Middletown transcript., 1881-07-22
A CYCLONES AWFUL WORK.

A Town IN MINNESOTA ALNos,
DEMOLISHED IN AN INsTANT-UP
WARDS OF A HUNDRED HOUSE
DESTROYED. A SCENE OF DE
sTRUCTIoN AND CONFUSION. HAY
OC OF THE LIGHTNING.
A cyclone, terrible in it's effects, de
yastated New Ulm, Minnesota, on Fri
day of last week, killing several ant
wounding many Of its inhabitants. Tht
city is situated on the right bank of the
Minnesota river and on the Winona anC
st. Peter Railroad. 1t is the county
seat of Brown county and has 3, 800 in
habitants. 1t contained large num-
Der Of fine buildings, among them two
mills, five public schools, two acade-
mics, several churches costing from S.,
600 to $25, 900 and the finest public hall
in the Northwest. The cyclone struck
the town shortly before five O'Clock ON
Friday afternoon, demolishing over one
hundred buildings and killing or wound
ing upwards Of thirty persons. Though
other towns in the vicinity were visited
by the storm to greater or less degree
Of violence the full force of the cyclone
vented itself at New Ulm. According
to the evidence of eye-witnesses two
tornadoes met right over the place and
the work of destruction was accom-
plished in less than fifteen minutes.
The course of the cyclone could be dis
tinctly discerned and it seemed to be
moving in seperate volumes from north
to south.
At 4.30 O'Clock black clouds gathered
with great rapidity. The thunder and
were terrific and the wind
blew hurricane, while the rain de-
scended in binding sheets. There was
a moments lull and then the cyclone
struck the town, almost destroying it,
and then disappeared as suddenly as it
came. Its effects are almost indescrib-
able. Some houses were struck by light
ming others were lifted up bodily by
the violence of the wind, and others
were demolished by flying debris from
other buildings. Scores of dwellings
and stores were entirely destroyed. Very
few escaped uninjured, but many had
their roofs blown off OF were so badly
injured by the wind that they will have
to be pulled down and rebuilt. The
storm was most destructive in the north
end of the city and whole blocks of
frame buildings were swept away
Hardly barn OF stable escaped, and
it is estimated that over one hundred
horses and cattle have been destroyed.
J. G.. Randolph, Mayor of the city, es-
Inmates the total loss at 100000 and
the lowest estimate is $3.50, 900. Aside
from the loss of life the worst feature
Of the calamity is that none of the prop
erty destroyed is insured against acci-
dent of this kind. Many have lost their
ali. the streets are flied with the de-
bris Of the shattered buildings, and on
every side evidences of the wreck are
visible. The Methodist and Lutheran
churches, both substantial brick edi-
ices, were swept away, and the steeples
If three Roman Catholic churches were
blown off and the buildings gutted.
The Dakota House, the leading hotel, |
vas partially destroyed. The roof of |
he Court House was lifted bodily into
he air and has not been seen since. A
jugar factory and two public school
buildings are in ruins and the remain
ng school house partly demolished.
The lightning struck the depot three
lines, but made no impression on it.
every livery stable in town has been
destroyed. The heaviest individual loss
alls on J. Honenstein, who had just
brick brewery at cost of
80, 900. The building was entirely de-
troyed; no insurance. Lightning
truck the boiler room of the Empire
curing mill and shattered the building,
citing out 10000 bushels of wheat,
rhich is irreparably damaged. A num-
er of buildings struck by lightning
aught fire and the town would have
cen destroyed in this way but for the
ain, which descended in torrents. The
My lumber yard in the town, owned
Y Miller & Scherer, was struck stimuli
aneously by lightning and tornado and
as not been seen since. Eye-wit-
esses state that the scene during and {
after the storm was fear
IL to contemplate and beyond the de-
eriptive powers of the most graphic
en-. People who were out on the street
the time were literally blown away &
nd numbers were wounded by flying ,
chris. Whole sections of tin roofing
ere sent sailing through the air by the
Try of the storm and twisted and crum- /
led up like paper.