River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-06-21
A TORNADO.
One Of the Liseliest Old lephyrs That Ever
Occurred in This Section.
It visited Alike the Just and the
-Unjass,-- Dealing Destruction 10
the ''Good. the aiddIing
and the Bad.',

down 10 pieces, large trees WcIo UIOh-
en- down or torn out by the roots !;
windows were broken, chimneys blown
over and fences RACED to the ground.
The storm was of about twenty min
utes duration, and spent its fury over
a strip of country about five miles in
width; extending about two miles
north, and three miles south or this
village.
1t was first felt at Langdon, WASH
ington county, Minnesota, whence it
extended i'll an easterly direction.
crossing Lake st. Croix into Clifton
and passing through River Falls. Her.
Sey. Knapp Station and Menomonie.
The barn of j. Ii. Chinook, in the
southwestern part of this town was
unroofed. The l. part of Russell Kim
ney's house was demolished and the
main part injured. The barn of Jo-
seph Terpening IVES Blown down and
torn to pieces. John Fosters house
and barn on his farm were damaged
TO the extent of about $500. The new
house of Chas. Harper was moved from
its foundation and badly wracked out of
shape. The tin roofing was torn from
the Post Office building and its porch
left in a dilapidated condition. A
small section of the roof was removed
from the west end of the Central Ho-
tel. The sheds on the east side of the
Driving Park were blown down.
Supt. Bakers school building was
made almost total wreck the roof
of the main part was carried seven or
eight rods into the street and smashed
to splinters, and the front of the
building moved about eight feet to
the south, and the entire structure,
with the exception of the addition on
the back part used as dwelling, was
badly wrecked and is hardly worth
repairing. Mr.. Bakers loss is not far
from $500. Two young ladies, the
sole occupants at the time, made
hasty exit through window during
the calamity. The Catholic Church
was canted to -one side and will re-
quire an outlay of about $500 to put it
torights again. The new barn of ID. ii.
Levings was twisted out of shape, and
the large barn on the farm of o. S.
Powell was torn to pieces. Over forty
lights of glass were broken from the
buildings of CALVIN Randall and many
of the large oak trees on his premises
were blown down.
Up the South Fork the storm seemed
to rage with especial fury, showing
but little Partially to the farmers of
the valley. Samuel Wales sheds
about his barn were left in dilapi-
dated condition. Burnett's stave-mill
and sheds were partially unroofed and
the smoke stack blown down. Phin-
meas Flint's barn was unroOfed. r.
p. Pratt's barn was blown down and
he was obliged to use an ak to extri-
cate his horses from the debris. The
ROOF was blown from the barn of Mrs.
Lyman Powell and the fragments scat
tered q distance of quarter of mile.
About three hundred and fifty fleeces
of wool were in the loft, some of
which were blown out of the building
and rolled about in the dirt. VIM.
Fishers barn was literally torn to
pieces and many of the fragments
were left sticking up in the meadow
beyond, ''like quilts on the fretful por-
cupine;" some of which were forced
into the ground to the depth of three
feet. The barns of +. III. Lord and w.
Ii. Rowley were partially unroofed.
The log house OF Geo. Ellsworth was
mroofed and the upper portion of the
building torn down. The barn and
sheds of Abe. Gunderson in the west
ern part of Martel were levelled to the
ground, his carriages and farm ma
chinery badly broken and one of his
horses killed. His loss will approx
mate $1,000. The house of Ole Berg
seng was blown a short distance and
''telescoped" with q tree which
drought up" in about the middle of
the building. The house Of Thos.
Pigott, of Pleasant Valley, was moved
several feet and left in an oblique po-
sition, his granary and barn were to-
tally wrecked and his farm machinery
badly damaged. He estimates his loss
at 1000.
Nearly all within the range of the
storm received more or less damage.
On many of the farms three-fourths of
the fences were blown down; fruit
and ornamental trees were destroyed
in large quantities and windmills an
initiated.
At Langdon a woman was killed and
her husband suffered broken arm
and a fracture of two ribs. Mrs.
Michaelson. living few miles east of
this village, had her leg broken. At
Knapp Station it is reported that two
lives we're lost and several persons
injured Considerable damage was
done to property at Hersey, Knapp
Station, Menomonie and Chip newa
Falls. Hail stones 81 inches in diam
eter fell ut Menomonie, seriousl v
damaging growing crops.
The Fon du Lac Commonwealth is
said 70 be the only Republican paper