Kimball enterprise. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1883, 1883-08-03
SCENES AT EnG,N, MINI.
Friglltful Effects OF Saturdays Cy
Z 81 " fhnsin I-,nidant


+ fi7f fcIone-Pathetic Incident.
y The following are additional accounts of
the cyclone at Elgin, Wabasha county,
MINI: E=.,
Ofall the places visited by Saturdays tor
nado. none suffered more than Elgin where
every house that remains standing, few
though they be, shows some marks of the
storm that destroyed over $5O, 900 worth Of
property in that village, including dwell
ings, barns, stored grain. and horses.
For over an hour before the storm, which
occurred about IL o'clock merid an, there
was not breath of wind, and clouds of
dark, nlurky green obscured the heavens,
the darkness being SO intense, that lamps
were lighted in several houses; then rain
fell for a few minutes very heavily, when
the air seemed suddenly illuminated as il
by electricity, and the hurricane came
rushing down upon the village from both
sides. Many people rushed into cellars as
soon as the storm broke, and remained
there until all passed over; but all tell the
same. same story, that the air in the
cellars - was = 50 =, oppressive it
The first house struck ,sas that of Henry
Claussen, on the northwest corner of the vii
lage. MIR. Claussen was at WORK few miles
| from home and his wife and little daughter
were at home. Mrs. Claussen; tried vainly
to hold the door closed, but was hurled
back in the room, and hooking out she saw
the trees swapping assunder and breaking
ike tW1gs. Under the excitement of the
moment she grasped her little daughter; in
her hands and rushed out into the street.
by the destroying element was The Bryant
windmill and blacksmith shop, owned
and operated by Frederick Meyer. In less
than fifty seconds all that was lett to iniIi-
cate where the blacksmith shop and wind
mill stood were q few posts standing like
sent1nes, and a heap of bent iron, horse
shoes and broken beams, from under which
few, moments later the blacksmith and a
young man crawled into light. In Meyers
own Words ,,,,,,,,F ~. .,.1's.rsi-. -,1',';'.
The first impression had was that Iipbt-
ming struck the building, and then evarv.
thing was dark; but could hear a terrible
morse, hike Grabbing OF Simbers, and appar
emily children or women waiiing-this was.
no doubt, the noise of the wind Then
came about half minutes dead calm. and
then again, on the other side of the house
the buildings falling and began to realize
thata cyclone OF tornado had struck the
town: After feeling around little, / found
mat the building had fallen on me, but 1.-THE
-N~SS SSapPSAGSu ALlu 1 WAS unlUrt.
SO tnat crawled out, and gazing around
what sight met my eyes-the ground Gov.
cred With broken timber and, articles
OF furniture; women rushing ). mad.
,ly around with children rih their their
arms, arms, and desolation on, all sides. u Nv
next move was to look in the direction of
my own house, that L had intended to
idove into next week, having Just built Il
new. Not q shlnele or board remained in. !.
taact, and few broken beams and part of
the masonry ofthe chimney were all that
was left. n gI, a - '' :
After leveling the blacksmith shop the
next resistance that met the fury of the storm
was two grain elevators and a hoistinp an.
parae1ls, owned by Byrant Bros. and John.
son: These buildings were, built of oak
timbers and filled with grain, but the force
was SO great that it whirlea one around off
the foundation, and took the roof and hoist.
ing apparatus and landed them in sections
on the railroad track. 4sph ~ 0t I,tIIIJ.
A few yards further the only tragedy oc-
CURED. Mrs. Thayer, q miliiner occnpv.
ing the FIST floor of tive story frame
house, was taken from the ruins dead
'H AS soon as it became known that some
one was buried in ruins everybody seemed
to forget their own loss, and hastened tn Va.
move the debris. But they had haIdIv
commenced when q little child's hands and
head appeared crawling out from the mass.
her eyes filled with team and her cIothinr
torn to shreds Thfs was Mana
Thayer, and when aoue,tioned
as to her mother, she said that inst before
the building went down her mother was
trying to hold the door shut, but Was
knocked down BY the force of the wind.
She said she called her mother to come nm.
der the counter, where sle ran to, but her
noti.er laughed and was about to msia
some reply, bul just then the building came
down with crash. The little one ex elsinej
that she craWled out, but not finding her
mother she returned, scrambled over bro
ken glass and piles Of bricks and sand.
and finally reached place where
she could find her mothers hand
She clung to il and kissed it and pleaded
Ylth her parent to SpAk to her, but finding
It in vain she came out the second time.
Just as several people were at work on tie
ruins, and her FIRST words were, 81 can't
make mamma speak to me-" The little
cne, with hands all bruised from era Wing
over the debris, refused to ,be comforted'
The dead body OF her mother was found
stretched ,acroes The counter, with . heavy
beam (almost squeezing her body in halves],
acloss her stomach. .S's7' ~b9aIftgp f.731
!, On the opposite side Of the strest another
severe and probably fatal injury was s,,s.
tained by Edith Dillon, young lady, who,
with her sister, mother and step. father. oc.
cupied fitlle second story Of e. Mnrtin's