Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-08-21
The Great Hail Storm.

The country papers from the various por-
tons Of Southern Minnesota, come to us filled
with accounts of the destructive hail storm
of week before last, portion of which passed
over st. Paul, and partial account of which
appeared in the MINNEsoTIAN.
The Bancroft (Freeborn County, Pioneer
says:
"Oprorving an agitated portion of wind
tossed cloud off to the west of us, we saw it
descend to spiral whirl to the earth, and
p SIS along to the southeast. From Nor
wegan who was carting load OF lumber from
Freeborn, we learn that this was a serious
whirlwnd. Passing near his wagon, it dis
placed the boards therein and carried them
upward from thirty TO fifty feet into the air,
and dropped them again some dstaece from
the wagon. The tornado seems to have
passed between this plac, and Itasca, and
just this side of Mr. Chas Matthew'S house,
uprOotirc in its course and tearing hundreds
of oak trees almost into shreds, tumbling
down fences, ilattening corn fields, demolish-
ing gardens, and doing much other damage.
Some idea of the force of the wind may be
derived from the fact that in log house near
by, the cnnks Of which were not plastered, a
sack Of flour was forced from one side of the
house to the other, SIMPLY by the force of the
VIVID through the chinls.
"In Fairfield Geneva, Clark's Grove, &C.,
the storm was characterized by severe hail,
which cut in pieces whole fields of grain, and
completely destroyed numbcilcsS gardens -
We are informed by citizen of Fairfield
that he picked up hail stone measuring secem
iaches III circumference. At Geneva a, d
Clark's Grove they fell the size of hens eggs.
cutting Cora stalks in two in their course
with the precision of sharp knife"
From other exchanges we learn that at
Oak Glen, in Steele County, all the liz hts of
glass exposed to the storm were broken out.
Through Olmsted, Fillmore and Dodge Coun.
ties the storm was particularly severe.
The Farbault Repuqlican says:
"On Friday last, We were Wis: ted by real,
genuine nail storm, compared with which
everything we have seen Or heard of hereto
fore dwindes into significance. We have
heard of hail stones as large as hens eggs
before, but have now actual, seen them pelt-
ing through our windows as large as our tist,
anC weighing from quarter to three quarters
Oi a pound and one was brought UP half
an hour after the storm, that was reported to
have weighed, when picked up, q pound, and
at that time weighed ten O'tnces
This statement is confirmed by a gentleman
from that locality with whom we conversed.
He says that chickens, pigs, and skeep were
killed outright, and cattle and horses who
could not get under shelter, were almost
crazy with the fierce peltinss Of the storm.
The Hastings Daily Ls1qor contains the
following item:
"Mantorville appeared as though an army
of infantry had been using it as target to
fire at /; windows were broken, and even the
siding was pierced by hail, and the gardens
and fields of grain could have been in worse
plight if a herd of ten Thousand bulaloes had
COM rushing over them from the western
plains One farmer in that vicinity said his
loss was full $500 he was inst preparing to
harvest his wheat that has escaped the rava
ges of the rust and weaviL, when the hail came
and utterly destroyed it, together with every
thing else in the ground. Some of the hail
gathered after the storm, measured ten and
twelve inches in circumference and several
animals had been killed from being hit Our
informant weighed one stone, or block of ice,
whose heft was one pound"