March 15, 1899 Jefferson County Tornado 

From Age-Herald, Birmingham, Alabama, March 16, 1899, pg. 3:

Early Morning Cyclone Laid Waste Much Property In Suburbs Of Birmingham

Twenty-Five Houses Almost Entirely Demolished.

Two Negro Churches Razed

Mrs. Johnston, an Aged Widow, Seriously Injured.

This Was The Only Casualty

Track of the Storm was From Sloss Furnace Through Avondale

and Phillips Addition – Many Miraculous Escapes.

A cyclone struck the eastern section of Jones Valley yesterday morning shortly before 5 o’clock, and wrought a great deal of destruction in the populous suburbs of Avondale, Phillips’ Addition and Woodlawn. It began its wild career in the neighborhood of the Sloss furnace, and continued east past the Alabama Great Southern shops. It crossed the East Lake car line near the big Avondale cotton mills, and on through the outskirts of Avondale and Phillips’ Addition and Woodlawn, leaving uprooted trees and wrecked houses in its path. It course was from fifty to one hundred feet wide, and although it was unusually narrow, nearly every tree, house, fence or out-house which was so unfortunate as to be situated in its fatal path, was razed to the ground. Beyond Woodlawn the wind demon seemed to have spent its fury, for only a few fences and out-houses were torn up. It can be traced, however, for a mile or two further.

             The miraculous feature of the cyclone is that there were so few accidents. Mrs. Annie Johnson, an aged widow who lives in Avondale, had her house blown down over her, and the doctors think that she is fatally injured. Other than this accident no one was hurt except for a few bruises and scratches. In all, there were two negro churches and between twenty and twenty-five dwelling houses torn down or lifted off their foundations. This does not include barns, stables, out-houses and fences. As most of the houses struck were negro cabins, the loss will not amount to as much as it would appear. Ten thousand dollars will probably cover it. Very few of the houses were insured, and those that were had no cyclone clauses in their policies, so it is understood.

What Cyclone Did While In Avondale

Two Negro Churches, One Methodist and Other Baptist,

Totally Demolished, Numerous Dwellings Destroyed.

The cyclone seemed to have originated near Sloss furnace, for the first damage reported was that the roof of one of the stock houses was torn off and thrown down where a number of men were at work, but fortunately all of them escaped injury. The damage is estimated at about $200 or $300. It didn’t seem to strike the main building of the cotton mill, nor any of the employees’ houses in its rear, but an old laundry had its roof torn off.

             About 200 feet from the mill the St. James tabernacle, a colored Methodist church, was entirely demolished, and the only part of it remaining in place were a few benches which were nailed to the floor. The building with all its furniture was valued at about a thousand dollars.

             A hundred yards beyond the church the cyclone struck the pretty dwelling of W.A. Ellard. The house was lifted several feet off the ground and then dropped about ten feet from its original position. Although none of the walls fell in, the whole frame is badly out of shape and will have to be rebuilt. All of the contents of the house were thrown helter skelter, but none of Mr. Ellard’s family were hurt. His damage is estimated at about $200.

             The cyclone continued its course almost directly up the Fifth avenue macadamized road, running just to the south of it. Several hundred yards from Mr. Ellard’s house it struck a group of homes, which were razed to the ground. The first one was occupied by Annie Reed, colored. The damage to the house was about $100. Nearby was an old store house, but at the time occupied by Mrs. Annie Johnson, white, an aged widow.

Only Serious Accident

Here occurred the most serious accident of the whole morning. Mrs. Johnson’s house was torn down from over her, and all of the lumber piled directly on top of her body. As soon afterward as possible, her neighbors removed the debris from off her, but in doing so, walked all over the lumber under which she was buried, before they discovered that they were only increasing the weight on her. She was finally gotten out, and taken to the house of a neighbor, where every attention was given her. Dr. Martin was called, and after examining her, he said that she was in a very critical condition. Her house was valued at about $100.

             Across the street from Mrs. Johnson’s house, was the Hominy Street Baptist church, colored. Kindling wood is the best use to which the building can be put now, for it was totally destroyed. The loss was about $500.

             On either side of the church were two small negro houses, one of them having ten occupants and the other eight. Although both houses shared the fate of the church, not a one of the eighteen negroes was injured. One of the houses was owned and occupied by a plasterer named Threadguild. His house was valued at about $200.

             A short distance beyond the church was situated the residence of Mrs. A.M. Means, who, with her daughter, was in the house at the time. It was lifted off its pillars and shoved three or four feet nearer the front gate, while the whole front of the house and one half of the roof was taken off most cleverly. Mrs. Means’ household effects were in a horribly bemuddled state yesterday morning.

Almost Wiped Out Phillips Addition

Fritchman’s Beer Garden Struck – A House Turned Over and All the Occupants Were Piled in a Corner.

Having finished with Avondale, the cyclone continued its insatiate quest for houses along the Fifth avenue road toward Phillips Addition. On the way it struck Fritchman’s beer gardens, and tore down a pavilion and a number of fences. Beyond Fritchman's the roof of Will James’ house was carried away. A two-story dwelling house occupied by George Black was twisted out of shape and lifted from its foundation. The house of Walter Jones, colored, was lifted about eight feet away from its original position.

             Nearby the blacksmith shop of J.M. Woods, had its roof torn off, and was carried several hundred yards on by the furious wind. The residence of E. Birchenough was badly damaged and his new office torn from its foundations. Several other houses nearby, for which Mr. Birchenough was agent, were wrecked.

             One of them, occupied by Willis Jackson, colored, was lifted bodily from its foundations and turned over on its side. Jackson and his family were sleeping in the house at the time, and were all dropped in a pile on what had formerly been one of the sides of the house. Notwithstanding their fall, and all the bricks and timber that was flying through the room, none of the numerous members of the family were injured beyond a few bruises.

             The cyclone continued its course, tearing up nearly every tree in its path, as it had been doing ever since it began. At the house of J.W. Hudgkins, the wind played a curious prank. He and several other members of his family were sleeping in the house, when all of a sudden the whole building, including the roof and sides, was lifted up and thrown fifty feet away, leaving the family lying in their beds in a terrible downpour of rain and hail. A piece of timber bruised the arm of Arthur Hudgkins, but otherwise the family was uninjured. A sad sight was witnessed yesterday morning when a fine dog, the pet of the family, was pulled out from under the house, stone dead. A rafter had fallen across his neck and broken it. The children felt almost as if it was a member of the family that had been killed. The loss on the Hudgkins’ house amounted to about $300.

             Next door to the Hudgkins’ house, the dwelling of H. Van Valkenberg was twisted all out of shape, and it will require some $300 to put it in shape again.

             “What the cyclone did to Phillips’ Addition was a plenty,” was the forceful way in which one of its citizens expressed it yesterday.

  Finished Its Wild Career At Woodlawn

Several Hundred Dollars Damage Done to Lindsay’s Greenhouses –

Two or Three Houses Unsettled – The End.

Several hundred yards further on the cyclone got in its work on Woodlawn, its first victim being the Lindsay greenhouses, owned by W.L. Lindsay. His residence was not touched, nor, for a wonder, the big water tower which he has in his yard. It did, however, strike one of the fine new greenhouses, and succeeded in ripping off of its top nearly every frame of glass. A great many of the delicate plants on the inside were destroyed, though it was not so bad in this respect as it would have been had the weather been cold. Mr. Lindsay’s loss will amount to between $500 and $1,000.

             Beyond the greenhouses was a dwelling owned by Mr. Lindsay, and occupied by Cliff Foster and his wife. The house was not destroyed, but was lifted off its pillars, and damaged to the extent of several hundred dollars. On one side of the house a piece of flooring, which the wind had picked up in its course, was driven with great force through the wall, and could be seen yesterday morning sticking through the house like a huge arrow. Next door was the residence of C.B. Franklin, which the wind struck amidships and lifted it from its moorings. His damage can be repaired for a hundred dollars or so.

             At the house of A. Speaker, just where the Fifth avenue road and the Traction company’s car line meet, the cyclone seems to have spent itself. It shook up Mr. Speaker’s house pretty badly, but didn’t tear it down. Beyond his house there was no serious damage done, only an occasional fence or outhouse being overturned.

Clearing Off Wreckage

Many of the Houses Were All on Earth Their Occupants Possessed.

Eye-witnesses of the cyclone say that it was a terrible sight. Everywhere it touched there was almost a total destruction of property, and the terror of the people who occupied the houses, especially of the women and children, was frightful. Their cries were easily discernible, it is said, even when the cyclone was at its height. But all of them except one had providential escapes, and their fears gradually disappeared as the rain subsided. After the storm the beautiful calm came, for in an hour or two the warm sun burst forth from behind the clouds.

             A busy sight was witnessed all along the path of the cyclone yesterday morning. Each wrecked house had a group of neighbors whose houses had escaped and other spectators around it, and were busily at work among the wreckage were all the members of the family, picking out what was left of their household effects. They were assorted out and taken to the house of some neighbor who had a roof over his head, there to await the building of a new home or the removal to another one.

             It was a sad sight. All of the houses, though small in value, represented all their occupants possessed, and it was with a very serious face that most of the fathers were working yesterday. While many of the houses were occupied by tenants, a number were owned by the families who lived in them – men who had been saving up for years, and had invested their small savings in homes for their families. It was a pathetic sight in many instances.