The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-09-13
THE BREATH OF DEATH.
FATAL CYCLONE IN THE NORTHWEST.
Towns In Minnesota and Wisconsin
wrecked-The Property Loss Immense
Several Persons Killed - Disas.
trous Floods in Wisconsin.
BY wINDsAND FLOOD.

now coming in Of destructive cyclone
which on Tuesday evening swept over the
northern part of st. Croix County and
through the center of Polk, doing wide
spread devastation. The cyclone entered
Wisconsin from the Minnesota side, nearly
opposite Marine, carried away portions OF
the Wisconsin Centrars new iron bridge
now building across Lake St CroiX,
and plowed a furrow two or three
miles wide in a northerly direction.
The most serious damage was
done in the towns os Star Prairie, Stanton
and Somerset, where grain stacks in large
numbers were blown away. Barns and
houses were unroOfed, and other serious de-
struction done. In this county Star Prairie
appears to have Jared the worst, as nearly
every building in the village was more or
less shaken, and fully dozen in the town
completely destroyed. Among the more
serious losses are the house and barn of Mr..
Arnquist valued at 81, 500; the large barn of
r. X. Fay, in which boy had both legs
broken; Ira Kidder'S barn, +. Clarke's house
and barn, and Filpah's store, front blown
in. Abont thirty-fve miles farther north
the little village Of Clear Lake, on the
North Wisconsin Road, was almost wiped
from the map by the furious gale. Hardly
an unscathed house remains III the town,
and three lives were lost. Those Killed
were Mrs. Peleg Burdick, wife of the post
master, and two young men in W H. In
CALLS store, by the name of William Cav
o,,I SnnIarGnn
Briggs was also badly injured, and two
Scandinavian children so seriously that they
can not survive.
Bill Nye, the noted humorist, also had
his left leg broken below the knee. He was
at Clear Lake visiting his brother, District
Attorney Nye. They were out in the coun-
try for drive in the midst of dense forest,
and seeing the storm coming on,
were driving as rapidly as possible
to escape its fury, when both gen.
tlemen were thrown out with the
result above given The road was so thick
" strewn with fallen trees that it was I'M
possible to reach him with team, and lie
was obliged to lie on the wet ground IN the
drenching rain for two hours, until men
could be summoned from Clear Lake to
carry him in. He was brought to Hudson
and is now doing well.
Jewett's mills, few miles out, suffered
seriously, and three-fourths of their most
valuable pine were blown down, beside
vast amount of other timber. The entire
loss to Clear Lake can not be less than
$500, 900. Ingalls, loss is placed at SlO,O
The death of Mrs. Burdick is especially sad.
She was almost helpless, and her husband
was assisting her from the SILVER
ing building when she was stricken
dead at lis side. The people had
no knowledge of young Saunders
death until his body was found
while they were searching in the
ruins for Cavanaugh's remains. report
comes that Clayton was badly shaken up
by the same gale, and sustained heavy
losses. Humbird & Co.'S large mills and
their lumber yard were seriously wrecked.
The loss of grain and other property in
this (St. CroiX) County can not be short OF
$50, 900, but this is triting compared with
the devastation throughout Polk County.
The storm lasted fifteen minutes.
SALTWATER, Mimi, Sept. i1.-AbOut
six o'clock Tuesday evening disastrous
Cyclone passed over this section. The worst
end of the storm struck Marine Mills, vii
lage twelve miles north, where almost every
house is more or less injured. George
Rutherford was working at a threshing
machine when the storm came up. lie
took refuge in barn, which was blown
down on him and he was killed. This is the
only fatality thus far reported. On another
farm in the same neighborhood Minneap-
oils man had his leg torn Oft by falling
house, and few other people were slightly
injured AT one place, in an orchard OF
LOGO trees, only 600 are left standing.
Probably forty or fifty barns in this county
were completely wrecked. Some curious
freaks of the storm are reported. Some
buildings were twisted completely
around on their foundations. Others were
only unroOfed and not otherwise injured.
At another place flying boards from
lumber yard struck a dwelling and
crashed entirely through the side. In this
city Walker, Judd Veazie, a Saw-mill firm,
lose from $4,000 to $4,000. The St
CrOiX Hotel was unroofed and had gable
blown away. Peter Culleans house, with
his family in it, was blown into the street.
the inmates miraculously escaping injury.
Hiram Burkey's house, barn, granary and
warehouse, with 81, 900 worth of machinery,
six hundred bushels of grain and thirty
tons of hay. were destroyed. The entire
loss at Marine is S75, 900, in this city about
S25, 600.
from the neighborhood tell of heavy blows
in all directions. WashUuts and overflow
ing streams ara causing good deal of
trouble to railroads. The St Paul IL
Omaha Road is blocked up, and trains are
obliged to 20 10y the Milwaukee track. No
fatal accidents are reported.
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis, Sept. 1.-THE
floods in the rivers and streams of this sec
ton continue undated. Duncan Creek,
which flows through portion OF this city,
rose fourteen feet yesterday. Every bridge
in the city was carried awy. The dam
of the Glen Touring mills was washed out
and caused the planning mill dam Of B.
Kekis u Co. to give way. The
livery stable of Stiles Lego IL
Bailey was badly wrecked. Five horses
were drowned, and all the buggies and
carriages were swept away Several nv
chine shops and houses were carried down
the stream totally wrecked The latest
advices from Bloomer, twelve miles from
here, on Duncan Creek, state that the
water is thirty-three inches higher than in
the great flood of 1850, but there has been
a decline of six inches since six
O'Clock. The dam Of Roache
q m