Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-07-08
TELEGRAPH1C.
Fripbtful Havoc Of the Storm King
in the West.
Unprecedented Destruction of Lives
and Property.
TORNADO.

Elkhorn, D. T., at half past five
o'clock last evening, demolishing
three buildings, many barns, store
houses, &c. Only one person in
.iured as far as known.
A special dispatch to the Jour-
nal, from Lemars, Plymouth
county, Iowa, says: "A terrible
wind storm passed over the north
ern part Of this county last evening,
destroying houses, barns, etc.
Ten miles northeast of here
two young men named Kass,
who saw the storm coming, ran into
a barn for shelter, when the wind
struck the building with terrific
force, completely demolishing it
and crushing them to death in the
ruins. Parties who saw the storm
from distance say it was terrible
to look at. It could be distinctly
seen from Lemars. At first the
storm cloud presented the appear
ance of an hour glass, after which
it assumed the shape Of a straight
column and then seemed to break
into fragments and drift away.
ST. PAUL, July 4.-The storm
Wednesday night was the heaviest
ever known in Minnesota. Five
inches of rain fell here in Is hours.
The greatest amount since the sig
nal service Office was established
here. The trains are delayed on
all the railroads by washouts and
none have arrived at or left the city
until last night. The most serious
damage is on the railroad near
Redwing, where the washout will
stop travel for day or two. The
storm extended all over this State
and Northwestern Wisconsin, in
which regions there was a great fall
of rain and hail accompanied by
thunder and lightning. The details
come in slowly but indi-
cate great damage at Vassa
Goodhue county; seven persons
were killed and thirty injured by
and falling buildings. No
particulars have been received from
there yet. Two persons were killed
in Winnebago and Fountain Lake
by lightning. Redwing reports
100000 damage to property in
that city. Every town in the
southern and eastern portions of
the State suffered heavily, but the
details are still wanting. At Mar,
shall hailstones as large as hen
eggs fell, causing great destruction
to crops. At Menomonee, Wis,
a house was carried away by the
flood which followed, and two per-
sons who were in the house have
not since been heard from. TeIe-
graph lines eastward were down all
day yesterday.
ST. PAUL, MINI, July 4.-The
first complete account of the ter
rible loss of life in Goodhue county
on Wednesday night and yesterday
morning reached here to-day. The
storm assumed the character of a
cyclone near Redwing Point, of
great violence, being at Vasa, small
village ten miles west of the Mis-
sissippi. A special dispatch to the
Pioneer Press from Redwing says
" In the town of Vasa the fury of
the storm was at its height, making
fearful havoc. 1t seemed to start
four miles beyond Vasa and tray
elled in a southeasterly direction.
Vasa church and the orphanage,
which is under the care
of the church, were complete
ly demolished. The orphanage
contained twenty-four inmates, and
out of this number three were
killed outright and seventeen in
jured, three, it is thought, fatally.
The house of Erich Stevenson close
by was blown down and he was
killed and his wife seriously iniur-
ed. G, II. Holme and wife, an
elderly couple, were killed, also a
baby of Mr.. and Mrs. Linseed, and
party unknown, making nine per-
sons in all killed and four not ex-
pected to live. The number of
wounded is thirty. The houses of
all mentioned as killed were blown
down and many other houses in
jured. The storm ragged throughs
Beale Greek, where it blew
down the house Of Anthony Pettel.
At Warrenton, on Lakeshore three
houses were torn down, and man,
his wife and daughter were killed in
one of them. At Maiden Rock
two frame houses were demolished.