River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-08-30
ROCHESTER IN RUINS.
A Fearful Tuesday Evening which Sees
the Minnesota Town Victim
of Cyclonic Wrath.
Hundreds of Buildings Shattered, 90
People Killed and 80 Other
Unforturates Injured.
Five Hundred People Left HouseleSs to
View the Melancholy Scene
of Ruin.
Nearly all Public Buildings Damaged
and Loss of 100000
Inflicted.
RUINED ROCH ESTER.
HoRR1R1K WORK OF THE CYCLONE.

RUINED ROCHESTER,.
HORRIBLE WORK OF THE CYCLONE
ROCHESTER,, Special Telegram, Aug %
The citizens of Rochester are wan Of cheek and
hollow-eyed, and well they may, since they
passed last evening as evil quarter OF an hour
as ever fell to the experience of man. and to
this succeeded a night of horroi snch as made
men used to the terrors of stricken field
vince and shudder The storm first came at z
in the evening and lasted from twelve to fifteen
minutes Not until after 6 o'clock we're tue
residents the least alarmed, which is
the strongest, when 1t is remembered that
month ago cyclonic fury vented itself
but few miles from here, By 7;10 the south
west quarter had assumed that sIckly greenish
tint which serves as drop ecurtain for such
| dire work In few moments the green
changed to copper, then to bronze, with
whitish edges aud lateral lines of flying scuA
athwart it in every direction. Next was noted
| that dreaded and dreadful inverted cone, with
height seemingly immeasureable and murki-
ness appalling With the speed of cannon
ball it came down thu valley of insignificant Sill
yer creek, and whom within half mile
Of the devoted city, its roar could
| be heard Cellars were rushed to by almost
every one, but few of the harder ones stayed
at points of vantage near the edges and wit
messed
THE ATTACK OF THE REsIsTLEss MONSTER.
Full 800 feetin the air it rose, and in its whirlng
mass were trees aud stones, animals and debris
Of every conceivable description The dome
/ of the court house melted from view, though
touched merely BY the hem of the wind
Trees snapped like cato nlne tails or stranger
STILL were twisted as corkscrews in the
hands of Titan, and lifted bodily into the
air with tons of earth cIinging TO their roofs
| Animals we're dashed against stone walls,
/ and their backs and bones crushed to powder.
The roar of the fierce surge was like nothing
| ever heard before, The atmosphere was
surch arged with electricity. and pellets of
/ rain and hail were driven vertically as if shot
j from a rifle Fifteen minutes of this terror,
/ and then a silence. BY o'clock the stars
were shining as peacefully if cyclones were
unknown; but the silence was soon
broken by the groans of the dead, dying and
! the sorely wounded, The northern part Of the
city, fortunately rot the larger or thickly set
| tied portion, had been changed from habit
able place to maze of mangled matter, desert
with signs of woe and terror scattered every
! where Not house stood whore 800 had
/ been at O'Clock. Most of the dwellings were
of the poorer class but many were pretty, care
fully tended and decorated houses. Tho
citizens on the South side quickly repaired in
crowds to the scene of direst disaster and went
to work, All night long by the ftful light of
Ianters at first and later aided by the moon
they toiled.
SCORES OF BODIES
mangled cut, torn and bruised. some breath
ing, some brsathless, were taken out By
sunrise those Of tho dead or wounded who had
friends were speedily borne TO p 'vate houses.
The majority wore taken to Rommel's hall, a
large building on Broadway, where cots were
hastily prepared for the wounded. The dead
were taken away by friends or to W. Fl. sew
ards undertaking place on Broadway. Physi-
clans and narses were soon to the fore, and
everything possible done to alleviate suffering
The wounded were in horrible plight, and a
walk through the hall where they lie.
wen now, makes one rant Inc
he upper part Of the body, and
childish faces are seen with wounds on them
30 ghastIy that even the physician shudders as
be uses sponge and needle. Into the cuts dirt
and even powdered stone were forced in many
Instances Cellars seemed of little or no pro-
lection, since, while some of the houses above
Them blew away, those to the west were
crushed bodily into their depths Think of
two mothers, as late as noon day,
SEEKING PRACTICALLY FOR LOST CHILDREN,
seeing three WAC oorresponded in size with
those they sought, but all so marred by dirt
and blood and wounds that even maternal love
could not tell whether TO say ''mine" or not
! TIE scenes around the demolished houses were
aeartrending; men, women and children cry
| ing bitterly and almost bereft Of reason An
absolute doubt exists in many cases
as TO where the site of their
| homo was; ever dreadful uncertainty
aud haunting dread. and through it
Ill the breeze signing gently, the Eacon smil-
| ng calmly and men working srxvely. The
rising sun showed the bitterness Of the desola-
| ion. Queer freaks there were, of course
Here stands wall, and on it hangs an I'M
| broken looking glass, while a heavy stove,
crushed into fragments, lies on the floor near
oy. There, swaying to and fro in the breeze,
the family rocking chair, while few feet
| from it a horse lies