Pike County GaArchives News.....Pike County Victims March 9, 1893
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Lynn Cunningham http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00011.html#0002535 January 12, 2011, 11:53 pm

Columbus Daily Enquirer March 9, 1893

More Bad News From The Cyclone Sufferers

Twelve People Killed, Fifty Seriously Wounded and Two Hundred Injured - People 
Who Are Needing Help.

Atlanta, March 8 - [Special] - The story of last week’s cyclone and the 
destruction it carried in its path while passing through Pike county, were 
overlooked until today when a committee came to Atlanta to tell of the loss of 
life and property and the suffering now existing there. Col. Tom Barrett, who 
was in the legislature two years ago, was the spokesman for the committee, 
which had been appointed the day before at a meeting of citizens held at 
Barnesville. He reports that twelve people were killed outright by the 
terrible storm, and fifty more received injuries which will prove fatal. Two 
hundred people were wounded in Pike alone, 120 houses were blown down and 800 
people were left homeless.

“I have been all over the track of the cyclone, back and forward, and it is 
almost impossible to picture the rain and the suffering,” said Col Barrett.

“I have seen war and men killed and the land filled with lamentations, but 
there were no women in the war. The cyclone spared no one. It was no respecter 
of persons. Men, women and children, white and black, were killed and maimed. 
It came on us in the night about 9 o’clock or a little later. Most folks in 
the country are in bed at that time. With a horrible roar the storm swooped 
down on us. You could hear the passing of it for miles. The sky was lit up by 
lightening so that you could read a newspaper all over the county pretty much. 
This cyclone seemed like a great mountain of fire doing a round dance across 
the county. It was revolving furiously and moving ahead at a great rate of 
speed. Before the unfortunates knew that danger was near, the storm was upon 
them. Nobody had a chance to get away. It was like war times. You didn’t have 
time to get behind breastworks or in the bomb-proof just when the danger came. 
There may have been some pits in the section, but there was no warning to get 
into them. Houses were caught up in the tornado and sucked right up off the 
ground or crushed in before the inmates could get out of bed. And when they 
did run for protection they did not help themselves. The saddest case was that 
of Miss Annie Hawkins, daughter of Ed Hawkins, a farmer. She was a grown young 
lady and a lovely young woman. In her alarm she ran to her father. He clasped 
her in his arms, and just as he did, the house collapsed and they were buried 
in the debris. She was killed almost outright, and his bones were broken in 
every part of the body. I helped to take them out. Hawkins was pinioned down 
by heavy timbers and his child was locked fast in his embrace. He could not 
release the dead body until we took all the timbers off.

A drenching rain followed the cyclone, and this added to the distress, for 
many of the helpless had to be carried a long distance to shelter. Remember 
that the path of this storm was a mile wide on the average. I never saw one 
that was so wide before. The people turned out and worked all night along the 
path of the storm. Those of us who escaped turned in to assist our neighbors 
all we could, which was not much. It was pitiable to hear the cries and wails 
and calls of parents for their children and the cries of the little folks for 
their fathers and mothers. It was a heart rending night. We carried the 
wounded for long distances, as I said, and some of them were suffering from 
broken limbs and mangled bodies. The poor women and children were scantily 
clad, and they suffered so much from the cold and the rain, to say nothing of 
the shock and pain. Doctors were few and we just had to do the best we could.

The Killed.

The killed were: Mrs. Martha Feltz, a widow, at Molena; James McCord, a 
farmer, and his child; Andrew Levere, a farmer; Miss Annie Hawkins; three 
negroes on Barker’s place, on Dr. Harp’s place and three in the eastern part 
of the county.

The most of these were killed instantly or lingered only a short time. Levere 
had his neck broken and some of the others were crushed to death at once. In 
every instance there were other members of the families who escaped death, but 
mighty few came out of the storm unhurt. People on either side of the cyclone 
track thought that their time had come too. The fury of the storm was terrible 
to behold. The air was filled with a million flying fragments of houses, 
sheds, churches, fences and trees. These were outlined against the sky under 
the vivid sheet of lightning. 

“My home was about a mile from the edge of the storm’s proper path. I thought 
every minute that my house would be sucked in the whirlpool. That was as 
alarming almost as the actual sensation of being in the middle of it, I 
imagine,” said Colonel Barrett. He states that everything has been swept away; 
that the people are very poor and are in great distress. He says that he went 
on top of Buzzard’s mountain and from one spot he could trace the storm’s 
track for almost twenty miles either way. It traveled almost east and west.

Help is wanted.

The other members of the committee who accompanied Col. Barrett are J.J. 
Rogers and J.W. Stafford. They called on the gentlemen who are getting up 
subscriptions here and saw some of the pastors, and requested them to make an 
appeal for money next Sunday with which to rebuild the churches which were 
destroyed, eight in number. Six school houses were destroyed.

The people of Pike are poor and deserve the charity of their fellow Georgians. 
They feel that Greenville has got the start of them and that if it is known 
that they are in distress, that aid will be extended to them cheerfully.



Additional Comments:

Re: Ed Hawkins and his daughter Daisy Ann.

Edwin W. Hawkins was born about 1849 in Pike County. He was married to Susan 
Harper in Pike County on 16 December 1875. Daisy Ann Hawkins was born about 
1878 in Pike County. She was about 15-16 years old when she was killed.


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