Evening star., 1949-11-25
ia Die as Twisters
Rip East Alabama;
"A Persons Injured
By the Assoeioisd Press

BY the Assosiatsd Press
BIRMINGHAM, Ala, Nov. 25.-I
Thanksgiving Day tornadoes
roared down at four points in East
Alabama yesterday and killed IA
persons. Forty-four persons were
injured.
The vicious, out-of season storms
left several other persons missing
and destroyed more than q score
Of buildings as they dipped in
three counties about dusk.
An entire family of 10 Negroes
was wiped out near Hackneyville
in Tallapoosa County, so miles
southeast Of Birmingham. The
mammoth wind picked up their
weather-beaten little home and
hurled 1t 800 yards across the road
into another house.
The second house was occupied
by another large family Of Negroes,
but none was reported hurt. Both
houses were Observation-Disclosures
said they appeared to explode after
the smashing impact.
"a Hurt In Oneonta.
Near Oneonta, in Blount Coun-
ty, two members Of a white fam
lily were killed at the Easley COM
munity. The same twister hoped
a small mountain and struck again
on the northern outskirts Of One
onta. where "a persons were hurt.
Property damage was heavy.
Another person was killed and
five injured by the tornado's fury
on Sand Mountain, near Valley
Head in De Kalb County. Valley
Head is 80 miles northeast OF
here.
Sheriff w. F. Maynor Of Blount
County reported that an unidenti-
fed body was taken from the
ruins Of . burned home near
Oneonta.
A Red Cross disaster crew was
dispatched to the Hackneyville
storm area to aid other Negro
families whose houses were dam
aged by the twister.
Gov. James E. Folsom called
on National Guardsmen Of One
onta to aid in the search for the
missing. Blood plasma, hospitals
supplies and nurses were sent
to the Oneonta area by highway
patrolmen.
Widespread Damage In Easley.
Sheriff Maynor said damage in
Easley was widespread" and that
many persons there were injured.
Mrs. Gus Tidwell and her sister,
in-law, Miss Jennie Tidwell, died
in their storm-crushed home.
Jesse Mccullough, an Easley
resident. said he was picked up
by the wind and carried across
three acres Of land. finally land
Ing In a tree top.
Evidence Of the winds might
was shown when q school bus
standing in front Of Eugene Glib
sons house was blown completely
over the building. landing in the
back yard.
Newsmen reported widespread
damage to timber over 1 20-mile
swath.
A woman telephone operator at
Valley Head. Mrs. H. B. Grove,
said the tornado sounded like a
freight train roaring down OF
Sand Mountain" Her office was
in darkness when she reached it,
she said.
House Smashed into Another.
w. 8. Coker described the
Hackneyville storm as q dense
black cloud and a lot Of trees
flying in the air" He said he
watched the twister snuff out the
lives Of the 10 Negroes by smash
ing their house into another
across the road.
Tornadoes are uncommon In
Alabama at this time Of year.
Most Of them are spawned in the
spring and fall. The weather
Bureau at Birmingham gave this
exclamation:
Strong southwesterly winds
were blowing at all levels over
the State. Aloft. the winds
shifted to the northwest. This
caused . trough, or "squall line,
in which the death dealing
&ar,.o doae mara horn