Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-08-31
THE MINNESOTA CYCLONE.

The fearful cyclone in Minnesota which oc-
CURED on Tuesday of last week proves to
have plowed path of death and destruction
across three counties at least in length, and
strnck northward into another county. The
locality is in the southeast part of the state
ibe second tier of counties from the southern
line 1t started near Owatonna and followed
line nearly q mile south of the railroad
crossing at Rochester and going north Of the
road. passed eastward. Three miles north of
The road it varied in width from one to three
miles, and did not skip, as is usual, but swept
everything in its track. From the appearance
Of the ground it seemed as though terrific
good had swept over this section. In many
nlsces where there had been residences
scarcely a board is left on the premises. The
Grass is filed with dirt and sand as if a muddy
Stream poured over it, Early Wednesday
morning an organized movement was made
TO care for the wounded, and appeals were
made to the larger cities for aid, which have
been answered with liberality.
The losses at Rochester reach $3.50, 600.
Among the buildings wrecked are the court
house. unroofed and dome carried away
high school building, tower and part of roof
zone Methodist church, roof gone, sides
buleed, inside wrecked railroad depot un-
rooted, round house gone, bridge ruined etc.
Van Duzen Il Cos elevator, H. /. Porter's ell.
eyator, Harvester works and machinery, j.
NJ Coles mill, Crescent creamery and Cascade
mill, badly damaged 10 business houses I'M
rooted; $50 houses, with contents wrecked;
POO houses damaged.
The number of killed is now fixed at Is.
Eight of the dead were removed before their
names were learned and four are still uniden.
fitted. The names of others are John NJ.
Cole. Mrs. McQuilan, Mrs. Steel, Mrs. Tier
ath and son, Mr. Osborn and aunt. Mrs.
Frederick Clough, Mrs. Wetherby, Mr. Het-
zell William Higgins, Mrs. Quick and child,
and Miss Mccormick. Among the wounded
are Carl Quick and FIVE children, cut about
the head and otherwise injured Mr.. Rhud,
wife and child, badly hurt Frank Schultz,
shoulder out of joint and head cut Annie
Zierath, seriously cut about head and neck
Otto Rhud, hurt internally; John Haney,
John Shaenock, Milo Weeney, Daniel O'Brien,
George Hansen, Mr.. Wetherby, Oscar O.
Hall, Mr.. Hawkins and William Lee hurt
about the head, face and arms; S. A. WEIGH,
slightly wounded Mrs. Irwin and two chill
dren, Nels Hansen, wife and child, badly cut
on head and body; Mrs. Osborne and daugh.
ter, badly bruised; Louis Posse, leg broken
Mrs Coons, leg broken Frank Clements
arm broken. Three children, whose names
cannot be learned, are so badly bruised that
their parents it is thought, cannot recognize
them Their clothes are all gone. The Con-
gregational church, where SO children had
Just returned from a picnic had its spire
blown off, but none of the children were hurt
A fatal black cloud swept toward st Charles,
five miles southeast of Rochester, cutting a
wide swath through the timber and farms,
wrecking buildings in the little hamlet and
leaving two corpses and three persons fatally
IN; Tho hndv of Opa nf tho man Lillad
was found in tree-top. He had been torn
limb from limb by the mere force of the wind,
while being drawn up and carried along by
the terrible funnel. A family named Stevens,
consisting of four persons, saw the approach
ing storm cloud and hastily crept into huge
tank cistern, buried in the ground, and which
fortunately contained no water. Their house
was torn to pieces and wholly carried away
over their heads. Not vestige of their home
remained, but their lives were spared.
The storm swept through Dodge and Ohm
stead counties, causing great destruction.
The cyclone was heard of south of Dodge
Center, thence east to Olmstead county strik-
ing Salem township. Three farm buildings
were entirely destroyed. one child was killed,
and several families were hurt. Much dam
age was done to farm property and live stock.
Helen Beck OF Ashland, Dodge county, was
taken up by the storm while in field and has
not since been heard from. man named
Olsen, his wife and daughter of Canesteo,
Dodge county, were killed. Mr.. Berg was
killed on his farm. A young lady visiting
family named Van Franche was fatally hurt.
At the town of st. Charles the storm struck
Job Thornton's farm, killing him and destroy
ing his buildings. All the members of his
family were hurt. Farm property was much
damaged in Utica and the southern part of
Wabash counties. North of Viola the cy-
clone swept away the crops and the buildings
clean in its path. Henry Stanch6eld was
slightly hurt. Along the railroad, the people
saw the clouds leaping and rolling over and
over with loud roaring noise and sought
places of safety. The cyclone passed about
six miles south of Kasson, doing great dam
age to buildings and crops. Three Norwe-
gian farmwives were killed and number of
other people badly injured. Brick houses
we're destroyed, and a good many head of
live. stock were killed The loss at Kasson
alone will amount to many thousand dollars
The crops in the path of the cyclone two
miles south of Dodge Center are all destroy
ed, and heavy damage was done to buildings.
man named II. Elbrecht and his wife were
working in field when they saw the storm
coming, and chung to each other. When it
struck them he was knocked senseless and she
was blown a considerable distance and had
one arm twisted of and the other nearly So
The correspondent of the Minneapolis Tri-
bune at Rochester has compiled from reports
of the relief committee and of the agents
sent out by the county commissioners esti-
mates of the losses of farmers in Olmstead
county The agents report that tho path of
the cyclone was from west to east and was
about Is miles long. They have examined
80 farms in the track and say that every house
and barn on them was demolished aud that
much valuable stock was killed, farming ma.
chinery wrecked and thousands of bushels of
grain destroyed. The loss to farmers in the
county ID not less than 100000 In Roch-
ester itself much relief work is being done
and S2j, OOQ has been received, but the funds
are still inadequate. One hundred aud fifty
families are destitute, and rely on outsiders TO
shelter them. A building association will be
formed, in the fund of which the money ap.
propriated for the erection of buildings will
be placed. This money will be distributed
pro rata, each assisted person giving a note
for the remainder of the cost of the improve
ment of his building.
The report of the wreck of passenger
train between Rochester and Zumbrota was
false and grew out of the wreck of freight
in which one life was lost.
Miss Phoebe Couzins the well known wo-
mems rights lecturer, who was near the scene
OF the tornado, gives toe following account
of her visit to the spot "Mrs. and
drove down to Rochester, a distance of II
miles and witnessed a such a sight as we
hope never TO look upon again. The country,
for many miles, is laid waste. Farmers
crops and barns, and improvements, are
strewn in every direction, but the loss of life
is not SO great as at Rochester, although the
few that are killed and wounded in the coun-
try are most horribly mangled. The wife of
one farmer, who was in the field, started for
the house, but failed to reach it. She ran
for stake in the field, but was blown almost
to pieces. The stake was driven through her
body and her limbs torn off so that they have
not yet been found. One young woman is 80
fearfully mangled with ashes ground into her
flesh that she cannot live. A boy had his
spine 30 filed with nails that he will die OF
lockjaw. But the most frightful of all scenes
was that at Rochester The scene in the
north part of the city, where stood $50 houses
and large number of trees, beggars de-
scription. Not dwelling or tree remains
The debris is piled up in huge masses OF
scattered over the plain in hopeless entange
ment Cattle, horses, and pigs lie about dead
in all manner of attitudes. One COW We saw
had her head completely blown from hel
body and the horns sticking into her bowels
horse tied to tree was blown on his knees
aud his eyes in death bespoke the terror
which possessed him.
ts'pba Hon Jobn AToHaII IF WinOna WA