Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-07-17
WILD Winds
Reld New Uln, Mimi.
Death And DESOLATION
In Track Of the Hurricane.
HALF lOWN DtS|ROlEl|,
'7NS Killed Many injured,
Loss over 100000
-Four Other Towns CycIoned,
LOSS OF LIFE REACHIGaa { 20,
Making 6 Total Of 2S Victims
LOSS OF LIFE RBACHIEa3 20,
Making 8 Total Of 2S Victims
Of Fridays Death Tempest.
Especial Telegram to the Globe. ]


New ULM, Mimi, July 16.-About 4:45
yesterday afternoon black cloud was
seen approaching this city from the north
"a cloud of such intense blackness as to
shut out the light of day and create the
impression that the pail of night was fall
ing upon the town before its due time.
Men, women and children were alright
ed, and apprehending severe storm all
set about securing their portable proper
ty out of doors. Astiff breeze was blow
ing from the south when the cloud first
made its appearance, which at first gave
promise of averting the impending dan
ger. For half an hour the people were
kept between hope and fear-hope that
the storm cloud would not burst over the
city, and fear that if it did great disaster
would result. Shortly after o'clock
THE STORM CLOUD BURST.
Its violence did not seem to proceed
from the direction from which it was
first seen approaching, but with the noise
Of raging torrent it burst upon the town
in the form of a terrible hurricane from
the west. Darkness enveloped every
thing in its sable mantle, and it was i'm
possible for one to distinguish his most
intimate friends at a distance of ten feet,
while the large brick buildings on the
opposite side of the street upon which
your correspondent was located could
scarcely be outlined against the inky sky.
The first effects of the tornado were
felt in the northern part of the town,
among the modest residences of the labor
ing portion OF the community. These
were somewhat scattered, but within less
than two minutes were all either carried
off bodily or leveled to the ground. Over
hundred dwellings,, all of modest pre-
tensions, were absolutely swept away on
the wings of the wind, and
SEVERAL HUNDRED PERSONS RENDERED
HOMELESS
in the twinkling of an eye
But the work of destruction was not
to be confined to the outskirts of the
town. On the ridge to the westward are
situated the German Methodist and the
German Lutheran churches, both
of them handsome edifces with
tall spires reaching towards heaven.
Both of these were hurled to the
ground in an instant of time, inficting
a loss upon each congregation of about
$4,000. Scarcely vestige of the first
mentioned building remained to mark its
site; the latter was so badly wrecked as
to be absolutely worthless. The Catholic
church and the school building adjoining
are both almost irretrievably damaged.
The tower of the church, that contained
chime of three bells, was completely
overturned. An addition to the church.
recently completed, was entirely de-
stroyed.
After demolishing the structures on
the ridge the tornado struck the business
center Of the town, and in a few moments
the air was full of flying timbers and de-
bris of every description. Fence boards,
fragments of roofing, wagons, window
sash, doors, and all conceivable articles
were flying through the air, while
ABOVE THE ROAR OF THE TEMPEST
could be heard the frantic shouts of men,
the piercing shrieks of women, and the
agonizing wailings of children. The
darkness was intense, and though some
rushed hither and thither in blind
frenzy, the more collected awaited thei,
fate with calmness or sought
refuge in the cellars of their buildings.
The noise was deafening. Roof after
roof was torn from its fastenings, and
was carried away by the wind or dashed