VA –178-420

lornajarrettblanchard February 19, 1884

–178-1200 Wikipedia. “Enigma Tornado Outbreak.” 2-28-2011 modification.[1]

–100s-1000s. Carroll Free Press, Carrollton GA. “The Cyclone Last Week.” 2-29-1884, 2.[2]

–370-2000 Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 624.[3]

— 800 Finley (USA Signal Corps). Tornadoes: What They Are…. 1888, p. 81.

— 800 Levine. F5. 2007, p. 68.[4]

— 800 Rosenfeld. Eye of the Storm: Inside the World’s Deadliest…Tornadoes… 2003. 200.

–400 – 800 Ludlum. The American Weather Book. 1982, p. 107.

— 600 Northern Vindicator, Estherville, IA. “Worst on Record…Tornado.” 3-7-1884, p. 6.

— >500 Janesville Daily Gazette. “Details of…Frightful Ruin in the South,” Feb 21, 1884, 1.

–174 – 494 Blanchard compilation from State breakouts below.

–178 – 420 Blanchard estimated range.[5]

— 420 Agee and Asai. Cloud Dynamics: Proceedings of a Symposium Held… 1982, p. 202.

— 420 NWS WFO, Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI. “Famous Large Tornado Outbreaks…” 2005.

— 298 Decatur Review (IL). “Dire Scenes of Death,” Feb 23, 1884, p. 3.

— 298 Ohio Democrat, New Philadelphia. “The Wind’s Devastation.” Feb 28, 1884, p. 2.

— 182 Army Signal Corps, 1889; in Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes… 1993

— 182 NWS WFO, Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI. 2005 (low estimate).

— 182 Root. “Some Outstanding Tornadoes.” Monthly Weather Rev., V54, Feb 1926, 58-60

— 178 Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, pp. 624 and 1883.[6]

— 167 Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes Update 1992-1995. 1997, p. 1398.[7]

— 167 History.com. “This Day in History; Disaster; Feb 19, 1884: Tornadoes Strike…”

Summary of Fatalities by State:

Alabama: (27-107) North Carolina (31 – 81)

Georgia: (64-223) Pennsylvania ( 31)

Kentucky ( 1) South Carolina: (18 – 49)

Louisiana ( 1) Virginia ( 0)

Mississippi ( 1)

Breakout of Fatalities by State and Locality (where noted)

Alabama: ( 27-107)

— 210 Statewide. Northern Vindicator, Estherville, IA. “Worst on Record.” 3-7-1884, p. 6.[8]

–88-107 “ Blanchard tally based on County and locality breakouts below.

–27-107 “ Twenty-seven is the MWR number and 107 is the high-end of our tally.

— 44 “ NWS WFO Birmingham AL. “Alabama Tornado.”

— 39 “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, pp. 624-625.

— 39 “ History.com. This Day in History, Feb 19, 1884, “Tornadoes Strike…”

— 37 “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 625.

— 34 “ Decatur Review, IL. “Dire Scenes of Death,” Feb 23, 1884, p. 3.

— 27 “ Stevens. “Tornadoes in Alabama.” Monthly Weather Review. Oct 1925.

Breakout of Alabama tornado fatalities by locality:

— 10 Calhoun & Cherokee Co’s., Cross Plains. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p.625.

— 14 Crisp County, Goshen. Wikipedia. “Enigma Tornado…” 2-28-2011 modification.

— 10 “ just N of Piedmont. Wikipedia. “Enigma Tornado…” 2-28-2011 modification.

— ~6 “ Rock Run area. Wikipedia. “Enigma Tornado…” 2-28-2011 modification.

— 2 Jackson Co., ~Harmony Grove. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 625.

— 3 Jefferson Co., Amberson. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.[9]

— 13 “ Lodima. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 9 “ Oxmoor. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 1 Perry Co., Marion area. Wikipedia. “Enigma Tornado…” 2-28, 2011 modification.

— 26 Pike Co./Goshen. History.com. “This Day…History…Feb 19, 1884: Tornadoes Strike…”

— 14 “ “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 625.

— 13 Shelby Co., Leeds. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 624.

–8-11 “ “ New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 6 “ “ New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 3 “ “ New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 2 “ “(Mrs. Wright, Harriet McCrew). NYT. “…Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884

— 1 “ “ (Mrs. Kerr burned to death.) NYT. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884.

— 3 “ “ (3M south of; J. Pool house). NYT. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884.

— 1 “ “ Northern Vindicator, IA. “Worst…” 3-7-1884, 6.

— 11 Jefferson, St. Clair Co. Stevens. “Tornadoes in Ala.,” Monthly Weather Rev., Oct 1925.

— 16 Talladega, Calhoun Co. Stevens. “Tornadoes in Ala.,” Monthly Weather Rev., Oct 1925.

Georgia: (64-223)

–194-223 Statewide. Blanchard tally based on County breakouts below.

— 64-223 “ We use Grazulis for low end of range, though our own low-end is 194.

— 200 “ Fort Wayne Daily Gazette, IN. “The Cyclone’s Path,” February 22, 1884.

— 200 “ The Landmark, Statesville, NC. “A Destructive Storm.” 2-22-1884, 2.

— 200 “ Northern Vindicator, Estherville, IA. “Worst on Record.” 3-7-1884, p. 6.

— 113 “ Decatur Review, IL. “Dire Scenes of Death,” Feb 23, 1884, p. 3.

— 78 “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, pp. 624-626.

— 68 “ History.com. “This Day in History…Tornadoes Strike…” Accessed 2008.

— 64 “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, pp. 480-481.

— 64 “ Wikipedia. “Enigma Tornado…” 2-28-2011 modification.

Breakout of Georgia tornado fatalities by locality:

— 0 Bibb County. Storm damage. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 2 Butts Co. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 625.

— 22 Cherokee County. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 20 “ Grassy Knob. Decatur Review, IL. “Dire Scenes of Death,” 2-23-1884, 3

— 20 “ “ New York Times. “The Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884, p. 1.

— 3 “ Waleska. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 625.

— 4 Floyd Co., Cave Spring. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 625.

— 1 Forsyth County, Cumming.[10] Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 624.

— 50 Fulton County, Atlanta. Reno Evening Gazette, NV. Feb 20, 1884, p. 2.[11]

— 2-3 Habersham Co., Mt. Airy. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 625.

— 10 Hancock County, Sparta. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 1 Heard Co. (J. Henderson) Northern Vindicator, IA. “Worst on Record.” 3-7-1884, 6.

–3-10 “ (Wilson family?) New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

–1-5 Heard and Coweta Co.’s. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 625.

— 4-5 Jackson Co., Harmony Grove, Nash Hotel.[12] NYT. “…Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884, 1.

— 1 Johnson Co., Wrightsville. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 12 Jones Co., Blountsville. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

–11 “ “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 625.

— 1 “ Clinton. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 625.

–11 “ Haddock’s Station. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884.

— 7-20 Lincoln Co., Warner, Ransom plantations. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, 626.[13]

–2-3 “ Warner Place[14] New York Times. “The Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884, p. 1.

— 3 [15] “ New York Times. “The Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884, p. 1.

— 2 [16] “ Ransom Place New York Times. “The Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884, p. 1.

— 1-3 McDuffie Co., ~Thomson Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, 626.[17]

–1 “ Reese plantation. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884.

— 1 Muscogee Co., Columbus (downburst). Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 624.

— 3 Oconee County[18] New York Times. “The Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884, p. 1.

— 19 Pickens Co., ~Cagle, Jasper, Tate. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, 625.[19]

— 27 Putnam County. Blanchard tabulation from breakouts below.

— 1 “ 15:30 event. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p.625.[20]

— 8 “ Humber Plantation, 16:00 event. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 625.

–18 “ Other than Humber Plantation. NYT. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884.

— 3 “ “ New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884.

–10 Putnam/Jasper/Hancock Co.’s 16:00 event. Grazulis. 1993, p. 625.[21]

— 2 Sumter Co., Anderson. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884

— 1 Warren Co., north of Camak. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

–1 “ Camak. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884.

— 4-8 Washington County. Blanchard tally based on breakouts below:

–2-3 “ Davisboro.

–3 Davisboro. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

–2 Davisboro Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

–2-5 Washington County, Tennille.

–5 Tennille.[22] NY Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884.

–2 ~Tennille. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, 626.

— 50 Wash. Co., Davisboro, Richmond Co., McBean Station. NYT. “Cyclone’s…” 2-21-1884.

— 0 Wilkinson County.[23] NY Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884.

Kentucky ( 1)

— 1 Nelson Co., High Grove area. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 625.

— 1 Nelson/Spencer Co’s. NWS Weather Forecast Office, Louisville, KY. “February 19, 1884.”

Louisiana ( 1)

— 1 Clinton (Sam Hyams). New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884.

Mississippi ( 1)

— 1 Statewide. 11:30 tornado. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 624.

— 1 Statewide. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884.

— 1 Lowndes Co., S of Columbus, 1130 a.m. Wikipedia. “Enigma Tornado…” 2-28- 2011 mod.

North Carolina: (31-81)

–75-100 Statewide. Northern Vindicator, Estherville, IA. “Worst on Record.” 3-7-1884, p. 6.[24]

–65 – 81 “ Blanchard tally based upon County breakouts below.[25]

–31 – 81 “ We use Grazulis for low-end of death toll, though our low-end is 65.

— ~50 “ Davenport Gazette, IA. “Fifty Lives Lost in North Car..” 2-22-1884, 2.

— 48 “ Decatur Review, IL. “Dire Scenes of Death,” 2-23-1884, p. 3.

— 32 “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626

— 31 “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, pp. 480-481.

— 31 “ Wikipedia. “Enigma Tornado…” 2-28-2011 mod.

Breakout of North Carolina tornado related deaths by locality:

— 3[26] Anson Co. Lilesville vic. Landmark, Statesville. “A Destructive Storm.” 2-22-1884.

— 3[27] “ “ New York Times. “The Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884, p. 1.

— 2 “ Pee Dee area. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 2 “ Polkton. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 1 “ “ Landmark, Statesville NC. “A Destructive Storm.” 2-22-1884, 2

— 1 “ “ (Mrs. Gray). New York Times. “The Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884, 1.

— 6 “ Wadesboro. New York Times. “The Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884, p. 1.

— 7 Anson/Richmond/Moore/Harnett Co.’s 21:30 tornado. Grazulis 1993, p. 626.

— 0 Baldwin County. Hail damage reported. NYT. “The Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884, 1.

— 1 Cabarrus Co., Pioneer Mills. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 2 Edgecombe/Nash Co’s., Rocky Mt. NY Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 2 “ Rocky Mt. (two children). NYT. “The Southern Cyclone.” Feb 22,1884, p. 1.

— 3 Harnett County. Northern Vindicator, IA. “Worst on Record.” 3-7-1884, 6.

— 6 “ Lillington. Landmark, Statesville NC. “A Destructive Storm.” 2-22-1884, 2

— 6 “ “ New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 0 Harris County. Storm and hail damage reported. NYT. “…Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884

— 2-6 Johnson County. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 2 Montgomery County. Landmark, Statesville, NC. March 14, 1884, p. 1.

— 3 Richmond Co., Hamlet.[28] New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

–25-30 “ [29] “ to Cary, Wake and Chatham Co’s. NYT. “Cyclone’s.” 2-21-1884.

— 23 “ ~ Hamlet/Rockingham. NYT. “The Southern Cyclone.” Feb 22,1884, p. 1.

— 23 “ Philadelphia. Landmark, Statesville. “A Destructive Storm.” 2-22-1884, 2

— 23 “ “ History.com. “This Day in History…Tornadoes Strike…”

— 15 “ “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 11[30] “ “ New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

–15-30 “ Rockingham. Reno Gazette. “A Murderous Cyclone.” 2-20-1884, 2

— 23 “ “ NYT. “The Southern Cyclone.” Feb 22,1884, p. 1.

— 2 “ “ (Dalkin/young lady). Northern Vindicator, IA. “Worst…” 3-7-1884, 6

— 3 “ “ (Dawkins/child/ Mrs. Watson). NYT. “Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884.

— 0 Rowan County. The Landmark, Statesville, NC. Feb 29, 1884, p. 2.

— 2 Union/Richmond/Montgomery Co’s, 20:00 tornado. Grazulis 1993, p. 626.

— 2 Union Co., Lane’s Township (2 children burned). NYT. “Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884

— 3 “ Monroe (3 children rumored lost). NYT. “Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884.

— 1 Wake Co., Rogers Crossroads. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, 626.

— 1 “ Mr. George Peebles. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884.

Pennsylvania ( 31)

— 31 State. History.com. This Day in History, Feb 19, 1884, “Tornadoes Strike…”[31]

South Carolina: (18 – 49)[32]

–103 Statewide. Decatur Review, IL. “Dire Scenes of Death,” Feb 23, 1884, p. 3.[33]

–103 “ Northern Vindicator, Estherville, IA. “Worst on Record.” 3-7-1884, 6.[34]

— 49 “ Blanchard tally based on locality breakouts below.

— 28 “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 27 “ History.com. “This Day in History…Tornadoes Strike…”

— 18 “ Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, pp. 480-481.

— 17 “ Wikipedia. “Enigma Tornado…” 2-28-2011 mod.

Breakout of South Carolina tornado-related fatalities by locality:

— 5 Aiken Co., Jackson. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 5 “ Jackson’s Station. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 2 Anderson Co., Master’s Mill. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 1 Chester Co., Chester. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 4 Clarendon Co., Foreston. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 6 Darlington Co., Darlington. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 6 “ “ New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 4 “ “ New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 4 “ “ Landmark, Statesville NC. “A Destructive Storm.” 2-22-1884, 2

— 1 Edgefield Co., Phenix[35] New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884.

— 2 Fairfield Co., ~White Oak. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 2 “ Woodward Station. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, 626.

— 5 Greenwood/Newberry Co.’s. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

— 1 Greenwood Co., Ninety-Six. New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.

— 1 Lancaster Co., Lancaster. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.

General — Chronological

Feb 20: “Columbus, Ga., Feb 20. – Details of yesterday’s storm show it to have been of a harrowing character. It formed in the Gulf and, striking Chattahoochee Valley, swept up through Fort Gaines until it struck this city, where its destruction cost $10,000. Here it deflected in two directions, one east and one north. The cyclone north followed into Cahaba Valley until it struck Red Mountain, Alabama, by which it was deflected toward the east, obstructed by the Blue Ridge chain, until it found exit on the Atlantic Ocean. In its course it passed through Heard County, Ga., where three negroes were killed and a family of seven persons named Wilson, now missing, is supposed to have been lost.

“Passing up to Birmingham with the usual record of desolation, the cyclone’s obstructions by mountains seems to have given it force, for on striking Oxmoore [probably Oxmoor, AL] every building was upturned and nine persons were killed. At Leeds, a new manufacturing town, not one timber was left on another. Dave Caspar, Rebecca Cooper, Alice Pool, Jim B. Pool, Mr. J. W. Wright, and Mrs. J.W. Wright were killed and 15 others were seriously wounded. A special train on the Georgia Pacific left Birmingham with physicians to attend the wounded.

“In Lodima, Ala., 13 persons were killed and about 25 wounded, some fatally. At Amberson the loss of life, though not fully ascertained, is said to have been frightful. The story of suffering in Cave Springs, Rome, and Cartersville is fully as bad as detailed in yesterday’s dispatches. As a great stretch of the country through which this cyclone passed is out of reach, much of it being 50 miles from railroads. The full story will be several days in coming in. One of the greatest dangers will result from floods, which flow from streams in this region.

“In Cherokee County 22 men were killed. A new store-house, two stories high, the property of Tarnell & Tate, Cool Springs church, the dwellings of L.J. Darnell, John Perry, Luke Wood, Mrs. Dooly, Betsy Chetwood, Perry Pottle, Pink Morril, and Jack Goss, the latter colored, and an outhouse of Mr. Griffith, were all blown down, and a fine horse belonging to one of the citizens was killed. Mrs. Darnell, Miss Bradford, John Perry and wife, and Luke Wood, were seriously injured by falling walls and timbers of various houses. Mr. Darnell intended to come to Atlanta, and was counting out money for that purpose when the storm struck his house and it was shivered to atoms. He and his little son were saved from instant death only by throwing themselves beside a large trunk that caught falling timbers. Lane’s [unclear] mill on Long Swamp and the mill at Cool Spring were both blown down. The storm was blowing from southward to north-east.

“The eastern cyclone which passed from Columbus in a slightly northern direction followed the well-known course of previous cyclones which, ever since 1804, have kept up a well-beaten path. The path of the cyclone was from one-half to three miles wide, and swept through Talbot and Crawford to Baldwin County. Here it divided in two, following the valley on either side of the Macon and Augusta Road. At Haddock’s 11 people were killed, at Fennile 5, and at Davisboro 3.

“One of the greatest sensations was the reported death of the Hon. R. C. Humber, candidate for State Treasurer. It subsequently appeared that he was not dead, but dangerously wounded. The storm struck his house just after dark. Mrs. Paschall and child had fled to his house for protection, and just as she was entering the house flying timber struck her across the head, knocking her dead. The child also was killed. The house began tottering, and when the family attempted to escape one of the children was killed by crashing scantling, and Mr. Humber was the last to leave, when he was caught under falling timber. Darkness prevented help, but later help came, and Mr. Humber was found with his limbs badly broken, but still alive. The piano was carried by the wind half a mile. Eighteen negroes were killed in the county.

“From this point the storm scattered in wild confusion, reports from all sides being freighted with death and desolation. The other branch of the storm ran in the valley north of the Macon and Augusta Road. The greatest damage seems to have occurred along the line of the Augusta and Knoxville Railroad on leaving Georgia.

“Macon, Ga., Feb 20. – At 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon the sky presented a very…[unclear] appearance, and in view of the fact that great depression had been reported by the Signal Service Bureau in the Mississippi Valley many people apprehended a cyclone. An hour later the storm burst on this city with great fury, accompanied by hail and magnificent electric displays. It was at once ascertained that the full center of the cyclone had passed north of the city, from west to east, following almost the track of many other cyclones through Jones, Wilkinson, Hancock, and Washington Counties. The cyclone was of the same character as those of previous years, bounding from point to point, creating terrific winds for 10 miles on each side of its track. Owing to disarrangements of the telegraph wires, only scant particulars of the destruction caused by the cyclone have been obtained, but these indicate great loss of property and loss of life.

“Your correspondent saw a messenger today from Blountsville, in Jones’s County, 20 miles from Macon, who came for coffins for the wife and four children of W.A. Miller, who were killed by the destruction of their dwelling house. The messenger reports that Miller had gone to his brother’s on an errand, and escaped the storm. His dwelling house was swept entirely away, not a piece of timber remaining. The bodies of his wife and children were found nearly half a mile from where the house stood. At the same place five negroes were killed, and a mile from the plantation a young white man (name unknown) was also killed. In the same neighborhood a store was blown to pieces and a man named Finney was fatally wounded. The house of Dr. Bullard, in the same neighborhood, was also destroyed. His wife heard the cyclone coming, and, having read an article published last year by the Signal Service Bureau on cyclones in which it was stated that the safest place was the corner of the house nearest the storm, she crouched in the corner with her two babies and two negro children. The house was swept entirely away, leaving the woman and children safe behind a few timbers in the corner.

“At Davisboro, on the Central Road, the force of the storm was terrific. Two wounded men who were brought in on today’s train report the town demolished and many persons wounded, but none killed. The track of the storm was through counties remote from the line of railroads. Full particulars cannot be ascertained today. From what is already known, the worst results are anticipated. At midnight last night a second cyclone passed near this city, from which no reports are received.

“A special dispatch from Columbus reports the destruction of the Central Railroad round-house and engines, entailing a loss of $15,000. Several persons were killed and wounded. The storm was terrible in the section around Macon. The Telegraph received a box of hail-stones from Indian Springs, some being 3 inches long and 1½ inches thick, and others weighing 2½ ounces. Many houses at that place were unroofed and many persons were wounded, but no deaths have been reported.

“Augusta, Ga., Feb 20. – Reports from last night’s storm show that it was the worst cyclone since 1878 [unclear]. The destruction in Georgia and South Carolina is to…[unclear]. Augusta escaped with a deluge which flooded the streets and stores. The hail-stones were as large as eggs. Towns in this vicinity suffered great loss of property and life. In Sparta, Mrs. Miller and three children were killed. Gus Hart and six negroes were also killed, and the barns of David Dickson, the wealthiest cotton planter in Georgia, were fired by lightning and destroyed and many people were injured, but none were killed. In Camak, two houses were turned over and partly blown into a deep railway cut, with families inside. Only one child was killed.

“At Anderson’s the cyclone was accompanied by a water-spout, which did great damage. Two persons were killed and many crippled. The rivers are flooded. Bradley’s Station, on the Augusta and Knoxville Railroad, was swept away, and two dozen houses were destroyed. One house was turned completely over, but the inmates all escaped injury except Mrs. Ligon, whose arm, leg, and collar bone were broken.

“Davisboro and McBean Stations, on the Georgia Central, were demolished, and fifty persons are reported killed. The storm swept all over Georgia and South Carolina with no particular path.

“In Columbia County the barn and stables of Ike V. Ballard, at Harlem, were blown down and three horses were killed. Much other damage was done in the interior. The plantation of George Granade, in McDuffie County, was ruined, the houses being demolished and the timber carried off. On the plantation of Dr. Reese a negro was killed, and Mrs. V.M. Wade, wife of the overseer, was seriously injured. Great damage was done to property. The gin-house of John A. Fawcett was also demolished. The residence of W.H. Slattworth, near Phenix, Edgefield County, S.C., was blown down. The ruins caught fire and Mr. Slattworth’s little daughter was burned to death.

“Columbus, Ga., Feb 20. – The estimate of the damage in this city by the tornado of yesterday is about $20,000. The loss of the railroad is about $15,000. The Muscogee Oil Mills lost $800, the Alabama warehouse $1,000, the Baptist church $800, the jail $300, and other places here lesser amounts.

“Raleigh, N.C., Feb 20. – Passengers on the Atlanta Air Line Railroad who came down this morning report a terrific cyclone from Hamlet, in Richmond County, to within six miles of this city. Several houses were blown down in the town of Rockingham, about four miles from Hamlet, and several persons were killed and many injured. Business is suspended in the town and those unhurt are administering to the wounded. The most terrible destruction caused by the storm was at a settlement called Philadelphia, two miles from Rockingham, on the Carolina Central Railroad. The settlement contained about 25 houses. Every one of them was razed to the ground. Yesterday morning a party of men began a search of the ruins for bodies, and within a short time 11 had been recovered, 3 white and 8 colored men. One white man, named John Dalkin, was found with a piece of splintered timber through his abdomen as large as a man’s leg. All the bodies were badly were badly mutilated. The bodies were placed in a wagon and carried to Rockingham, when the wagon returned to the scene for more bodies, as it was known that others were in the ruins. The wagon had not returned with its second load when the train left this evening and the telegraph wires being down, further particulars cannot be obtained.

“From Hamlet to Cary, six miles from here, houses and trees were blown down and 25 or 30 persons were killed and double that number injured, many so badly that they cannot live. In many places the railroad track was torn up. The wind was very severe as it passed over this city last night, but did no damage. Ten miles east the house of George Peebles was blown down, and he was killed and his brother Patrick had both eyes knocked out by falling timbers. Rain fell in the wake of the wind, and hail descended, many of the stones being three inches thick. The wind has been blowing a gale here all day, and great damage is expected at other points. The telegraph wires are down, and no reports have been received from other towns.

“Charlotte, N.C., Feb 20. – A storm accompanied by hail struck Chester, S.C., 50 miles south of here tonight. The roofs of the bank and many stores were torn off. The Catawba Oil Mill, the Baptist and Presbyterian churches and many private dwellings were wholly or partially destroyed. Freight cars were blown from the tracks to the station platform. The damage is estimated at $30,000. The storm was very violent here and tore the roof from Biddle’s foundry.

“Wilmington, N.C., Feb 20. – A heavy gale prevailed at this place and along the coast last night, but so far no disasters to shipping are reported. In the interior of the State violent hail-storms accompanied, in some instances, by destructive cyclones occurred. North of this place, on the North-western Railway, at Rocky Mount station, two churches were blown down and two children killed. On the line of the Carolina Central Railroad the cyclone caused great destruction of property and the loss of many lives. At several places in Richmond County many persons are reported killed and many farm buildings destroyed. Near Lillington, in Harnett County, six persons were killed, and at Polkton, in Anson County, houses were demolished, fences leveled, and trees torn up.

“Reports come from Darlington, S.C., that six persons were killed by the storm at that place, and a saw mill and turpentine distillery were demolished. Telegraph wires were leveled in all directions.

“Charleston, S.C., Feb. 20. – A severe storm, prevailed at different points in this State yesterday. The extent of the damage cannot be stated, the wires being down in all directions. A special to the News and Courier tonight from Ellenton, S.C., reports that Jackson’s Station, near that place, was struck by a cyclone at 7 o’clock last night. Many houses were destroyed and five negroes killed. The station at Jackson’s was partly demolished. The house of Tom Ransey (colored) was blown down, and his wife was killed. Tom Walters, a negro man, was carried 300 yards by the wind, and killed. Two negro children of the same family were also killed. On a number of plantations nearly every house was destroyed. The cyclone lasted only for about a minute, and was followed by a slight rain-fall. The damage to timber is incalculable. The cyclone passed within 100 yards of the track of the cyclone of 1875 which caused so much damage to life and property along the line of the Augusta and Knoxville Railroad.

“In Abbeville County the damage by the storm was heavy. It the town of Bradley nearly every house was leveled to the ground. The Seceder church was entirely destroyed at this place, and Dr. Ligon’s family were buried under the ruins.[36] At Ninety-six a house was blown down, injuring all the members of the family and killing a child, whose body was consumed in the building, which was burned.

“At Darlington, S.C., the cyclone lasted about five minutes. Four large dwellings and 25 smaller houses were destroyed. R.B. White and wife, each over 80 years old, and two negroes were killed and six other persons were injured.

“Birmingham, Ala., Feb. 20. – A destructive cyclone swept through the Cahawba Valley, in the eastern part of this country, yesterday at noon. So far as can now be learned, eight persons were killed and 13 injured, three of whom cannot live. These casualties occurred in one community near Newtown, Leeds, 12 miles from here, on the Georgia Pacific Railroad. News of the disaster reached here late in the afternoon, and a relief party, with physicians, went immediately to the scene by special train. All the telegraph wires to Birmingham except that from Leeds were prostrated until a late hour last night.

“A special to the Daily Age last night from Leeds gives the following account of the storm in that region”

A cyclone struck Leeds about 1:30 P.M. and swept away the section-house of the railroad, killing Jeff Ford, Dan Cloud, and Bert Keith, negroes, and seriously injuring an aged white couple named Bass living near. Three miles south of Leeds the house of John Poole was blown away, and a son of 17, a daughter of 6, and a child of a negro tenant of the place were instantly killed. Poole, his wife, and four children were all very badly injured. The residence and premises of Dr. W. F. Wright, a railroad contractor, were completely demolished. Thee body of Mrs. J. S. Wright, Dr. Wright’s mother, was found 100 yards from the house, fearfully mangled, and with the skull crushed. Annie, aged 20; Jennie, 16; Thomas, 18; James, 14; and Edward, 12, all children of Dr. Wright, were badly injured, having their arms or legs broken. Harriet McCrew, cook for the Wright family, was killed, half of her head being taken off. Of 24 carts, 2 wagons, and 3 horses on the place, nothing remains but the carcass of one horse. The house occupied by M. McLaughlin was blown away, and he was badly hurt. J.P. Landrul, wife, and daughter all had legs broken. The house of a man named Kerr took fire during the storm and was burned. Mrs. Kerr was fatally injured. The railroad for several hundred yards is thickly strewn with the debris of the cyclone, delaying trains.

“New Orleans, La., Feb 20. – A special to the Times-Democrat from Columbus, Miss., says ‘A severe tornado passed through the lower portion of this county yesterday doing great damage to…[unclear] houses and dwellings. On some plantations not a single house was left standing. It is reported that one life was lost and many persons wounded’.”

“Clinton, La., Feb 20. – The eastern portion of this parish was visited yesterday by a severe wind and rain storm, which did much damage. The trees and fences in its path for miles were blown down. Sam Hyams, colored, was instantly killed by a falling tree.

“Petersburg, Va., Feb 20. – A tremendous thunder-storm burst over this city and vicinity about midnight last night and continued until an early hour this morning. The storm was followed by an immense rainfall and a heavy gale of wind. All the streams are greatly swollen. A number of county bridges were washed away. The Roanoke River, near Weldon, N.C., is 22 feet above low-water mark, and is still rising.” (New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” Feb 21, 1884.)

“Atlanta, GA., Feb. 21. The cyclone which did such terrible damage to property, and caused the loss of an as yet untold number of lives, formed in Chattahoochee valley near the Mexican gulf, and then passed north. Then it struck the city of Columbus. The storm then divided, one branch running up the Alabama side of the valley until it was deflected by the Red mountains, in which Birmingham is located. Then it took an eastern course and passed through Leeds, Lodima, and Oxmoor into Georgia, where it passed through Cave Springs, Rome, and Barlow county into Canton and out of the state along the foothills of the Blue Ridge. Fourteen persons perished at Lodima, six at Leeds, eight at Cave Springs, and ten along the line from Rome to Canton. Near Canton a terrible accident happened. The crowded county school was dismissed in order to allow the pupils to reach home. About thirty of them took refuge in a building which was overturned by the storm and ten of them mangled to death.

“The other branch of the storm went eastward from Columbus through Talbot, Baldwin and Columbia, finding exit through Edgefield, S.C. In Baldwin, the Hon. R.C. Hamlin, candidate for state treasurer, was killed by flying timbers. Seven other persons were also killed…. A train on the Macon & Augusta road was blown off the track… As nearly as can be gathered, 200 lives were lost in Georgia alone, 5,000 buildings destroyed, and $1,000,000 worth of property demolished….

“The town of Bradleys, S.C., was nearly blown away…. The town of Millen was nearly destroyed….Several large fires were observed in the track of the storm. Chappell’s station was swept away, not a house being left. Eight loaded cars, standing on the track, were carried forty yards and torn to pieces…. In Darlington county…six persons are known to have been killed… A serious loss of life and property is reported in the vicinity of Williamsburg county….Twenty-five houses – all in the Philadelphia settlement in North Carolina – were leveled by the cyclone. The bodies of [14]…men have been recovered…. At Rockingham the cyclone struck on the outskirts, destroying fifteen houses, killing twenty-three people….At Manley and Keyser the cyclone destroyed everything. Near Lillington, Harnett county, six person were killed.

“A cyclone swept through the Cahawba Valley in Alabama. So far as can now be learned eight persons were killed and thirteen injured, three of whom cannot live….on the line of Cherokee and Pickens counties, within a space of three miles, twenty-two persons were killed…

“Evansville, Ind., Feb. 21 – The steamer Hopkins, which has arrived from Cairo, reports frightful loss by the storm at Metropolis, Caseyville, Uniontown and Paducah.” (Fort Wayne Daily Gazette, IN. “The Cyclone’s Path,” February 22, 1884, p. 1)

Feb 21: “Raleigh, N.C., Feb 21. – Details from the track of the cyclone in this State received today make it worse than was expected. After passing through Darlington in South Carolina, where four persons were killed and 50 houses blown down, the storm entered this State at the town of Polkton, in Anson County, on the Carolina Central Railroad. The wind then moved east, and destroyed everything in its path. It struck the suburbs of the town of Rockingham, and blew down houses and trees. The air was full of fence-rails and timber of all kinds. Here 23 persons were killed and 18 were wounded, some of whom will die. Last night 20 of the dead were lying in the Court-house at Rockingham. From here the storm passed on nine miles, and blew down McDonald’s mills. The mill-stones were found 50 yards from where the house stood. Lilesville, in the same county, was struck, and several negroes were killed. A woman was found dead in a swamp with her babe on her breast alive. Six dead bodies were found near Lillington, Harnett County.

“The track appears to have been through Union, Anson, Montgomery, Stanley, Richmond, Moore, Robeson, Cumberland, Harnett, Johnson, Sampson, Nash, and Edgecomb. In Johnson the track was 400 yards wide, and in this space everything was swept from off the face of the earth as if by fire. Several persons are reported injured, but no one is known to have been killed in Johnson County. At Polkton, barns, gin-houses, and outhouses were blown down; the dwelling of Mr. Patrick Gray was also blown down, and his wife was killed.

“On the plantation of William Little, who lives near Ansonville, 28 houses were destroyed. At. Rocky Mount, on the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, two churches and a number of other buildings were blown down and two children were killed. Among the killed at Rockingham are Richard Dawkins and child and a Mrs. Watson. Mr. Sanford, a young man, had his leg broken.

“The worst of the cyclone was at Rockingham. Those who were in the edge say that all was over in two or three minutes. Everything was destroyed and the people were killed and wounded in that short time. Fragments of houses only remained. The largest trees were torn up by the roots and the ground was covered with broken timber. Many people were killed and wounded by flying timbers. A young lady, when the house began to rock, ran out and was instantly killed by being pierced through by a flying fence rail. Men who have been to Philadelphia Church say that the scene of disaster is worse than a battle-field.

“After the wind had passed the rain fell in torrents. When the rain had nearly ceased hail-stones of extraordinary size fell in great quantities. Horse, mules, and cattle were killed by scores. Near Wadesboro, in Anson County, barns and houses were destroyed and six persons were killed.

“Wilmington, N.C., Feb 21. – Special advices to the Star give further particulars of the cyclone. The center of the storm struck the outskirts of the town of Rockingham with such sudden fury that people were unable to escape from their houses. Buildings were blown into fragments. Some bodies were found under the timbers; others were carried by the wind 150 to 200 yards. The bodies of the victims were terribly bruised and cut, presenting a ghastly appearance. The force of the wind was such that two millstones were moved 100 feet. Chickens and birds were found picked clean, except the feathers on their heads; the largest trees were uprooted, and smaller ones had all the bark stripped from their trunks. The killed and wounded belong almost exclusively to the poorer classes, and there will be suffering and destitution among the survivors. It is feared there was great loss of life and property in the interior points in the track of the storm not yet heard from. Already 23 dead bodies have been found in Richmond County, near Rockingham and Hamlet.

“Charlotte, N.C., Feb. 21. – News from Monroe is to the effect that the storm was terrible. In Lane’s Creek township about 40 houses were entirely destroyed. Two cabins were burned. In one of the burned cabins two negro children perished in the flames. Rumors were rife in Monroe that three White children were blown away from a demolished house and that no traces of them have since been found.

“Six more dead bodies were hauled into Rockingham yesterday from the ruined village of Philadelphia, making the total number of bodies recovered 17. Of these 7 are whites and 10 colored. So far as is known the casualties are 17 dead and 13 wounded. It is not possible to get the names.

“Columbus, Ga., Feb. 21. – Palmetto, Ga., had three severe storms at 2, 4, and 6 P.M. on Wednesday. The wind blew hard, accompanied with hail as large as partridge eggs. At all of them rain fell in torrents, washing almost everything in its way, doing great damage to lands, ditches, and fences. The wind scattered fences and lumber in every direction. There was more rain than at any one time since last Spring’s flood. The cyclone passed through the county about dusk, ranging from south-west to north-west. It missed Lincolnton about a mile. A large two-story building known as Warner Place was unroofed, and all of the outhouses on the place are leveled. Two negro children were killed and a third one is missing. The latter is supposed to have been burned up in the house after it was blown down. Thirteen other negroes are injured, some fatally. The Rev. P.F. Furgess’s house was greatly damaged, but no one was hurt. On Mr. Sam Ransom’s place two negroes were killed and three houses blown down. The track of the cyclone was about half a mile wide, and everything in its path was destroyed. The destruction of life and property was unprecedented. People are preparing to aid the sufferers. At Harmony Grove, Jackson County, the Nash Hotel was swept away killing a white lady and fatally wounding another. Mrs. Nash is also at the point of death. Mr. Hix and his son were killed in a falling building. In Oconee County many lives were lost, and fences and houses were blown down. Mrs. Seago and Miss Mirties McCarty died yesterday from nervous prostration caused by the storm. One peculiar feature of the storm was a quantity of hail which fell in Harris County. It fell in pieces of about 5 inches in circumference, assuming curious shapes. Full-blown roses, dahlias, crosses, anchors, and many curious designs could be readily distinguished. In Baldwin County it fell as large as goose eggs, and in Warren County hail fell so deep as to form rifts two feet deep.

“Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 21. – Reliable information received here from Grassy Knob shows that 20 persons were killed by the recent cyclone within a distance of three miles of that place. Their names are Mrs. Levi Cagle and two children. William Grover, William Herren, Alonzo Wright, Mrs. James Dowder and two children, Mrs. Wyly, Mrs. Lewis King and two children, John Nicholson (reported), Mrs. John Nicholson, Mrs. Nations, Mrs. Watkins, a child of Perry Pettit, a child of W.H. Collier, and a child of Hiram Walker. Many others who were wounded are not expected to live.”

“Vicksburg, Miss., Feb. 21. – This section was visited yesterday by a very severe cyclone, which wrecked many houses on neighboring plantations, besides sinking several small steamboats. It blew at a rate of 63 miles per hour at a point 75 miles north of here.” (New York Times. “The Southern Cyclone. Further Details….” Feb 22, 1884, p. 1.)

Feb 22: “Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 22. – As fuller reports of the cyclone which devastated the northern part of this State and Alabama and the western sections of North and South Carolina come in, the disaster seems to grow in terrible proportions. Ne perfect estimate of the number of lives lost or the damage done can yet be formed, but it is known beyond all doubt that this is the greatest disaster that has ever happened in America. The killed and wounded beyond almost exclusively to the poorer classes, and there will be suffering and destitution among those who escaped. The number of deaths so far reported aggregates 298. Of these 113 are in Georgia, 48 in North Carolina, 103 in South Carolina, and 34 in Alabama. Many sections have not been heard from, and the death list will probably reach 400.

“One of the worst tales of the storm comes from Grassy Knob [GA], one of the highest parts of the long swamp range in Cherokee County…In that five minutes’ trip over that fifteen-mile slice of country…twenty deaths in all, known and accounted for.

“Tates (or Cool Spring, as the town is called) was wiped from the face of the earth….

“Raleigh, NC, Feb. 22….The worst of the cyclone was at Rockingham, where twenty-three persons were killed and eighteen wounded. Those who were on the edge say that all was over in two or three minutes. Everything was destroyed and the people were killed or wounded in that short time. Fragments of houses only remained. The largest trees were town up by the roots, and the ground was covered with broken timbers…” (Decatur Review, IL. “Dire Scenes of Death,” Feb 23, 1884, p. 3.)

Feb 29: “Friday, Feb. 29. – In the Senate Mr. Ransom, from the committee on appropriations, reported back adversely the joint resolution introduced by him last Monday and referred to that committee, providing for an appropriation to aid the suffers by the great storms in the Southern States. The resolution was indefinitely postponed. In making this report Senator Ransom said that telegrams from the Governors of the States to which it had been proposed to appropriate this money brought the reply that private charity had been such as not to call for intervention from Congress in behalf of the cyclone sufferers; neither was the calamity so great as, in the judgement of the committee, necessitated an appropriation by the general government.

The bill for the construction of seven steel cruisers passed.” (The Landmark, Statesville, NC. “Congressional Summary.” March 7, 1884, p. 2.)

March 7: “The first reports of the great Southern cyclone were not in the least exaggerated. Later and fuller details more than confirm the first accounts, and settle, beyond all doubt, that it is the greatest disaster that has ever happened in this country. The loss of life and destruction of property are simply appalling.

“In Alabama 210 people are known to have been killed, and many wounded beyond the hope of recovery.

“In Georgia the fatalities are placed at 200, while many are mortally wounded.

“In South Carolina 103 are known to have lost their lives, and in North Carolina the killed number between 75 and 100.

“These figures show the loss of life to have been about 600. The loss of property is immense. Whole villages were swept entirely away and plantations and farms denuded of everything valuable. Live stock in great number was slaughtered or maimed so that it will have to be killed. Much valuable timber was also blown down and splintered to the extent that it will be worthless.

“In Georgia the pecuniary loss is estimated at $2,000,000, und in one portion of Alabama it is said that $3,000,000 will not cover the damage. In South Carolina the damage will foot up at least $1,000,000, and in North Carolina it is estimated at $1,500,000.

“The storm blew straight across the State of Alabama, forty miles, sweeping every thing it encountered to destruction. Whole towns were literally obliterated, the houses being brushed away like chaff. Houses, fences, cattle, all were blended in an indescribable mass of objects without a moment’s warning. Ten villages fell victims to the fury of the blast, and hundreds of farm houses were swept away. Horses, cows, mules, and wagon’s were strewn through the woods for miles. The same scenes of death and devastation followed in the wake of the tornado in its entire course through Georgia and the Carolinas.

“Almost incredible stories are told illustrative of its destructive power. Thousands of acres of forests were swept away like chaff. Railroad cars loaded with freight were lifted from the tracks, hurled hundreds of yards, and wrecked. Many instances are reported where parents and children were lifted from their homes by the storm, carried high in the air, and landed on ground again without sustaining any injury….” (Northern Vindicator, Estherville, IA. “Worst on Record.” 3-7-1884, p. 6.)

1888: “On February 19, 1884, in the States of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana, over 60 tornadoes occurred between 10 a.m. and midnight. 800 people were killed, 2,500 wounded, about 15,000 left homeless and over 10,000 buildings destroyed, together with hundreds of cattle, horses, hogs and other domestic animals.” (Finley. Tornadoes: What They Are and How to Escape Them 1888, p. 81.)

1898: “The most remarkable example of the relation of tornadoes to cyclones yet noted was on February 19, 1884, when some forty tornadoes occurred, in the southern states between morning and midnight. The morning weather-map of that day…showed a trough-like cyclonic storm of considerable intensity central in Illinois. Its moist sirocco in-draft was drawn from the Gulf over the southern states with a temperature of 50° or 80°; while the western states were occupied by west and northwest winds with a temperature near freezing, and in the far northwest even 10° or 20° below zero. All of the tornadoes reported on this disastrous day occurred near the western boundary of the area occupied by the sirocco. During the morning, they were reported in Mississippi and western Alabama. In the afternoon, the cyclonic center had moved over southern Michigan; and at this time the tornadoes were noted in eastern Alabama and Georgia. By evening, the cyclonic center had advanced to Lake Huron; tornadoes were then formed only in eastern Georgia and the Carolinas. Thus for the entire day, the district in which the violent whirlwinds were generated stood in a definite relation to the center of the larger cyclonic storm and its system of inflowing winds. The thunder storms of this day and the places of its heavier rains have not been specially studied; but it many be expected that their area marched eastward in the same manner as the tornado area.” (Davis, William. Elementary Meteorology. 1898, 374)

1982: “The tornado swarm spreading from the Southeast to the Ohio Valley on February 19, 1884 killed an estimated 400 to 800, although there was no means of securing an accurate count.” (Ludlum. The American Weather Book. 1982, p. 107.)

“Despite the fact that no urban areas were struck by the sixty or more tornadoes, the estimated death toll of 800 has been approached by only one other tornado situation. The swarm of eight tornadoes occurring on March 18, 1825, took 792 lives when the great Tri-State Tornado and others struck several sizable cities and towns in Illinois and Indiana and rural areas elsewhere. The victims of the 1884 tornadoes lived mainly on tenant farms or small plantations, and most were black farm hands and their families. Statistic gathering among such rural populations at this stage of our history was not systematized, so the figures can be employed only as a general estimate.” (Ludlum. The American Weather Book. 1982, p. 110.)

2008: “On this day in 1884, an astonishing series of 37 tornadoes sweeps across the Southeast United States. The twisters, which came at a time in which there was no warning system in place to alert area residents, killed 167 people and injured another 1,000.

“The tornadoes began early in the afternoon in Alabama. The town of Goshen lost 26 people to an F4 twister, classified as “devastating” with winds between 207 and 260 mph. A brick school building literally exploded when the tornado hit it dead on, killing six students and a teacher. Outside of Goshen, 13 more people lost their lives in Alabama.

“Late in the afternoon, the storm began battering North Carolina. The town of Philadelphia lost 23 people, while another eight were killed in other smaller tornadoes in the state. There were several reports of bodies thrown hundreds of yards by the powerful twisters.

“In South Carolina, 27 people died, and there were also deaths reported in Kentucky and Mississippi.

“Of the 37 reported tornadoes that struck the Southeast on February 19, 29 killed at least one person.

“The hardest-hit state was Georgia, where 68 deaths were attributed to the storm. The town of Jasper suffered 22 casualties when another F4 twister struck. Across the state, hundreds were injured, many of them rural sharecroppers.

“In the years since this disaster, there have been other occasions when a series of tornadoes has reached across a broad area, but advances in weather forecasting and communications have helped to minimize deaths and injuries.” (History.com. “This Day in History; Disaster; Feb 19, 1884: Tornadoes Strike…” 2008.)

2008, NWS: “2.[37] ENIGMA OUTBREAK

February 19, 1884
Southeast U.S.
60 tornadoes
420 deaths (but ranges from 182 to 1200 thus the enigma)
Damage $3 million
11:00 am – 11:00 pm”

(NWS WFO, Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI. “Famous Large Tornado Outbreaks…” 2-14-2008 mod.)

Feb 28, 2011: “The 1884 Enigma outbreak is thought to be among the largest and most widespread tornado outbreaks in American history, striking on February 19–20, 1884. As the precise number of tornadoes as well as fatalities incurred during the outbreak are unknown, the nickname “Enigma outbreak” has come to be associated with the storm. Nonetheless, an inspection of newspaper reports and governmental studies published in the aftermath reveals tornadoes (or more likely — long-track tornado families) striking Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, with an estimation of at least 50 tornadoes.[38] Some events counted as tornadoes in initial studies such as those by John Park Finley were downbursts, especially in northern and northeastern portions of the outbreak.[39]

“The majority of reported tornado activity was seen across Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, which were all struck severely by multiple waves of tornado families. In the Southeast, the outbreak began during the late morning in Mississippi, preceded by severe thunderstorms in Louisiana.[40] Shortly thereafter, the outbreak widened and intensified, progressing from Alabama to Virginia between noon and midnight.[41]

“Elsewhere, wind damage, flash flood (with homes swept away by water in Louisville, KY, New Albany and Jeffersonville, IN and other towns along the Ohio River and derecho-like effects in the Ohio Valley were also reported in published accounts of the outbreak. Blizzard conditions occurred in the eastern Midwest.[42]

“According to an article appearing in the Statesville (NC) Landmark three days later, the damage tally in Georgia alone was estimated to be $1 million, in 1884 dollars.[43] Tabulations from 1884 estimate a total of $3-4 million in tornado damage (with an unknown amount of flood and other damage), with 10,000 structures destroyed.[44] (Wikipedia. “Enigma Tornado Outbreak.” Feb 28, 2011 modification.

Alabama

Feb 21, Janesville Daily Gazette: “Birmingham, Ala., Feb 21. – A correspondent boarded the regular passenger train on the Georgia Pacific and went to Leeds – fifteen miles east of this city, to get further particulars of the terrible cyclone that swept through the Cahawba valley. No idea of the devastation can be conceived without visiting the track of the cyclone. At 10 o’clock the people saw a dense funnel-shaped cloud, black as night, approaching, and the whole heavens illuminated with a peculiar glow. As it approached shafts darted from the top of the cloud toward the earth with almost lightning rapidity. At 1:30 o’clock it swept over the town of Leeds, 100 yards east of the depot, leaving absolutely nothing in the way of houses and trees in its path. It followed the track of the Georgia Pacific road, six miles, covering it with debris….The killed so far reported number eleven and there are twenty-one wounded, one-third fatally…”

(Janesville Daily Gazette (WI). “Details of the Frightful Ruin in the South,” Feb 21, 1884, p. 1.)

March 7, Northern Vindicator: “….At Leeds, Ala., John Few, a negro who, was killed, was carried by the velocity of the wind 300 yards, and when picked up was in a perfectly nude state, his clothes having been torn from him by his body coming in contact with various obstacles in the way. Mrs. Bass, wife of a prominent Leeds merchant, while fleeing before the storm to take refuge in a house, was struck in the back by a pebble with such force that the missile passed through her clothing and imbedded itself deeply in her flesh. The pebble was cut out by a physician, and the probabilities are that she will get well. The scene around Leeds is described as awful. Houses just completed were blown away, and not even a brick left where the houses stood. Horses, mules, and cows were killed, and in some instances fence-rails were driven clear through their bodies. Two horses were-seen to sail away in the air, and have not since been seen. William Fitzgerald and Miss. Annie Hodges, while returning home from a social call, near Ladiga, Ala., were overtaken by the tornado, and the horse, buggy, Fitzgerald and the young lady blown nearly 200 yards, and when picked up were horribly mangled and disfigured. Near Greensport, Ala., a small dwelling-house was blown nearly half a mile… A boy who attended a water-tank near Leeds was blown 200 yards, and ever since has been a raving maniac….”

(Northern Vindicator, Estherville, IA. “Worst on Record.” 3-7-1884, p. 6.)

Grazulis: “AL FEB 19, 1884 1320 13k 30inj 400y 35m F4 JEFFERSON/ST.CLAIR–This tornado first touched down about 8m S of Birmingham, near Oxmoor. Nine homes were destroyed and 15 people injured at “Brocks Gap.” Moving NE, the tornado intensified and leveled a large number of the newer homes on the south and east side of the new industrial town of Leeds in Shelby County. Twenty-seven homes were destroyed and at least 13 people were killed. Some homes reportedly had their foundations swept away. Most of the destroyed homes were made of brick. Continuing to the NE, the funnel lifted about 3m SE of Branchville. No deaths were confirmable outside Leeds, but five were rumored.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 624.)

Grazulis: “AL-GA FEB 19, 1884 1430 30k 100inj 400y 35m F4 CALHOUN/CHEROKEE, AL/ FLOYD, GA– Moved NE, devastating at least six communities in Alabama. After touching down north of Jacksonville, the tornado moved through the Germania tanning yard, passed 3m N of Cross Plains, now called Piedmont (10 killed), Grantville, Goshen (14 killed), Ladiga, Adelia, Amberson, and Rock Run before moving into Georgia. At least 26 deaths occurred in Alabama. The school in Goshen was “blown to atoms,” with the schoolmaster killed and all 25 children injured (six may have died). Little effort was made in the press to accurately report the damage in these remote communities. The funnel appeared “as an inverted pyramid, making the noise of a 1000 coal burners.” Cotton bales were reportedly carried a half mile, and some of the poorer housing literally vanished….” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 625.)

Georgia — Chronological

Feb 19: “The Constitution [Atlanta] of Wednesday [19^th] reports a considerable storm on Tuesday [18^th] throughout North Georgia. The greatest damage to life and property was at Cave Spring, where the destruction is said to have been such as was never seen before. It is estimated that 1000 houses were destroyed in Floyd county. The Constitution in speaking editorially of the storm says: It entered the state through Alabama from the gulf yesterday, passing in a northeasterly direction to its point of exit, but followed the well known course of all previous cyclones, which have been recorded since 1804. In its track it has swept away the heaviest obstacles as if they were but mere blades of grass; it has destroyed buildings valued at many thousand dollars; it has laid waster life to an extent perhaps never before known….” (Carroll Free Press, Carrollton, GA. “Tuesday’s Storm.” Feb 22, 1884, p. 2.)

Feb 20: “Macon, Ga, February 20, 1 p.m. The city was visited yesterday by a tremendous storm. Rumors of death and destruction in the surrounding counties are prevalent. A special from Atlanta reports 50 killed north of that city. A special from Columbus reports several killed and wounded.” (Reno Evening Gazette, NV. Feb 20, 1884, p. 2.)

Feb 21: “Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 21.– A volume of cloud, -with a loud rumbling noise, was observed moving north from the Alabama line, near the edge o£ Harris county. The skies overhead assumed a dull, leaden hue, with that peculiar tint which denotes an overcharge of the electric current. The great handle which marked the track of the destructive funnel from the gulf here split like the prongs of a fork, one taking a northeast direction, following the valley of the Chattahoochee, further up bending to the west, striking Cave Springs and Rome, across the country through Barlow, Cherokee, Pickens, and other counties west… The other prong; took an eastern curve, careening through Dougher and Sumter counties across to Columbia up to about the Atlantic. Along the track of this fork the destruction of life and property was fearful. One of the first results was the destruction of the wires, thus rendering news difficult to obtain. As it is, enough has been gotten show that 500 lives at least have been lost, that 5,000 houses must have been destroyed, and that the damage to property must reach $1,000,000….” (Janesville Daily Gazette, WI. “Details of the Frightful Ruin in the South,” Feb 21, 1884, p. 1.)

Feb 23: “…One of the worst tales of the storm comes from Grassy Knob [GA], one of the highest parts of the long swamp range in Cherokee County…In that five minutes’ trip over that fifteen-mile slice of country…twenty deaths in all, known and accounted for. Tates (or Cool Spring, as the town is called) was wiped from the face of the earth….” (Decatur Review, IL. “Dire Scenes of Death,” Feb 23, 1884, p. 3.)

Feb 29: “The cyclone of Tuesday of last week, from all accounts, was the most destructive one that has passed through the State since 1804. The daily papers for several days afterwards were filled with accounts of it. According to all accounts it came from the Gulf of Mexico, up the Chattahoochee valley, until it got near to Columbus, where it divided into two parts, one part entering the State at Columbus, and traveling in a northeastern direction passed out at Augusta. The other part branched off to North Central Alabama, striking Montgomery and Birmingham in

its route and at the latter place changing its direction into a northeasterly course, striking this State about Cave Spring, and continuing the same direction, passed out in northeast Georgia. To estimate the damages done by the cyclone would be impossible. Hundreds, if not thousands of lives were lost, and millions of property swept away….” (Carroll Free Press, Carrollton, GA. “The Cyclone Last Week.” Feb 29, 1884, p. 2.)

March 7: “….A little boy in the Cahaba valley, Georgia, had his scalp blown from his head. A lady near Cartersville, Ga., saw the storm coming, and ran with her children into the cellar, crouching and trembling with fear. The house was blown from its foundation and torn to atoms, leaving the mother and her little ones comparatively unharmed. The mother’s arm was broken, and one of the children had a finger torn off.

“A Cave Spring (Ga.) man relates the following: I noticed the funnel-shaped cloud, black as ink, long before it reached Cave Spring. The small end of the funnel was dancing along the earth, drawing into its fatal vacuum everything in its path. I saw houses lifted bodily from their foundations, carried along for yards, and then crushed like egg-shells. In a few moments the beautiful village would have been a mass of ruins, but when a few miles away its course was changed and we were saved. Jarvey Henderson, of Heard County, Georgia, when the storm approached, took refuse in a well. While lying on his face in the bottom of the well a fence-rail was hurled into the well with great force by the wind. The rail came down endways, one end striking Henderson in the back, and going through him impaled the victim to the earth and killed him almost instantly.

“In Talbot County, Georgia, a little girl named Annie Green, while drawing a pail of water from a well, was struck on the head with a large hailstone and sustained a fracture of the skull. While lying on the ground, apparently dead, the wind picked her up and after carrying her nearly fifty yards landed her helpless form in a thicket, where she remained until rescued by her parents. In Harris County, Georgia, hall fell in pieces of about five inches in circumference in many curious shapes. In Baldwin County, hail fell as large as goose-eggs, and in Warren County it was so heavy as to form drifts two feet deep. Hogs weighing 150 to 200 pounds were blown into a yard from neighboring plantations. On the Georgia Pacific Railroad a fence-rail was driven squarely through a crosstie. At Davisborough, Ga., the contents of stores were scattered in the woods for miles. At another place a large iron safe was carried many yards. One man was found 200 yards from where the cyclone struck him. He was dead. At one place a child was carried off by the wind, and its body has not yet been recovered….” (Northern Vindicator, Estherville, IA. “Worst on Record.” March 7, 1884, p. 6.)

Grazulis – 1995

“This outbreak was the most severe to ever hit the state of Georgia. Early estimates put the death toll for the entire outbreak [multiple SE States] at from 370 to 2000. These exaggerated totals still appear in books and articles today. A careful death count done by the Army Signal Corps in 1889 indicated a death toll of 182 people. The Tornado Project counted 178 deaths in 1985. No sizable town sustained a direct hit on February 19^th, and most of the dead were sharecroppers….Overall losses were probably about $4,000,000, a very large sum for the rural south in this time period. The Tornado Project lists 37 significant tornadoes. If the tornado families were properly split, and if all minor ones were identified, the total would still not reach 100 tornadoes. A single-day total of over 100 tornadoes is known to have occurred only once, on April 3, 1974. It may also have been reached on May 20, 1949.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 624)

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1320 1k 40inj 100y 10m F2 FORSYTH–Moved NE near Cumming. At least 20 homes were damaged or destroyed. The funnel was “hour-glass” shaped, and it “leveled everything”.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 624)

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1330 Ok 5inj 100y 25m F2 MUSCOGEE/TALBOT — Skipped NE from the east edge of Columbus to near Geneva. This event was probably two separate tornadoes. Damage in the Columbus area totaled $85,000, most of it to railroad property and warehouses. Most of the damage in Talbot County was to homes. One death at Columbus was downburst-related.”

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1330 k 2inj…F2 HARALSON — Moved NE, passing north of Tallapoosa. Several homes were destroyed. Some deaths were rumored….

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1400 22k 100inj 1500y 40m F4 BARTOW/CHEROKEE /PICKENS /DAWSON — Moved NE from south of Cartersville to NW Dawson County. The Haralson County event re-formed south of Cartersville. F4 activity began further to the NE near Waleska. In this area, three children were killed as they hid from the storm in an old house. They had been let out of school early because of the approaching storm. The majority of the deaths occurred south of Jasper, Pickens County, near the towns of Cagle and Tate, where home after home was leveled and swept away. Many of these homes were large and belonged to prominent families. The tornado, and other associated winds, produced a swath through the forests and farms of up to three miles wide, snapping and uprooting every tree, and leveling every farm in a 15-mile-long section of the path. Bodies were carried up to a half mile. In Jasper, “windows rattled and houses shook” and it was seen passing 3m S of Jasper. The tornado dissipated on the slopes of Mt. Oglethorpe in western Dawson County. It was estimated that this tornado or tornado/downburst combination leveled over 50 square miles of forest….

“AL-GA FEB 19, 1884 1430 30k 100inj 400y 35m F4 CALHOUN/CHEROKEE, AL/FLOYD, GA …. Four…deaths occurred north of the town of Cave Spring, Georgia, shortly before the funnel dissipated. In that area, all deaths were in larger homes, several of which were swept completely away….

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1530 2k 30inj 300y 30m F2 BUTTS/JASPER/PUTNAM/GREENE—Moved ENE from near Indian Springs to lm N of Monticello and Smithboro. The path was a half mile wide. Dozens of tenant homes were destroyed. Many of the injuries were serious, but only two people were killed, both in Butts County. The last damage was in extreme southern Greene County. The death of a woman, hit by a tree in Putnam County, cannot be directly related to the tornado.

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1530 2k 35inj 500y f50m F3 GWINNETT/BARROW/JACKSON/ MADISON — This tornado family moved ENE from east of Doraville. Buildings were blown down at Doraville, DeKalb County, but the “column of moving smoke” was not sighted until north of Lawrenceville. A boarding house on the railroad, south of Harmony Grove, Jackson County, was destroyed, and two women were killed. Passing 4m S of Jefferson, the tornado leveled farm homes north of Planter and at Hix, and miles of forest.

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1530 lk 30inj 400y 20m F2 HEARD/COWETA [Counties] — As many as three separate tornadoes struck these counties. Descriptions of the tornadoes and their damage can be found, but no accurate positions and times were given. All three were probably F2 or greater intensity. This event ended north of Newton, and may have killed five or more people.

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1530 2k 20inj 300y 25m F3 HALL/BANKS/HABERSHAM/STEPHENS — Moved NE from NW of Lula, passing 3m S of Mt. Airy, and ending about 3m S of Toccoa. Miles of forest were flattened, as “a swath was left on one hillside after another.” The passage south of Mt. Airy sounded like “a thousand freight trains” as it leveled one home, killing two, possibly three, of the occupants and injuring five others in Banks County. At least 14 homes were destroyed in all.

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1600 8k 50inj 400y 30m F3 JASPER/PUTNAM/HANCOCK–Moved ENE from Hillsboro, passing 6m SE of Eatonton. The only confirmed deaths are from the Humber plantation [Putnam County]. Colonel Humber was injured and a woman was killed. She was passing by and ran to the house for shelter. At least seven tenants died and rumors put 10 or more deaths elsewhere along the path. More attention was paid, in the press, to the leg injury of the Colonel than to the deaths of sharecroppers.

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1615 12k 50inj 200y 30m F3 MONROE/JONES/BALDWIN — Moved ENE from Maynard, in SE Monroe County, to NW of Milledgeville. Large and small homes alike were swept away at “Blountsville,” which was NW of Haddock. Eleven people died there, as did one other person near Clinton. Twelve others were rumored dead at Haddock, but these may have been duplicate listings of the Blountsville deaths. A mother and four children were among those killed.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 625)

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1700 2k 15inj 200y…F3 HANCOCK/WARREN/MCDUFFIE/ COLUMBIA — What was probably a family of tornadoes passed north of Sparta, only 200 yards from the path of the 1875 tornado. Plantations were hit 3m N of Mayfield. A child was killed north of Camak [Warren County]. On one plantation, a man was killed in a tenant home, 4m N of Thomson, and the wife of the “overseer” and the wife of owner may have died….

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1730 7k 40inj 600y 20m F2 WILKES/LINCOLN—Moved ENE from 5m S of Washington, passing lm S of Lincolnton. At least five tenants died on the Warner Plantation, and two on the Ransom plantation. Most victims were children. Some press reports quoted rumors of death totals as high as 20. All deaths were in Lincoln County….

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1800 4k 30inj 500y 35m F3 WASHINGTON/JEFFERSON—This event was probably a tornado family. Much of the “mile-wide swath” across Jefferson County was probably downburst related. In Washington County, two people were killed south of Tennille and two others at Davisboro. Damage at Davisboro was $100,000 as every store was destroyed and goods were “scattered for miles.” Thirty homes and stores were destroyed. One merchant’s record book was carried for 52 miles….

“GA FEB 19, 1884 1900 lk 4inj…35m F2 JOHNSON/EMANUEL/JENKINS–Skipped ENE from south of Wrightsville to Herndon. There were probably at least two separate small tornadoes. One person was killed in a tenant home, south of Wrightsville.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 626.)

Kentucky

NWS: “Counties: Nelson, Spencer

F-scale: F2
Deaths: 1
Injuries: 30
Path width: 200 yards
Path length: 9 miles
Time: 4:30 pm

“Narrative: Moved east from south of High Grove, to seven miles west of Fairfield, to two miles east of Fairfield. A man was killed in a tobacco barn, and thirty people were injured in the High Grove area as at least six homes were destroyed. The funnel may have been aloft over Fairfield. This tornado was part of the “Enigma Outbreak”, when sixty tornadoes swept through the southeast United States.” (National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Louisville, KY. “February 19, 1884.” Jan 2, 2010 modification.)

Grazulis: “KY FEB 19, 1884 1630 lk 30inj 200y 9m F2 NELSON/SPENCER — Moved E from south of High Grove, to 7m W of Fairfield, to 2m E of Fairfield. A man was killed in a tobacco barn, and 30 people were injured in the High Grove area as at least six homes were destroyed. The funnel may have been aloft over Fairfield.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, pp. 625-626.)

Mississippi

Grazulis: “MS-AL FEB 19, 1884 1130 1k 20inj 300y 25m F2 LOWNDES,MS / PICKENS, AL–Moved ENE from 5m NE of Crawford, passing 8m S of Columbus. Tenant homes were leveled on several plantations. At least one woman was killed in Mississippi. The tornado crossed into Alabama 15m NW of Carrollton, but no damage details are available….” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes. 1993, p. 624.)

North Carolina — Chronological

Feb 21: “Raleigh, N.C., Feb. 21 – The recent hurricane surpasses anything of the kind in the history of the country. There were three electric storms in the midst of the general storm. One of these at 9 o’clock swept just north of here in Wake county, near Cary….South of here from fifty to 100 miles the storm was most furious. The sky appeared to be on fire. The velocity of the wind was sixty to 100 miles an hour. The storm entered the state from South Carolina, having at Darlington, S.S., killed four men. Telegraph wires were prostrated, and trains nearly blown off the track…Great trees, among them the largest oaks and pines, were swept way like straws. The air was full of flying debris. Hail fell continuously, stones accurately measured being two and a half by one and a half inches. The track of the storm is marked by utter devastation. Leaving Polkton, it passed in an easterly direction, crossing the Carolina Central railroad two miles west of Rockingham, and then in all its fury struck that town. Rockingham has a population of about 1,000 and is a prominent station on the line of the Carolina Central railroad, a hundred miles from Raleigh, and near the South Carolina line. Just at 9 o’clock the storm struck the town and in a moment had wrecked nearly all houses in the northern suburbs. The people, not suspecting such a catastrophe, were caught in their houses and twenty-three instantly killed…” (Janesville Daily Gazette, WI. “Details of the Frightful Ruin in the South,” Feb 21, 1884, p. 1.)

Feb 21: “Raleigh, N.C., Feb 21 – The number of lives lost in North Carolina by the cyclone was about fifty and an equal number were wounded. Much property was destroyed.” (Davenport Daily Gazette, IA. “Fifty Lives Lost in North Carolina.” Feb 22, 1884, p. 2.

Feb 22: “The storm of last Tuesday night was terrific along the line of the Carolina Central Railroad in this State. Near Rockingham, Richmond county, it struck a settlement called Philadelphia, populated principally by negroes, killed 23 people and wounded 18, some of whom will die. It destroyed McDonald’s Mills, carrying millstones fifty yards.

“Near Polkton a man and his wife, lying in a farm house, had their house blown away. The woman was killed and the man caught in the timbers and badly wounded.

“Reports from Lilesville say that several negroes were killed ten miles from that place. Among the dead found was a mother with a babe clasped to her breast, whom the wind had carried to a swamp.

“The storm center passed in an easterly direction from Rockingham, between Keyser and Manly, destroying everything in its path.

“Reports from Lillington, Harnett county, say six dead bodies were found in the path of the storm near there.

“In Johnston county great damage was done.

“At Darlington, S.C., four persons were killed.

“In Rockingham all business is suspended. The dead and wounded are being brought into the court house. Search is being constantly made for victims of the great disaster. There are all sorts of rumors about deaths caused by the storm in Harnett, Moore, part of Cumberland and Anson.

“The Raleigh News and Observer, from which the above facts are gathered, says it will be a week ere all the sad returns are in. It is probable that the loss of life at points off the railroad is great. All the fresh news is of death and disaster. In Union, Anson, Montgomery, Stanley, Richmond, Moore, Robeson, Cumberland, Harnett, Johnston and Sampson it is thought the bulk of the damage has been done.

“In Georgia and South Carolina the cyclone was even more fearful than in this State. It is estimated that in the former State 200 lives were lost, 5,000 houses and $1,000,000 worth of property destroyed.” (Landmark, Statesville NC. “A Destructive Storm.” 2-22-1884, p. 2.)

Feb 24: “Last Tuesday night we had a regular Western cyclone, accompanied by large hail, lightning and thunder. My barn was blown down to the joists. Some of the logs, 10 inches square and 32 feet long, together with the roof were blown to a considerable distance…” (Landmark, Statesville, NC. Feb 29, 1884, p. 2.)

March 7: “….In Johnson County, N, C., D H. Jones’ family were all injured and his house blown hundreds of yards. His daughter fled as tho house gave way, leaving her infant asleep in a crib. All of the house save the ground floor was wrecked. The little child was found asleep uninjured, though the railing of tho crib was carried 200 yards. A wagon was blown some distance and lodged in a tree-top.

“In Harnett County, North Carolina, a mother and child wore blown into a swamp and killed. In the same swamp a baby was found half dead with cold and it soon died. The wounds of the dead in this locality are described as most horrible. Heads were crushed flat, immense splinters driven through bodies, others were impaled on broken trees, forced into piles of logs, or had their intestines torn out. John Dalkin, near Rockingham, N. C., was found dead with a piece of splintered timber as large as a man’s leg piercing his abdomen. McDonald’s saw and grist mills were scattered like chaff, the mill-stones even being taken up and carried several yards. A carriageway or slip, composed of two large sills, 12×14 inches and about thirty feet long, and pinned together, was taken, up and carried across the pond, with a carriage which was on it. A lightwood log, 2 feet in diameter and 20 feet long, was caught up from the ground and carried several feet. Birds and poultry were stripped of their feathers and killed. Cows, hogs, cats, and even rats and mice, were destroyed. A young lady, when the house began to rock, ran out, and was instantly killed by being pierced through by a fence rail. The scene of the disaster about Rockingham is said by those who witnessed it to have been worse than a battlefield. After the wind had passed the rain fell in torrents; when the rain had nearly ceased hailstones of extraordinary size fell in great quantities. Horses, mules, and cattle were killed by scores.” (Northern Vindicator, Estherville, IA. “Worst on Record.” 3-7-1884, p. 6.)

March 14: “Among other incidents of the late cyclone in Montgomery county, the Troy Star says Mrs. Polly Crawford, aged 80 years, was lifted out of her bed among the ruins of her dwelling and blown 300 feet, amidst shingles, timber, stones, hail, &c., and yet escaped unhurt. A sad scene was that at the house of James Boyd, who with his wife was crushed to death, while beside their bodies five little children, unhurt, shivered with fear and cold. One of the little girls told the rescuers the next day that her ‘papa talked very prettily before he died’.” (The Landmark, Statesville, NC. March 14, 1884, p. 1.)

March 21: “Richmond county court house continues to be used as a hospital for the wounded by the cyclone, several of them being so injured that they cannot be removed.” (The Landmark, Statesville, NC. “State News.” March 21, 1884, p. 5.)

Grazulis – 1995

“NC FEB 19, 1884 2000 4k 50inj 400y 45m F3 Union/Anson/Richmond/Montgomery –Moved NE from Beaver Dam, 10m SE of Monroe, to “Sulphur Springs.” At least 15 plantations had severe damage. Several people were hurt along Beaver Dam Creek. Two died near Polkton in a “mansion.” Two died in one of 28 tenant homes destroyed on one plantation. Other homes were destroyed near Mangum, Richmond County, and near the end of the path, 2m S of Sulphur Springs, in SE Montgomery County.

“NC FEB 19, 1884 2100 lk 25inj y 30m F2 CABARRUS/STANLY/MONTGOMERY—Moved ENE from extreme south Cabarrus County, striking Pioneer Mills and passing 2m S of Albemarle. At least one person was killed and 20 were injured in small homes at Pioneer Mills, and six people were injured in two large homes that were torn apart. The last damage was 7m W of Troy.

“NC FEB 19, 1884 2130 23k 100inj 500y 50m F4 ANSON/RICHMOND/MOORE/ HARNETT—Moved NE from south of Pee Dee to near Johnsonville. Two people were killed in the Pee Dee area. The village of Philadelphia was obliterated. At least 60 homes were destroyed along the path, 25 of them in the town of Philadelphia, where at least 15 people were killed. Only “fragments remained of the houses and cabins” in that railroad community. There were no follow- up reports on the injured.

“NC FEB 19, 1884 2200 1k 5 inj…6m F2 WAKE–Moved NE near Cary, in the western part of the county. Several homes were destroyed. This tornado formed in the first of three thunderstorm cells that passed across the county. A man was killed and his brother severely injured at Rogers Crossroads, and tenant homes were destroyed at Cary. The funnel cloud was reportedly seen in the brilliant lightning.

“NC FEB 19, 1884 2300 2k 20inj 400y 10m F2 HARNETT/JOHNSON—Moved NE from 5m NE of Lillington. Two children died in Johnson County, and there were rumors of four more deaths. At least five farm houses were destroyed. Some were tenant homes.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.)

South Carolina

Feb 21: “Columbus, S.C., Feb 21. – South Carolina was visited by one of the most destructive cyclones that have ever occurred in this section. The tornado entered the state from a northeasterly direction, and Chester was the first town struck; great damage done, and six or eight people severely injured. Towards midnight the town of Darlington was attacked by the resistless cyclone, and great destruction of property and loss of life followed. Six persons were killed outright, and at least twenty others injured….

“At Jackson Station, S.C. nearly every structure was blown away….At Bradley twenty-five houses were demolished, and Dr. Ligon’s whole family of nine persons perished beneath a church in which they had taken refuge.” (Janesville Daily Gazette, WI. “Details of the Frightful Ruin in the South,” Feb 21, 1884, p. 1.)

Grazulis: “SC FEB 19, 1884 1630 Ok 6inj…F2 SPARTANBURG — Moved NE between Glenn Springs and Pacolet. One large home was unroofed. Small homes and barns were destroyed. There were reports of tens of thousands of dollars in damage across Pickens, Greenville and other counties, all the way to Charlotte, North Carolina, but it may have been downburst-type damage.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 625.)

“SC FEB 19, 1884 1730 2k 20inj 400y 10m F3 ANDERSON—A multiple vortex tornado moved ENE, passing 4m S of Anderson. At least one man died as a dozen or more small homes were destroyed at the Master’s Mill community, 5m SW of Anderson. Larger homes were destroyed south of town, and a child was killed when a tenant home was blown apart SE of Anderson….

“SC FEB 19, 1884 1815 3k l0inj 200y f40m F2 FAIRFIELD/CHESTER/LANCASTER –Moved NE from south of Shelton to 2m S of Lancaster. Two people were killed at Woodward Station in Fairfield County. A child died at the south edge of Lancaster. There was damage near Halsellville. This thunderstorm cell may have produced small tornadoes all the way to the North Carolina border. Another possible tornado killed a person in a tenant home, 5m S of Chester.

“SC FEB 19, 1884 1830 5k 30inj 400y 35m F2 GREENWOOD/NEWBERRY–Moved ENE from Phoenix to Chappells to Silverstreet. This event destroyed buildings on about a dozen plantations. Three deaths were in tenant homes. A large home was torn apart, south of Ninety Six. The home caught fire, killing a girl who was trapped. All buildings and railroad cars at Chappells were damaged or destroyed. A man died in the railroad depot.

“SC FEB 19, 1884 1830 2k 15inj 400y 25m F2 NEWBERRY/FAIRFIELD—From the east edge of Newberry County to White Oak. Two people were injured in a home in eastern Newberry Co, and hundreds of acres of forest were reported as “totally leveled” near the Broad River. Two people were killed in tenant homes near White Oak….

“GA-SC FEB 19, 1884 1900 5k 30inj 200y 20m F2 BURKE/RICHMOND,GA /AIKEN,SC—Moved ENE from McBean Depot in Georgia, to Jackson, South Carolina. A woman was killed at Jackson, and four other people were killed in tenant homes on plantations outside of town. In places, the track was only 100 yards from the path of the 1875 tornado. Most of the buildings in Jackson were damaged to some degree. Only one injury was reported in Georgia….

“SC FEB 19, 1884 2325 6k 50inj 150y 5m F3 DARLINGTON—Moved NE on the south edge of Darlington. The tornado missed the downtown area by about a half mile. Five large homes and 25 small ones were destroyed. As many as 10 people may have eventually died. An elderly couple was killed, and their home was reportedly “scattered for many miles”.”

“SC FEB 20, 1884 0200 4k l0inj 600y 10m F2 CLARENDON/WILLIAMSBURG — Moved ENE, passing south of Foreston and 4m N of Lane. The worst damage was south of Foreston, Clarendon County, where a half dozen homes were destroyed. Two children were killed by a falling chimney in one home. A man and another child were killed in separate homes. This cell may have spawned an earlier tornado, destroying five homes south of Branchville, Orangeburg County.” (Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 626.)

Sources

Agee, Ernest M. and Tomio Asai. Cloud Dynamics: Proceedings of a Symposium Held at the Third General Assembly of the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics, Hamburg, West Germany, 17-28 August, 1981. Springer, 1982. Google preview at: http://books.google.com/books?id=gobh8VMiobYC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Carroll Free Press, Carrollton, GA. “Tuesday’s Storm.” 2-22-1884, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=116946000

Davenport Daily Gazette, IA. “Fifty Lives Lost in North Carolina.” 2-22-1884, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=16679577

Davis, William Morris. Elementary Meteorology. Boston: Ginn & Co., Publishers, 1898. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=OtYEAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Decatur Review, IL. “Dire Scenes of Death.” 2-23-1884, p. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=18801560

Finley, John P., Lt. Signal Corps, U.S. Army. Tornadoes: What They Are, and how to Escape Them. Washington: J.H. Soule, 1888. Digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=9NoPAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Fort Wayne Daily Gazette, IN. “The Cyclone’s Path,” 2-22-1884. Accessed at: http://www.tornadoarchive.com/viewer.aspx?img=43615488&search=tornado

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993, 1,326 pages.

History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, February 19, 1884. “Tornadoes Strike the Southeast.” Accessed 12-6-2008 at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&displayDate=02/19&categoryId=disaster

Janesville Daily Gazette, WI. “Details of the Frightful Ruin in the South,” 2-21-1884, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=53342216

Levine, Mark. F5: Devastation, Survival, and the Most Violent Tornado Outbreak of the Twentieth Century. New York: Miramax Books, 2007.

Ludlum, David M. The American Weather Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1982.

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Louisville, KY. “February 19, 1884.” Accessed at: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=tornado_climatology_february191884

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI. Famous Large Tornado Outbreaks in the United States. NWS, NOAA, DOC. November 2, 2005 modification. Accessed at: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mkx/climate/torout.php

New York Times. “The Cyclone’s Ravages.” 2-21-1884. Accessed at: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B07EFDC1238E033A25752C2A9649C94659FD7CF

New York Times. “The Southern Cyclone; Further Details of the Storm’s Destructive Work,” 2-22-1884, 1. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9406E6DB1238E033A25751C2A9649C94659FD7CF

Northern Vindicator, Estherville, IA. “Worst on Record. The Terrible Destructiveness of the Recent Tornado in the Southern States. Six Hundred Lives…Destroyed.” 3-7-1884, p. 6. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=136817367

Ohio Democrat, New Philadelphia, OH. “The Wind’s Devastation.” 2-28-1884, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=6391609

Reno Evening Gazette, NV. “A Murderous Cyclone.” 2-20-1884, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=1045036&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=29&currentPage=0&fpo=False#

Root, Clarence J. “Some Outstanding Tornadoes.” Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 54, Feb. 1926, 58-60. Accessed at: http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/054/mwr-054-02-0058.pdf

Rosenfeld, Jeffery. Eye of the Storm: Inside the World’s Deadliest Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and Blizzards. Basic Books, 2003. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=4H0IeN8OT44C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Stevens, Welby R. “Tornadoes in Alabama,” Monthly Weather Review, October 1925, pp. 437-443. Accessed at: http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/053/mwr-053-10-0437.pdf

The Landmark, Statesville, NC. “A Destructive Storm.” 2-22-1884, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=2201557&currentResult=19&src=search#

The Landmark, Statesville, NC. “Congressional Summary.” 3-7-1884, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=2201748

Wikipedia. “Enigma Tornado Outbreak.” 2-28-2011 modification. Accessed 5-4-2011 at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enigma_tornado_outbreak

[1] We do not use 1,200 as the high end of our death tally in that the highest number we could derive on our own was 616. This number includes newspaper reporting, which might not be reliable. The next highest death toll number we have seen is 420, noted by Agee as well as the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI.

[2] The “1000s” noted as the high-end of the death range here, is not used — not substantiated.

[3] Grazulis notes this range of fatalities as the type of “exaggerated” report that can be found in early reporting.

[4] “…the first notable American tornado contagion struck on February 19, 1884, when sixty of them barraged eight states, from Virginia to Kentucky, killing 800 and taking down 15,000 homes.

[5] In that our range of 174-494 includes, at the high-end, newspaper reporting that may be inaccurate we choose to use, as the high-end of the estimate shown, the numbr used by Agee and the National Weather Service weather Forecast Office, Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI. We use 178 as the low-end of the death toll range because we choose to rely on Grazulis who, in our estimation, is conservative.

[6] Grazulis at p. 624: “Early estimates put the death toll for the entire outbreak at from 370 to 2000. These exaggerated totals still appear in books and articles today. A careful death count done by the Army Signal Corps in 1889 indicated a death toll of 182 people. The Tornado Project counted 178 deaths in 1985. No sizable town sustained a direct hit on February 19^th, and most of the dead were rural sharecroppers.”

[7] Table 4.7 (revised) Outbreaks with 40 or more Recorded Tornadoes, 1880-1995.”

[8] Not used as high-end of our death toll — newspaper account of the time not substantiated elsewhere.

[9] “3” is just our stand-in number based upon the statement in this NYT article that “At Amberson [Birmingham suburb at the time] the loss of life, though not fully ascertained, is said to have been frightful.”

[10] Wikipedia specified Cumming with Forsyth.

[11] Highlighted in yellow to denote that we do not use. We have seen no substantiation of this report, which may have originated in Atlanta concerning fatalities elsewhere in the State. In any event we are unaware of fatalities in Atlanta and are not using these 50 reported deaths in our tally.

[12] The range of 4-5 is based on four reported deaths and the note that “Mrs. Nash is also at the point of death.” We are adding her as a fatality in the high range but not the low range.

[13] Grazulis notes seven definite fatalities, and “press reports quoted rumors of death totals as high as 20.”

[14] Two children killed and ‘a third one is missing,” thus our range of 2-3.

[15] “3” is our stand-in estimate based upon the statement “Thirteen other negroes are injured, some fatally.” Assuming this statement to be accurate, then we “translate” the note that “some” were fatally injured to the number “3”, and add it to our high estimate but not the low estimate.

[16] From our reading of this NYT article it appears that the Ransom Place was near Lincolnton in Lincoln County. If not, then we do not which locality to attribute the Sam Ransom Place deaths.

[17] Grazulis notes one definite fatality, which is counted in his tabulation. He also note two other people who “may have died,” whom he does not count.

[18] We use the number “3” as a stand-in from the note that two ladies died of “nervous prostration caused by the storm…,” as well as the statement that “…many lives were lost…” in the county.

[19] The figure of 19 is ours. Grazulis notes 22 fatalities for this tornado and further states that three were children near Waleska (Cherokee County). This leaves 18, presumably in the these other identified communities.

[20] Grazulis notes “The death of a woman, hit by a tree in Putnam County, cannot be directly related to the tornado.” We are less fastidious in separating direct tornado deaths from other storm-related deaths.

[21] Grazulis notes “rumors put 10 or more deaths…along the path” of the tornado, but does not include these deaths in his compilation. Presumably these are the fatalities the NYT refers to as in the county in its 2-21-1884 article.

[22] This NYT article refers to Fennile, which we can find no record. We are guessing that Tennille was meant.

[23] Meaning that the NYT reports the storm system, if not a tornado (unclear from the reading) passed through. Fatalities, though, are not mentioned.

[24] Not used as high-end of death toll — no breakouts and not substantiated by other sources.

[25] The high estimate includes the three children rumored to been “blown away” with “no trances’ in a house in Monroe that was “demolished,” as noted in NYT. “The Southern Cyclone.” 2-22-1884, p. 1.

[26] We use “3” as a stand-in for the note that “…several…were killed…”

[27] We use “3” as a stand-in for the note that “…several…were killed…”

[28] We use “3” as a stand-in for the note that “…several persons were killed…”

[29] From Hamlet, near the S.C. border to Cary, near the center of the State, in a southeasterly direction is approximately 90 miles. Hamlet is near Rockingham (to the north-west), concerning which, the Reno Gazette on Feb 20, 1884 reported 15-30 deaths. It may be these two papers are reporting on the same event and its toll. Due to this possibility we are not using the Reno Gazette numbers in our tally.

[30] The NYT notes that this represents the first wagon-load of bodies and that there were others yet to be uncovered prior to the departure of the train bearing news of eleven fatalities.

[31] Not used in my estimate of fatalities – have not been able to corroborate.

[32] We choose to use Grazulis for the low-end of our range. In that other reporting we cite derives an estimate of 49 as the number of deaths, we use this number for the high-end of the death toll.

[33] Not used as high-end of fatality count — newspaper report which we have not been able to substantiate.

[34] Ibid.

[35] There is a “Phoenix” in Greenwood County, to which this may well be a reference. We are unaware of a “Phenix” in S.C. If this is a Greenwood County reference, Grazulis writes that there were five fatalities there.

[36] Not included in our tally in that we are not told if the family was killed, not, if so, how many died.

[37] No. 2 out of 27 noted on this NWS web-page.

[38] Cites: Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films.

[39] Cites: Grazulis 1993.

[40] Cites: New York Times, Feb 21, 1884.

[41] Cites: New York Times, Feb 21, 1884.

[42] Cites: New York Times, New York. February 21, 1884.

[43] The (Statesville) Landmark, Statesville North Carolina. February, 22 1884.

[44] Finley, John P. Tornadoes: What They Are and How To Observe Them; With Practical Suggestions For The Protection of Life and Property, pages 98–103. The Insurance Monitor, New York, NY, 1887.