St. Paul daily globe., 1885-07-17
RIINNETONK "A.
A Stormy Day at the Lake--The
Minnie Cook.

"A STORMY IeAe ESdheS- HC
Minnie Cook.
Overcoats and heavy wraps were worn uni
versally at Minnetonka yesterday. The day
was cold, stormy and cheerless, and one of
the most unpleasant and disagreeable ever
known on the lake. The ''spell of weather"
set in at2 o'clock in the morning and was
inaugurated with a lively electric storm,
which continued for about half an hour.
alternating heavy rain and hail with almost
continuous lightning. The wind sped over
the lake and its surroundings with terrific
force and was more diSagreeable than that
of the memorable 18th. Awnings were
blown down. blinds were loOsed and trees
were felled to the ground, while at various
points the docks were partially destroyed
by the whirlwind. At Shady Isle and on
Enchanted Island trees were upIoOted and
sent daShing across lawns, etc. At
Excelsior, the house of Mrs. MichaelS,
occupied by Mr.. Holmes and family,
was struck and chimney was destroyed.
The force of the current was sufficiently
strong to stun Mr.. Holmes, but aside
from this no damage was done here At
the farm of Joseph Miller, two miles from
Excelsior, the storm was severely felt. The
tornado and the lightning caused the de-
structlon OF his line barn at about a. m
The barn was nearly blown down and sub
sequently set on fire. A valuable horse.
two mules, large quantity of hay and
grain, all the carriages, harnesses. etc. i'm
the barn became prey to the fiery element
aad the loss to Mr.. Miller was a serious
one. The fire was seen from various points
on the lake. The storm ceased shortly be-
fore 3 o'clock and from that time until
daylight the elements were calm. The
l. ,oH Oh. II
ing from the southwest and there was no
cessation until after the curtains were
drawn and the lights eXtinguished for the
night. Small boats ventured carefully from
their moorings and pleasure parties
were exceedingly few in number.
The larger boats ran with scarcely enough
passengers to pay for fuel used during the
day. White caps were the rule rather than
the exception. and the lake was rather
rough during the entire day. Sam Critch-
field. engineer of the City. said that the
condition of the lake was the rOu ughest he
had ever experienced during four seasons.
Landings were made with great care by the
boats, and taken all iii all, the day was not
one that enhances summer business. One
picnic party ventured out from st. Paul,
but the participants kept on shore from
the time the steamer landed them at Lake
1drh Ill Jll0 HOIHlfg ullIl lcE T6Ul1TD III
the afternoon. During the evening the
rumOr was circulated that two young men
had capsized in Crystal bay and were
drowned. Up to a late hour there were
no developments to show the truthfulness
of the rumor, and it was generally regarded
as a hoax.
THE MINNIE COOK.
The steamer Minnie Cook, which was re-
onyarpH "Wednesday pUpninn ic OF
GOdfrey's boat yard undergoing repairs.
When found, the boat was all sound and
right, with the exception that two of her
pipes were broken and her smokestack was
missing. This condition of affairs probably
resulted from the efforts that were made to
raise the boat after the accident. The stern
curtains were down, and the throttle valve,
which turns the steam on the engine, was
wide open, which fact goes to show that
Minnie Cook was under full steam at the
lime of the disaster Mr.. Newell is having