6 Are Killed, Several Hurt By Tornado: Storm Sweeps Border of Virginia and Carolina; Country is Laid Waste"
"Houses Destroyed and Trees Uprooted"
"Six persons were known to have been killed by a tornado which late yesterday cut destructive paths in two borderline counties of North Carolina and one mile east of Boydton in Mecklenburg County. At least four others were injured, according to reports reaching here late last night.
". . . The injured included two Negroes who live near Yanceyville, NC.
"Reports indicated that the storm moved in a northeasterly direction from a point west of Yanceyville, across Caswell County, then rose to dip again near Boydton, after which it apparently swerved in a southeasterly direction to strike near Norlina, N.C.
"The storm was believed to have struck first a few miles west of Yanceyville about 4 o'clock. The path of the storm missed Yanceyville by about three miles, passing to the north, and extended about twenty miles to Milton, N.C., before rising to strike next in Mecklenburg County, Va. Part of the roof of the Methodist Church at Milton was blown away. The dwelling of Stanley Moore, at Milton, was also damaged, and an old tobacco factory partly wrecked.
"Blown From Porch: A porch on the residence of Robert T. Wilson, attorney, three miles north of Yanceyville, was lifted by the wind and carried to the other side of the house, a portion landing upon the roof. An outhouse about thirty feet in length on the farm of J. A. White, a neighbor of Wilson, was torn from its foundation and thrown against another house some distance away. The porch to the White home was torn away.
"G. Gunn, Negro employee of the White farm, was blown from the porch of his home and seriously injured. The second story and the walls and roof of a rear room of this house were wrecked, but none of six occupants of the dwelling were injured.
"R. W. Wilson, who was driving a school truck, carrying pupils to their homes, said he was near the edge of the storm and could see the funnel-shaped cloud whirling branches of trees, timber and other objects into the air.
"John Bigelow, 6-year-old Negro, had his arm broken when another cabin was unroofed and the chimney blown down [on the farm of James White].
"The residence of Robert T. Wilson, attorney, who lives near White, was unroofed and the porch torn away. Several small buildings near Wilson's dwelling were demolished.
"Eye-witnesses said they saw a funnel-shaped cloud dipping across the country. Rain accompanied the tornado.
"George Carter, student, who lives about three miles south of Danville said he ran into the edge of the storm as he was driving towards Yanceyville. He described his experiences as follows:
"'I was going to town [Yanceyville] from Danville this afternoon about 3:30 o'clock when I ran into a terrific windstorm. I saw the top of a house blown away and part of the roof was hurled across the road a short distance in front of me. The wind was so strong and the leaves so dense in accumulating on the windshield I had to stop. It felt like the wind would blow the car off the road.
"'I saw the wind literally twist off and tear up by the roots, trees, some of them twelve inches in diameter. I could see roofs blowing through the air. One roof was blown about 100 yards.
"'It lasted about three minutes. The trees blown down were about fifty yards from me.
"'The noise was like the roaring of a fleet of airplanes. The air was full of small branches, leaves, small pieces of wood and tobacco blown out of barns. A rock weighing ten pounds or more was blown off a building to a distance of fifteen or twenty yards.
"'Mr. Carter said the wind was traveling in a northwesterly direction.'"
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