Evening star., 1940-02-10
15Are Killed
When Tornado
Hits Albany, Ga.
Several Hundred Hurt:
$3.50 of Stores
Reported Damaged
BY the Associated Press.

ALBANY, Ga, Feb. 10.-Between
IL and Is persons were killed and
several hundred injured by tor
nado which smashed the business
section of this Southwest Georgia
city today.
Chairman L. r. Ferrell of the
Albany Red Cross Chapter made the
estimate of dead in wire to Ma
tional Red Cross headquarters and
told James r. Blair of the Amer
icus Times-Recorder that "it was
impossible to say" exactly how many.
Mr.. Blair said a Railway Express
employe told him about IS per cent
of the business buildings and "sev-
eral hundreds homes" were either
wrecked or badly damaged
He said all indications were the
death list would run considerably
higher, with many victims in one
of the smaller hotels, but that no
accurate check had been made.
Guardsmen Ordered to City.
Two companies of National
Guardsmen were ordered to the city
by Gov. E. D. Rivers. Heavy rain
followed the winds, preventing fires,
but making rescue work difficult.
Debris Uttered streets of the city,
whose population was 14,507 in 1880.
Communication and power lines were
damaged.
Damage was estimated by Man.
aging Editor w. NJ Pryse of the
Albany Herald at 100000.
w. B. Bryan. manager of the tele-
phone company. said the storm
struck the business area near the
post office.
He said the New Albany Hotel, the
Gordon Hotel, the St. Nicholas Hotel,
the Royal Building, Radio Station
WGPC and several other business
structures along or near Pine avenue
were damaged or demolished"
Hotel Unroofed.
An estimate of the death toll
awaited check of street debris and
the top floor of the unroofed st.
Nicholas Hotel
Martha Percilla. Atlanta Journal
correspondent, reported to her news
paper by telephone four hours after
the storm, They are carrying out
| bodies"
| She said one residential area five
blocks south of the business section,
the 400 blocks of Oglethorpe and
/ Highland avenues, was swept
clean by the tornado which struck
the sleeping populace about 4:10 m.
| SIXTY State highway patrolmen
were concentrated here from nearby
cities to assist Albany authorities
and guardsmen in rescue work.
The Phoebe Putney Memorial
Hospital reported ambulances
brought in injured persons so fast
that floor space was used to care
| for them.
Power Lines Fail.
Trees were leveled, buildings un-
rooted and windows smashed. The
clock was blown from the dome Of
the Dougherty County Courthouse.
The city was plunged into dark
ness when power lines failed.
Mr.. Pryse reported foot-square
piece of paving was blown through
an upstairs window of his home.
Debris was scattered in the streets.
Ambulance drivers were ordered to
pick up only the injured, leaving
the bodies for later.
Roaring out of the Southwest. the
tornado ripped through scores of
shanties. smashed railroad proper
ties around the station and unroof-
ed the depot, and crushed the walls
of the buildings along the main
business street.
Mr., Pryse said the storm roared
out of the Southwest like a thou
sand freight trains
Store Fronts Smashed.
"Only the fact it came at night
saved us from being another Gaines
Vile" he declared. Every store
front downtown is smashed and
many of the roofs are caved in"
More than 200 persons were killed
in the disastrous Gainesville, Ca
tornado in 1886.
business section showed the three
story Elks Club building was wreck
ed. the floors and walls falling in on
stores on the ground floor.
Rosenberg Bros, department
store, also was damaged; the three
story Sears Roebuck store, WOOL
worth, new A. and p Super Market
and the Binns Hotel were described
by Mr.. Pryse as almost complete
wrecks"