St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-06-15
Great Destruction and Loss from Fridays
Storm in Yellow Medicine and
Lyon Counties.
One Person Killed and Several Injured,
While There We're Several Mi
raculous Escapes.
Foot Pads at st. Professionalism In
Fargo--Chippewa Falls
Murder.
News From Various Points in the
Northwest Cleaned by Globe
Correspondents.
Terrible Storm Experience.

special to the GLOBE.
MINNEoTA, Mimi, June 1S.-A severe
storm of wind and hail, about four miles
wide and fifteen in length, struck section
of country about seven miles north OF this
place at $3.50 p. m. yesterday. Mrs. Z. w d:
Gilbert's home was blown down and
entirely demolished. The family
were at supper when the wind
carried the house away, leaving
them at the mercy of the
elements. When found about 1 o'clock i'll
the morning by a neighbor, who heard
their cries. the woman was holding the
dead body of her eldest boy, aged 10, on
her lap. the other three children clinging to
her. They were all more or less bruised
and cut up with the hail stones and flying
timberS. The youngest child, aged 2, is
not expected to live. Two entire town
ships were swept over, the crops being en-
tirely destroyed and many buildings leveled
20 the ground. Large numbers of stock
were killed and farming implements StreW
the prairie for miles.
LATER DETAILS.
Special to the Globe.
MINNEoTA, MIMI, June 1.-THE track
of Fridays storm in this vicinity. as near
rs can be learned at present, passed through
the following townships in Yellow Medl-
zine county: Wergland, Burton, Swede,
Prairie. NOrmanna. SanneS and the north
ern part of Westerheim, RallerS and Lucas,
In Lyon county. The afternoon was hot
Ind sultry, and as evening approached the
clouds were seen gathering in the north
west. Not breath of air was stirring. AT
$3.50 %. IN. the storm broke in all its fury.
The clouds were formed of an understreak
Of black with a heavy white cap. There
IN htl nothing
but a heavy, steady wind, which hummed
like machinery rather than roared OF
whiStled, as is usual in such
storms. The hail, over the larger
part of the territory covered by the storm,
was very heavy and in many places hail
stones as large as hens eggs were picked
up Crops were beaten into the ground,
tTees were completely stripped. windows
broken. stock bruised and killed and many
people injured. The wind made clear
sweep of every movable article in its path,
leaving the prairie strewn with debris.
Houses, barns and granaries were moved
from their foundations, blown down, torn
to pieces and in many instances entirely
demolished. The following is list OF
parties who suffered damage, as far as re-
ported: Swede Prairie: Christian Olson,
barn and granary blown down, damage to
buildings $3.50: B. Neiberg, barn blown
down, damage $500: Edward ThOrleifsOn,
house and barn totally demolished, the fam
lily escaping uninjured by going
in the cellar and covering the
children's heads to protect them
from the hail. Thorleifson was badly
bruised. T. II. Eastman, house and barn
blown away. loss $500; Ed Lindberg, new
barn destroyed, loss 5000; Alfred Eckland.
new house blown down, loss $500; Benja-
min Pierson. new barn, loss 5000; ten acres
of fine trees were entirely de-
stroyed; A. II. Challen, house, loss $500.
Loss on crops and trees estimated at $780,
900. In the town of Wergland the losses
were as follow: w. F. King, barn, loss
$780, Estimated loss to trees and crops,
S1O.O In Burton. the following prop
erty was destroyed: William Bayard, large
barn $500; C. Bayard, large barn $1,000;
NJ. J. Hooker, barn, $500; 81. B. Upham,
house and barn, 50, 900; F. Rockwell, barn,
$500: J. P. MealeSter, barn, partially de-
strOyed, 5000; G. A. Vandusen, house, loss
$500; Lafayette Glenn, house and granary,
$500; J. w. Hay, new barn, $500; Mrs. G.
A. Gilbert, house $500: total loss on crops
and trees, $50, 600. Town of Normanna:
G. Kittleson, house, $500; Olaf jacobson,
house, $500: loss on crops and trees, S25.-
OOO Town of Walters: John Anderson, stable
and granery, 5000; II. o. Prestigarden, house,
5000: loss to crop in northern part of town
ship SO. O0O Town of WeSterheim: A. T.
Hellickson. large barn, 81, 900; Ed Cassiday,
house moved sixteen feet; Thor Thorn,
house, 500; S. HOgnasson barn, $500; j.
D. Stensand granary. $500; K. S. Thomp-
son. house, $500; G. Peterson, granary, $500
damage to crops and trees $4,000. Town
Of Sannes: A. Olson, barn, 5000; Ole Lar
son, house and machinery, $500; John
Olson. granary. $500; y. Larson, machinery,
$500: loss on crops and trees IS, 600. Town
of Lucas: ]. Nelson, barn $500, machinery
1900. stock $50: T. Strawshin, barn 300,
stock 5000: T. Reishus, two horses
killed by lightning; estimated that 700
acres of wheat were destroyed in this town.
ship 1t is impossible to correctly estimate
the total amount Of damage. The figures
above may be taken as a low estimate. 1t
is feared that a more careful investigation
may develop further and more serious dam
age than has been reported. Those killed
and in ured were:
FREDDY GILBERT age 10 years, killed
by flying timbers.
MRS. c. W. GILBERT, badly bruised
FRANK GILBERT, age years, badly
bru ised.
JENNIE GILBERT, age years, badly
bruised and cut.
ANNA GILBERT, age years. badly bruised
and injured internally.
MRS. BARLOW, injured internally.
These parties had just sat down to supper
when the house was carried away.
CHRISTIAN OLSON, three ribs broken.
MRS. CHRISTIAN OLSON, bruised and cut
in the leg.
Two boys, name unknown, one had an arm
broken and the other shoulder dslocated.
AS is usual with most storms of this kind
there were some peculiar phenomena. In
P. c. Bayard's house large hailstone
passed in through a wire screen and window
in the west part of the house and out
through a window on the south side. Ed.
Cassdy's house was moved fourteen feet,
but himself, wife and three children escaped
uniniured, although the furniture and crock
cry were demolished. The prairie was
completely submerged, as the rain fell SO
fast that the water covered the ground from
twelve to eighteen inches deep.
The wind carried water and fish
from the lakes onto the high land,
and in plowed burrows small fish
were found swimming forty-eight hours
after the storm. Among the more miracu-
lous escapes may be mentioned that OF the
property belonging to Andrew Hellickson.
His barn collapsed and fell into the base
ment burying the horses, which only
escaped death by a threshing machine which
protected them from the timbers. It is
impossible to give graphic description of
the appearance of the country devastated.
On every foot of the prairie you may find
some trace of the storm. The damage in
fiicted upon the farmers in this vicinity is
such as cannot be replaced without years
of toll.
Thugs at Work.
Special to the Globe.
ST. PETER, June 13.-Sihce the encamp-
mant burglars and thugs have been getting