Smyrna times., 1881-07-20

A GREAT STORM IN MINNESOTA
Torn Destroyed byd CycIOne-Thirty People
Killed and Wounded.-A tornado deVasted
the CITY of New Ulm, Mimi, Friday night
killing MANY of its inhabitants. 1t is the
county seat of Brown county, and contain
ed $500 inhabitants. The storm made its
appearance at p. NJ, and it could be dis
tinctly seen approaching in two separate
columns. One moved upward and the
other seemed to descend from the clouds
and to spend its whole force in the neigh
! borhood of New Ulm. Five hundred
! buildings are more or less damaged, about
| 100 being totally wrecked, including the
| finest business block in the city. The
new Methodist church, costing s., 500, was
| leyelled to the ground. Up to the present
time thirteen dead bodies have been found,
most of them in the ruins of the wrecked
buildings. In West Newton an old man
was found dead, his arms firmly clasped
around tree. Not less than one hundred
horses were killed, many being lifted
bodily and carried long distances. The
Eagle Mill and elevator, with 10000 BUSH
els of wheat, was completely demolished.
A buggy was carried completely over the
two story stone Jail. A large brick brew
cry was levelled with the ground, and
nearly every building in the city was un-
rooted
The thunder and lightning were terrific
and the wind blew Il hurricane, while the
rain descended 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 indescribable. Some
houses were struck by lightning, 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 de-
stroyed. Very few escaped uninjured,
but many had the roofs blown off, or were
so badly uniointed 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. The
roof of the Merchants Hotel was carried
: blocks through the air and hurled against
Jacob Miller's house, which it completely
demolished, but fortunately the Miller
family escaped before the crash came.
: J. G. Randolph, mayor of the city, esti-
! mates the total loss at $500, 200, and the
: lowest estimate is $350,OO0. Aside from
the loss of life the worst feature of the
, calamity is that none of the property de
!; stroyed is insured against accidents of thi:
q kind. Many have lost their all. ThC
citizens have however, without exception
: met the disaster bravely and even cheer
. fully, and are taking prompt and decisive
steps to repair the damage, though al
agree that, next to the Indian massacre, /
was the most disastrous blow New Uln
ID has ever received. The streets are file
with the debris of the shattered buildings
and on every side evidences of the wrec
" are visible.
P A gentleman who stood on a buff tw
n miles north of New Ulma and witnesse
u the cyclone, says that it was the grandes
I ! and most terrible sight of which he wa
lJ ever witness: one cloud came from tn
5u northwest and one from the nOrtheas
. When they met it appeared to be col
'h test as to which should have the right
P9 way The storm struck New Ulm at A
d and lasted just twelve minutes, and
VI VI that time not less than 100000 worth
III property was destroyed and number
iu persons killed and many wounded. Du
81 ing the storm there was Il perfect blaze
ca ire-balis. 1t would have been almost
'c' dark as midnight had it not been for Il
continued flashes of lightning. The thr
III churches are completely destroyed, al
70 Turner Hall was partly demolished.
t.- 4 special TO the Pioneer Press fro
Ell Hector says: The cyclone which strut
new l iii OitNdSIdlttl IL vi OOuiil
IN; Il mile wide and forty miles long. 1t ira
eu Seu eled in a south-easterly direction, passil
ne through the townships of Palmyra, We
-es ingtOn and Cairo. The extent of t
DIV damage cannot yet be ascertained, but
eu gentleman from Cairo says the storm W
I. one of the most disastrous ever known
ur Renville county, and that large numb
eat of people have been killed and ma
Tgd ,2u injured.