Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 March 1906 — TORNADO RUINS TOWN [ARTICLE]

TORNADO RUINS TOWN

DEALS DEATH AND DESTRUC- “ TION IN MERIDIAN, MISS. " " White Persons and Over 100 Negroes Are Killed— Fire Help* to Add to Which Will Reach at I.ehist >1,500.000. 1A destructive tornado visited Meridian, Miss., at Friday evening, killing ’twenty-one white persons and over 100 colored people and damaging property’ to the extent of $1,500,000. There were also scores seriously injured by being caught in wreckage of houses. The tornado caught the city on the southwest and traveled to the northeast and traveled in. tWQ. suburbs, where many negroes were killed ami injured, a whole tenement district being wiped out. Two large wholesale " stores, oue smaller one, the principal hotel, the electric lighting plant and all the smaller property between the .Mobile & Ohio Railroad depot and the business part of the city were badly damaged. Twenty-oue men were caught in a restaurant and several were killed. Two stories of tbe Y. M. (’. A. biiililint were wrecked and other buildings suffered In the upper stories. Hard Fight with Fire. The negro tenement district in the north of the city’ was demolished and the debris caught lire. tbrentiyiing a new danger, but the local department, with the help of hundreds of citizens, ..overcame tills after a hard fight. They were assisted by the torrential rain following the tornado. The known path of the storm was about (‘>oo feet wide and one mile nr length. The Union and Queen ami Crescent depots w.ere among the buildings demolished and it Iffestimated that more -than a score of dead are among tin 1 wreckage. I>. I£. Bennett, Claud Williams and Frank Woodruff, employes of the Meyer Neville Company, were buried in the debris when that building went down. Bennett escajied, but the other men were eaugbt beneath the ruins. Plow* Way Through City. The cyclone, accompanied by a heavy rainstorm, struck Meridian shortly after dark. Tbe storm center was in the southern portion of the city and particularly heavy along Front street, one of tbe principal business streets of the town. Nearly every house on -Frout-street -is reported to have been demolished. ' The Armour packing plant was left standing and the roof of this was gone. _ The city was plugged ' . Into total darkness, the electric lighting plant having been put put of business. The cyclone did severe damage at other points adjacent to Meridian and all trains entering Meridian were delayed considerably. The Western Union Telegraph Company reported having lost fifteen miles of wire and the Postal Telegraph Company also suffered great damage. The wires were all down between Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis and other points. Whole Squares Devastated. The topuado passed over in about two minutes and during that period several squares were devastated. A conservative estimate places the number of buildings blown down at between thirty and forty. Among the heaviest losers are the Meyer & Neville Hardware Company, Tom Lyle & Co., wholesale dry goods and groceries; Josh Moore, wholesale dry goods and groceries. The New Orleans & Northwestern Railroad lost its freight depot and other buildings were destroyed. The Mobile & Ohio depot is safe, as well as the Southern hotel, but the Grand Avenue hotel was considerably damaged. From the business center the tornado jumped to the east end, where a number of residences were blown down. Ohlo'a Bridffe Trust Probe. Attorney General Ellis of Ohio has made his preliminary inquiry into the operations of the American Bridge Company and its subsidiary corporations in the State, and estimates that the combination has been taking over SBOO,OOO a year out of the pockets of the people of Ohio since 1892. He has evidence showing that it has been the practice of the various companies to have their agents form a secret pool in bidding for all bridge work, allowing a big margin of profit to the members of the trust over and above the profit to the company doing the work. The presumption is that county commissioners knew what was going on and prosecutions are anticipated. The Legislature has been asked to amend the lAw so as to compel witnesses to testify without self-incrimination.