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Editor's Notes
The Millers Ferry storm wasn't the only one to hit neighboring Wilcox County. One of the worst of the 20th century occurred in 1913. People would talk about the Lower Peach Tree "Cyclone" for decades. Even decades later, Peach Tree residents would watch the sky in fear whenever a dark cloud formed. Twenty-eight people were killed by the storm of March 21, 1913 and many more injured. A large number of homes, churches and businesses were destroyed in the Wilcox County town just across the Clarke County line. Among the businesses lost were a gin, stores, post office, sawmill and others. The storm claimed a mother, Mrs. L. D. Bryant, and four of her children. The Peach Tree Cemetery contains many of the graves of those killed. The victims can be found by the common death date of March 21, 1913. The March 27, 1913 Democrat said that even the brick pillars of one home were carried away. Huge oaks were broken off at the ground or uprooted, rose bushes and shrubs were twisted off at the ground and chickens were robbed of their feathers. Pieces of tin were driven into trees. "A sofa pillow was carried from the Bryant home [which was totally destroyed] to Canton Bend, about twenty miles in the path of the cyclone, and a piece of iron roofing about ten feet long, bearing the name of J. W. Cooper, was found in Canton Bend. Human tongue cannnot express nor human mind even contemplate the velocity or force of so terrible a wind." This was the first such detailed report of a killer storm in the county seat newspaper. The detailed account may have helped make the storm legendary. "From a hill at Nettleboro about seven miles away one can look down at the wake of the tornado and see the few remaining homes of Peach Tree, and from the lower town as far as eye can see there is no sign of diminished destruction," the newspaper observed. The newspaper said a conservative estimate of the loss in residences in Peach Tree alone was $75,000 while the loss in timber and other property from Fulton to the Alabama River would top $250,000. Homes between Fulton and Nettleboro were destroyed including a Mr. Stifflemire's, Coly Etheredge's, a Mr. Skipper's and a Mr. Walker's. "People all over the state have responded nobly to the call for aid, especially in the nearby towns. Grove Hill and Thomasville have sent wagons of clothing and provisions have been sent from other towns. Numbers of men and women have gone from here and other places to aid in nursing the injured. President Wilson has ordered an army surgeon and trained nurses to the scene, stating that they would be sent at his own expense, if necessary." "The people of this section are sorely in need of aid," the newspaper reported. Grove Hill and other towns contributed money and supplies for a relief effort spearheaded by the Red Cross. Apparently the 1913 storm system was as widespread as the one last week. The Democrat reported that Omaha, Nebraska and other towns in that state as well as in Iowa, Indiana and Kansas were hard hit. Closer to Alabama, a tornado struck Holmes County, Florida, killing at least one. I'm sure that this history lesson is of little comfort to those who lost loved ones and possessions in last week's storm. But perhaps it can serve as a warning to all: These storms are not new. They have been around for a long, long time. And despite our modern and sophiscated warning systems they are as hard to predict or prepare for as the one of 1913.
Jim Cox is editor and publisher of The Clarke County Democrat.
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