Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-07-05
A BLOW At BISMARCK
The Wedge-Shaped wind Which Disnan.
tied the Montana.
Special to Chicago Times.

The Wedge-shaped wind Which Disn,an.
tied the Montana.
Special to Chicago Times.
Bismarck, Dakota, July IAN electric
storm, as the signal officer terms it, broke
upon this city and vicinity about half past
z o'clock last evening. 1t was accompanied
by rain, hail and wind at the rate of forty.
eight miles per hour. A cloud of binding
dust preceded the rain. The storm came
from the south aud lasted about an hour.
At the steamboat landing a gust in a wedge
shape came up the Missouri and struck the
large steamer Montana. Capt. Buesen saw
the cutting water and sounded the alarm
He stepped to the fastenings of the Chin
neys to see if they were secure and at the
same nj he felt the great cabin rise
and the steamer dash against the shore. All
the chains were snapped and one-half the
cabin parted from the boat as neatly as if it
had been done by carpenter or mechanic.
The rest of the cabin was torn to pieces,
but not blown ashore. The bedsteads, mat.
t~resses, springs, bowls, pitchers and unmen-
tionables of staterooms were scattered on the
levee and carried up the side of the two
hundred-foot bluff that looks down upon the
wharf. Large splinters and a mattress or
two were waited over the bluff for q quarter
of a mile. Cars standing on the track were
damaged by flying pieces. The elegant mir
ror in the ladies' cabin was driven through
the air like a feather, and wrecked upon a
stump. The big bell on the deck was lifted
from its frame, while a dozen empty buckets
and a beer bottle standing on the hurricane
deck of the steamer Dakota, fifty feet west
ward, were unmoved. The Montana was
insured for $4,000 against fire, by the un-
derwriters' of st. Louis, but not against
wind. The damage to the cabin is about
$4,000. She would have left with a load Of
freight and one hundred passengers for
Benton on Thursday. She will 20 instead
to St. Louie, at an expense of 5000 and
the indirect loss Of a seasons work. The
steamer Dakota was lying just above the
Montana, and only lost one, half of the hur-
ricane roof forward of the amokestacks.
Her cabin was full of passengers, but no one
was hurt. There were no passengers on the
Montana, and only a chambermaid was
slightly injured. The stewards pocket-book
was found on the bank, relieved of $500.
The whole thing was over before there was
time to escape. The steamer Macleod. of
the Baker line, lost both of her smokestacks.
The Montana and Dakota belong to the
Coulson line. In the path of this wedge of
wind was Birds machine.shop, which was
unroofed aAd otherwise demorslized. A few
miles up river the largest cottonwood trees
were blown down, leaving the trail Of the
tornado plainly marked.
LATER.
All the town is out to-day viewing the
wrecks. The debris from the boats are scat.
tered far and near along the road and bluff
sides. The boats present a wonderful ap
pearance, the Montana being the most dam
aged. She will be sent below for repairs a
once. Her entire cabin, pilot-house ans
upper decks are gone. The estimated dam
age to the two boats is about $4,000. I
seems almost miraculous that no one should
have been killed, the only casualty thus ia
reported being one man in town who hat
three ribs broken by his house being blown
lover. The Montana caught fire during tn,
storm from the laundry stove, but was quick
ly subdued, and q total loss Of the fines
boats on the upper river averted.
The Rose Bud, from Fort Keogh, just ii
this morning, reports having passed tn
Helena after the storm, and she was unhurl