Evening star., 1953-12-06
.13Die, 100 Hurt
As Tornadoes
|Hit ; States
Vicksbure, Miss.
Suffers Most;
Damage High
BY the Associated Press

NASA>SDOHS$1, MISS, Lee. o.
Twisting tornadoes, dealing
death and destruction into mil
lions of dollars, ripped and
bounced through Mississippi.
Louisiana and Arkansas tonight.
The multiple twisters left at
least 13 dead and 100 injured
in their tangled wakes.
The worst of four tornadoes
smashed downtown Vicksburg.
This was the storm that killed
13 persons in a savage 15-min-
ute series of hammer blows that
demolished a theater full of boys
and girls enjoying a Saturday
night movie.
Six Dead Identified.
Six of the dead at Vicksburg
were identified in first reports as:
Nick Casino, VickSburg.
l.. M Langren, Dallas, Texas.
Leslie Groves, 2, VickSburg.
Saul Fried, infant, Vicksburg.
Robert Stanley Glatt, 9, Vicks-
burg.
Alvin E. Harwood, 10, Vicks-
burg.
Another tornado struck at
MontroSe, Ark, and first reports
said two children were missing.
Later. however, the missing
children were found unhurt in a
cotton patch close to their rural
home near Montrose, State
troopers reported. Their names
were not learned Immediately.
A third tornado blasted the
communities of Ouachita City,
Rocky Branch and Spencer near
Monroe in northern Louisiana,
mounting an injury toll of II
persons. No deaths were re-
ported.
A violent windstorm struck
farming section 10 miles west of
Clarksdale, Miss, injuring seven
persons.
Without Warning.
The Vicksburg blow came out
If an eerie early nightfall, silently
and viciously, so that residents
of Vicksburg only short distances
from its path did not realize
what was happening.
"All heard was a slight roar"
said Mrs. Charles Faux, who
lives but six blocks from the
lance-like swath cut by the
storm. II had noticed a queer
glow in the sky but didn't think
anything of it. 1t had been
dreadfully still and hot all after
noon."
From downtown Vicksburg, the
twisting funnel roared up in a
mighty hop and struck again.
with less force, in a residential
district.
1t snapped all electric power
lines. blanketipg the city with
darkness which was relieved only
by the Pickering flames of q
dozen fires started by the storm.
hdS
Inside the Saenger Theater,
the bulk of the storms injured
screamed and sobbed for help,
for their parents. Most of the
injured were reported to be
boy and girl patrons engaged in
watching their customary Satur-
day night movie.
Second Theater Hit.
Another theater was reported
blown down.
The whirling wind blew down
homes, business buildings and
toppled buildings onto automo-
bile tops. .'
1t demolished a day nursery
killing two babies.
In its wake, Gov. Hugh White
sent National Guard units into
the stricken city to guard
against looting. Nearly every
store window in downtown Vicks-
burg was blown in.
The Red Cross rushed a 10
person disaster team into the
area with $50 units of blood
serum for use in shock.
Ambulances from throughout
the area sirened their way to-
ward Vicksburg, where hospital
facilities were strained beyond
capacities.
Communications were Snarled
beyond much help in the worst
of the downtown storm area.
Some lines still stood in resi-
Dental fringes along the storms
path.
Official reports of the Vicks-
burg tornado filtered slowly out
of the city, but Gen. John r.
Hardin, president of the Army
Engineers Mississippi River
Commission, toured the damage
area and said:
The city is in a complete
state of disorganization. About
four blocks of buildings are
shambles. The business section
OF the main street was very badly
(See TORNADO Paoe A-d1