Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-06-17
HAIL, WIND AND RAIN.
The Southern and Western Portions of
Wisconsin Visited by u Terrific Hail
storm - Windows Smashed, Roofs
Blown OFF and Cattle Killed-Many
People Rendered Homeless.

Shortly before noon on the 7th, a.
violent storm of wind and rain and
hail, coming from the Northwest,
struck the Southern Minnesota Rail
road at Ramsey, 100 miles west of La
Crosse, Travelled along the road fifty
miles, then southerly across Caledonia,
New Albin, Ia, to Victory, Vernon
County, Wis, and thence into the
state, gradually expanding it's force.
In the various towns on the Southern
Minnesota Road no great damage was
done by wind, but from the hail the
damage was very severe, the extent of
which may be seen from the fact that
three carloads Of window glass were
ordered by telegraph thefollowing day.
Some fields Of grain look as if they had
been newly narrowed, not q green thing
being visible. In others the grain is
beaten to the ground, but will recover.
Nearly all the fruit in the narrow
belt Of the storm is DESTROYED. At
Spring Valley a hail stone was picked
up weighing is ounces and Is inches in
diameter. AT Caledonia hail fell in
solid masses, breaking all the windows
exposed, beating down fruit trees, gar
dens and all growing crops, doing very
serious damage. At New AlbiD the
schoolhouse, q frame building, two
stories high, was demolished. 1t cost
81, 600. The elevator was piled in q
mass Of wreckage upon the main track
of the railroad. Seven residences were
totally wrecked, twenty unroofed and
many others moved from their founda-
tions. -Four children were severely
bruised, but no deaths have been re-
ported. AS showing the fury of the
storm, it is mentioned that boards
were driven by the wind completely
through the walls of buildings as
though fired from a cannon.
In Richland County wheat, oats,
corn and every growing vegetation
were literally pulverized and driven
into the ground. Hail-stones fell that
by actual measurement were six inches
in circumference. Many sheep, hogs
and calves were killed, and cattle and
hogs badly bruised by the falling hail.
Roofs of buildings were splintered and
shattered so that reshingling will be
necessary. In many instances the
hail-stOrm went clear through roofs.
Thousands of lights of glass on the
sides of the buildings exposed to the
storm were broken. The storm ragged
with great fury for over an hour, and at
it's cessation the hail covered the
ground IN many places to the depth of
several inches. The wind also did
great damage by unroofng buildings,
uprooting trees and destroying timber.
Lightning struck and burned house
in the town of Rockbridge. None of
the occupants were injured. 1t is i'm
possible to estimate the amount of
the damage done throughout the
county, but it is q eat.
At Victory, Vernon County, little
town on the Mississippi River, the
damage was most severe. The storm
reached that place at 1875 P. NJ. A re-
port from there says: q One fierce
windstorm came from the northeast
and another from the southwest, and
at once the town was enveloped In
thick darkness. Lurid flashes of
electricity, coming from all directions,
would for an instant swallow up the
gloom, and then the darkness was
made more terrible by the roaring Of
the wind, and the crashing of falling
buildings would intervene. The
SOOAHl lc1SCOO OIlIy dDOuU OnEUY
minutes, and the return Of sunlight re-
vealed terrible state of affairs to the
people who emerged from their cellars,
where they had taken refuge. Their
eyes beheld fifty buildings in heap of
ruins, dashed to pieces and tangled in
a mass Of debris. Trees two feet in
diameter were torn up by the roots.
Not house wholly escaped damage,
and barges and boats along the river
bank were sunk like egg Shells" The
principal losers are: G. G. Clark, gro
ceries and dry goods, roof torn off,
windows blown in and stock destroyed
by water or blown away, and house
wrecked and twisted SO as to worth
less. The big stone warehouse, belong
ing to Mrs. Cook, Of Lyons, is badly |
wrecked. A hotel was blown down |
and the bedding scattered over the |
country for a mile. There are some |
100 families without shelter of their
own.
Considerable damage is reported |
from other counties in the southern
and western parts of the state.