges. Mrs. Har- rison, mother of I. M. Harrison; Tol- bert Ennis. Emma Jolly. The Jolly girl was hurt at the schoolhouse.
 40 HOUSES DESTROYED
 Approximately 40 houses were
 blown down in the Gardner settle
 ment. The Shepherd Brothers,
 commissnry at the big lumber
 pinnt wns reduced to kindIinr
 wood. Orr and four negroes meet
 Ing drnth there. Ten feet away
 rom the commissary was the gem
 eral office of the Cleveland Geo.
 nee Lumber company, which was
 untouched by the storm.
 The l5-acre plant of the lumber com pany, which practically owns the settle nent site of Gardner, was not seriously damaged by the wind although millions or feet of lumber piled in the wards was scattered
 The tornado spent its force locally i'm medlateiy beyond the plant of the lum- per company, in the settlement of iC houses and four stores. Most of tha people residing in this section were ne- groes, the white people of the town liv. ing on higher ground short distance away.
 These negro houses and stores faced the tracks of the Savannah division oj the Central of Georgia railroad Tn ths rear of the house was an open field ex. tending for nearly a mile from the Oconee station to the lumber mill. II was into this field that men women and children were carried to their death from their seats at dinner tables
 Ten minutes after the tornado wiped out the Gardner settlement Central of Georgia local freight train running rom savannah to Macon arrived on the scene w. o. King of Wadey, con- ductor in charge. viewed the bodies seat tered abort the ground
 TRAIN BRINGS AID
 The conductor ordered his locomotive detached from the train and with his crew hastened to Tennille, II miles away, Tor aid. coaches were commandeercd from the Wrightsville and Tennille rail- road and four doctors and 46 persons were obtained in the relief party. The train returned to Oconee as speedily as possible.
 Doctors found one negro boy with a board driven into his forehead. Thay removed the board and gave temporary relief. The youth was alive tonight. and it is believed he will live.
 The body of a three-year-old negro in- fant was found at the roots of a tree. the top of which had been twisted off. The child's head had been crushed in, having been Icarried head foremos. against the tree
 One neeros body was cut in two.
 A negro man and his wife were found more than hundred yards fro,, 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 tornado being suspended on the limbs by their clothing.
 The bodies of grown negroes were thrown into the field in a semi-circle and in the center of the group was {, goat, who stood like a statue, too fright cred to move for hours after the storm passed.
 Six fine oak trees along the railroad at Gardner were snapped off at differ ent heights. On top of one of these ..f l. ne aaf ha orr md 4, pillow from the bed of one of the wrecked homes.
 LAMPS WERE LIGHTED
 According to residents of the commu- niy the clouds lowered just as the em- ployes of the lumber plant left their work for dinner. The atmosphere be- came extremely hot and because of the darkness in many homes lamps had been lighted when the tornado broke.
 One person on the outer edge of the path which escaped injury moving toward him. Then as suddenly. he declared. the box cars were reversed. and when he looked second time he said they were again coming toward him These cars were found to have bee blown from the rails.
 Chickens that escaped death in the path of the storm were in many in- stances plucked of their feathers. There were many animals killed
 One carload of bodies was shipped to Tennille tonight, while on the same train were a number of injured. who will be taken to hospitals at Tenhille and 
 Identification of the bodies had been slow. In many instances whole families have been wiped out
 prO CR0CC IN ACTJON