Arlington, GA Tornado Destruction, Mar 1897

THE TORNADO AT ARLINGTON.

Savannah, Ga., March 23. -- A special to the Morning News from Arlington, Ga., says a terrible cyclone struck there Monday morning about 8:30 o'clock. It passed through the south side of the town and totally wrecked the Academy and partially demolished other houses. At the Academy a number of children were assembled for school. The building was completely demolished and on the removal of the debris eight were found dead and 15 injured. Five escaped with slight bruises and scratches.
The dead are:
CLAUDE ROBERTS, aged 14, terribly mangled and internally injured.
MOLLIE PARRAMARE, aged 17, crushed beneath a chimney.
ALBERT BUTLER, aged 6.
ALICE PUTNAM, aged 15.
WILLIE McMURRIE, aged 10.
KENNETH BOYNTON, aged 7.
MARY WELLONS, aged 8.
MAUD JOHNSON, aged 10.
All the dead are terribly mutilated, being crushed and bruised by the falling timbers and debris.
The injured are:
Prof. W. A. COVINGTON, principal of the school, badly bruised, but no fractures, will recover.
Prof. WALKER, assistant teacher, internal injuries and one leg broken, will probably die.
LEE PARRAMORE, aged 15, one leg broken and badly bruised, may recover.
BETTIE PARRAMORE, aged 13, badly bruised, will recover.
ALTON CARTER, aged 8, one leg and arm broken and face badly bruised, may recover.
ETHEL CARTER, aged 10, slightly wounded from scratches and bruises, will get well.
ANNIE COLEY, badly mangled and internal injuries, will probably die.
WILLIE COLLINS, aged 12, face badly bruised, will recover.
GEORGE RILEY, JR., aged 12, slightly injured, will recover.
DUDLEY KILLEBREW, aged 18, both legs broken and face badly torn, may die.
EDITH BUTLER, aged 9, badly bruised, will recover.
SIMONE SANDERS, aged 19, bruised and one leg crushed, will recover.
ERNEST WELLONS, aged 11, badly bruised.
CLARA THIGPEN, aged 17, badly bruised.
Not a single person in the big building escaped injury. And in the present confused condition of affairs it is next to impossible to secure the simple facts of the disaster. About 7:30 o'clock there was a lull in the high winds which had prevailed, giving some promise of a clear day. The children came in on the varioius roads, and many had already reached the school yard and were playing, preliminary to the opening of school. Prof. COVINGTON, going out to look around, saw a dark cloud, well fringed with electricity, moving rapidly in the direction of the school.

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