Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1921-02-17
TORNADO TAKES
TOLL OF 81 LIVES
ENTIRE SETTLEMENT PRACTICAL.
LY WIPED OUT RELIEF
WORK UNDER WAY
40 HOUSES BLOWN DOWN
More Than Forty Persons Injured
Human Beings, Houses And Cat
tie Were catapuIted Through Air

Oconee. Ga.-Swooping down upoI
the small town of Oconee and the Gard
ner settlement, near the southwestern
border of Washington county, lorna
do took a toll of at least thirty-twC
lives and seriously injured more thar
forty persons.
A stretch of land extending from
Oconee almost to Toomsboro, in Wash
ington county, nearly five miles long
and about a half mile wide, is as bar
rem as a prairie, not building or
tree being left standing.
The new spread rapidly, and hun
dreds of automobiles were rushed tc
the scene. Blankets, medicines and
other first aids were soon on hand
and where chaos reigned short while
before, order was being restored, and
homeless people cared for and plans
discussed for rebuilding many of the
homes.
One carload of bodies was shipped
to Tennille while on the same train
were a number of injured, who will
be taken to hospitals at Tennille and
Sandersville.
Identification of the bodies has been
slow. In many instances whole fami-
lies have been wiped out.
Among those known to have been
killed are Benjamin Franklin Orr, a
14-year-old boy, and the 3-year-old
daughter of e. L. Minor, manager OF
Shepherds commissary, at the plant
of the Cleveland Oconee Lumber COM
pany.
AS far as can be learned, all others
killed were negroes.
White persons injured included L.
L. Thompkins, c. o. Thompkins, Ed
gar Thompkins, George Lord and EN-
cry Shepherd.
BENJAMIN Orr was decapitated. His
head had not been found at late
hour on the night of the 10th instant.
Eighty-two children and three teach
ers were in school building on the
edge of the Gardner settlement, when
the tornado struck. The building was
literally twisted to pieces, and the
fragments scattered for miles around.
Children were picked up by the wind
and carried for some distance, but 1t
is officially announced that only one
hid ayas seriously bruised,
Approximately forty houses were
blown down in the Gardner settle
ment. The Shepherd brothers COM
missary, at the big lumber plant, was
reduced to kindling wood. Young Orr
and four negroes met death there.
Ten feet away from the commissary
was the general offices of the lumber
company, which was untouched by the
storm.
The fifteen acre plant of the lum-
Der company, which practically owns
the settlement site of Gardner was not
seriously damaged by the wind, al
though millions of feet of lumber pill
ed in the yards was scattered.
Ten minutes after the tornado wiped
out the Gardner settlement a Central
OF Georgia local freight train running
from Savannah to Macon, arrived at
the scene. w. o. King of Wadley,
conductor in charge, viewed the bod
les scattered about the ground.
The conductor ordered his locomo-
tive detached from the train and with
with his crew FASTENED to Tennille,
eleven miles away, for aid.
Coaches were Communicated from
the Wrightsville and Tennille railroad
and four doctors and forty-six per-
sons were secured for the relief of the
party. The train returned to Oconee
as speedily as possible.
Doctors found one negro boy with
a board driven into his forehead. They
removed the board and gave tempo
rary aid. The youth was alive on the
18th and it is believed he will live.
The body of 3-year-old negro
infant was found at the roots of
tree. the top of which had been twisted
off. The child's head had been crushed
in. having been carried headforemost
against the tree. One negroes body
was cut in two.