Morris tribune., 1883-07-28
SCENES AT ELGIN, MINI.
Frightful Effects of Saturdays O
clOne-Pathetic Incident.

CIOhc-Ed dInetfC lncluchD.
The following are additional accounts of
the cyclone at Elgin, Wabasha county,
Mimi:
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 $50, 600 worth of
property in that village, including dwell
ings, barns, stored grain and horses.
For over an hour before the storm, which
occurred about II o'clock meridian, there
was not a breath of wind, and clouds of
dark, murky 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 if
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, end remained
same story; that the air in the
cellars was SO oppressive ii
VS. almost impossible to breathe.
The first house struckI1as that of Henry
Claussen, on the northwest corner of the viii
Jage. Mr.. 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 looking out she saw
the trees swapping assunder and breaking
like twigs. Under the excitement of the
moment she grasped her little daughter in
her hands and rushed ont into the street.
Passing on, the next thing that was met
by the destroying element was the Bryant
windmill and hlacHsmith sh0n nUnoH
and operated by Frederick Meyer. In less
than fifty seconds all that was lett to indi-
cate where the blacksmith shop and wind
mill stood were few posts standing like
sentinels, and a heap of bent iroH, horse
shoes and broken beams, from under which
q few moments later the blacksmith and a
young man crawled into light. In Meyers
own words
The first impression had was that light
ming struck the building, and then every
thing was dark; but could hear terrible
noise, like crashing of timbers, and appar-
emily children or women wailing-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
that cyclone or tornado had struck the
town. Alter feeling around little found
that the building had fallen on me, but itbe
forge supported the ruins, and was unhurt;
SO that l 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 gin their
arms, and desolation on all sides. Ny
next move was to look in the direction of
my own house, that I had intended to
move into next week, having Just built it
rev. Not a shingle or board remained in.
tact, and few broken beams and part of
the masonry of the chimney were all that
was left.
After leveling the blacksmith shop, the
next resistance that met the fury of the storm
was two grain elevators and hoisting ap-
paratus, 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 whirled one around off
the foundation, and took the roof and hoist
ing apparatus and landed them in sections
on the railroad track.
A few yards further the only tragedy oc-
CURED. Mrs. Thayer, a milliner occupy
ing the filst floor of a tive story frame
house. was taken from the ruins dead.
AS soon as it became known that some
one was buried in ruins everybody seemed
to forget their own loss, and hastened to re.
move the debris. But they had haldly
commenced when little child's hands and
head appeared crawling out from the mass,
her eyes filled with tears and her clothing
torn to shreds. THIS was Maud
as to her mother, she said that just 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 un-
der the counter, where sic ran to, but her
motIer laughed and was about to make
some reply, but Just then the building came
down with crash. The little one explained
that she crawled out, but not finding her
mother she returned, scrambled over bro
ken glass and piles of bricks and sand,
she could find her mothers hand.
She clung to it and kissed it and pleaded
with her parent to speak to her, but finding
it in vain she came out the second time,
just as several people were at work on the
ruins, and her first words were: II can't
make mamma speak to me-" The little
one with hands all bruised from crawling
over the debris, refused to be comforted.
The dead body of her mother was found
stretched across the counter with heavy
beam almost squeezing her body in halves),
across her stomach.
On the opposite side of the street another
tanned by Edith Dillon, young lady who
with her sister, mother and step. father, oc-
cupied the second story of E. Martin 8
house. This house was at the angle where
the current changed to sout Invest. The
roof was taken off first and carried about
thirty yards, one portion Of it slightly in
juring Frank Roessler, who resided in the
rear. The second story was carried about
fifteen yards, with its load OF human freight
and the floor deposited levelly on
the field, but just as it
touched terra frma, the sidewalk camecrash-
ing down over it, one ofthe pieces OF broken
timber striking Miss Dillon on the top of
the head, penetrating the skull and severing
an artery. For moment she was stunned.
but suddenly recovering herself, she has
tened to aid her friend, and it was not for
several minutes that it was noticed she
was severely injured. She was taken to the
residence of Mrs. Chapman, q few doors from
where she lived, and attended by DR.. Adams
who is hopeful, but not confident, of the
lady's recovery.
Elgin, the scene of the disaster, is situa-
ted on the north bank of the Whitestone,
in Wabasha county. and before the vista.
ton of the tornado of the 2lst, was one of
the most thriving and prosperous farming
communities in the county. 1t was settled
twentyi years ago, but until seven years ago
did not develop itself to any extent. The
population this year Is about 500, and the
country for miles around is one OF
the richest grain raising tracts
in the state. Thousands of acres of gram
that is in many cases ready to cut now WI !,
perhaps, be loss from the fact that nearly
all of the agricultural implements fell vic.
TINS to the destroyer, and although the will
of neighbors to aid In saving it may be good
enough they are not able to cope with the
extent of the need.
The scenes in the vicinity OF the ruins
during the day were narrowing. Around
pile OF bricks, and perhaps few broken
articles of furniture, haggard, distressed
mother with her little family clinging to
her garments, or man robust in health but
bending under his afhiction, might be seen
not word spoken, not q noise to break
the death-like calm, save the lattling of
wheels and plodding OF the
h orses as some new arrival of visitors was
noticed. The ominous silence seemed to
impress the symathiZing visitors with a
dread to utter word, and when one more
daring than the others ventured word of
dondolence or query it was in voice
scsrcely above a whisper, and oftentimes
the reply was choked by sobs or expressions
of anguish.
Similar scenes to those above depicted oc-
curred in dozen localities on the line of