Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-07-01

from the world for many hours.
Rescuers reached the city and ascer-
tanned the extent of the disaster
only after the torrent had swept
through the city for three days and
had subsidized.
While the loss of life at Column
bus was greater than at Dayton, the
interest of the nation was conferred
in the latter city, where hundreds
Of families were marooned in the
upper stories of their homes, and
could not be taken out for q long
time because of the surging waters.
1t was only after the waters had
passed on that the real extent of tha
disaster became known.
Radio played part in getting
relief to the stricken city. 1t was
several hours after the disaster be-
fore the first reports came from
the Nickel Plate railroad trainmen
to the chief dispatcher here. Then
the steamer Pressure Isle, owned by
the Cleveland Cliffs Iron company,
locked in the Lorain harbor, got in
communication with the Inter-City
Radio Telegram company here and
messages were exchanged regularly
Later Station wTAM, at the Will
lard Storage Battery company here,
at the request of Colonel Ralph P.
White, radiocast the orders sum-
moning the troops to mobilize.
Three automobiles were blown In
to Lake Erie between Sandusky and
Lorain and all their occupants
drowned, according to reports re-
ceived from Fremon, Ohio, late to-
night.
Seven persons were killed by the
tornado in Greater Cleveland.
Fire Protection Gone
The Sandusky water pumping sta
ton was put out of commission and
several fires were reported, while
the city was without protection from
flames. The sporadic fires were
overcome, however, by hard work,
and the citizens at once set about
on the task Of clearing up the
wreckage.
Passenger boats reported to have
been caught in the storm included
the G. A. BOeckling, an excursion
steamer running from Saodusky to
Cedar Point, the Reliance, running
from Marblehead, and the Chippe-
wa, plying between Sandusky and
Put-in-Bay. Up to a late hour no.
word had been received from the,
Chippewa, which carried several
hundred passengers. but word came
that several persons had been swept
overheard from both the Reliance
and the Boeckling.
All Sandusky hospitals were filled
with injured persons, many of whom
needed only first aid, while rescue
squads searched the ruins Of a three!
story building in which several per-
sons were reported to have been bur-
led in the collapse.
1t was several hours after the
storm struck before word of the dis
aster reached the outside world. /
Ram continued to fall in Lorain
for several hours.
Confirmation of the collapse of
the theater and washout of the
Black river bridge, at Lorain, was
brought to Cleveland by A. Downer,l
conductor on the Lake Shore cleo
trio railway, the first eyewitness Of
the disaster to reach this city. Many
women and children were killed,
motorists told him.
Practically every house on Broad
way, the main east and west street,
was Down down, Downer reported.
and automobiles were picked up and
oyerturned on the sidewalks.
Nickel Plate trainmen reported
that all the government houses in
South Lorain, north Of the railroad
tracks, had been blown down.
Two men were killed here and
thousands of dollars worth of prop
erty damaged. Property damage at
Akron was estimated to total more
than $1,000000.
About fifty members Of the One
Hundred and Twelfth engineers
corps of the Ohio National Guard
were r;shed to Lorain in taXicabs
upon receipt of Governor Donahey's
orders. They were in charge of,
Colonel Ralph r. White. A Nickel
Plate train is ready to take the re-
mainder as soon as they can be
modified ]
Every property owner at Lorain
was sworn in as a deputy sheriff. /
More than 100 houses were de-
stroyed and scores of others were!
moved from their foundations.
Washington Park, a one-acre park
in the center of the town, is com.
pletely levelled of trees. The storm
struck Lorain at Broady ny, moved
up Fifteenth street and passed I'M
land. Broadway, the principal bust
ness street, and fashionable Erie
street and Washington avenue were
damaged for about &c blocks. not A.
wooden building being left standings!
Forty blocks in the business dis.
trict were destroyed.
Among buildings destroyed are the
First Methodist church, Washing-
ton and Fourth streets; the three.
story Lorain block, and st. Mary's
church. The top floor of the Majes-I
tbs block, a six-story brick building1&
was blown off, and the six-story Peo-
pies Bank building was damaged.
The number 1 ore bridge Of the Ma
tional Tube company collapsed and
an 80foot steel tower carrying high
tension wires snapped off, carrying
the wires into Black river.
The State theater collapsed when
a building next to it, struck by
lightning, toppled over on it.
Ninety-eight bodies have been
taken from the State theater and
thirty-six have been recovered from
the Municipal bathing beach, DR..
Herold, of the Memorial hospital
staff of Elyria. reported. Some re-
ports placed the number Of dead at