Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-04-23
A httfnl Calamity Befalls St Cloud,
81 sank Rapids and Rioe's
=. Station. =.
A Cyclone of Tremendous Power Sweeps
Through the Towns, Destroying
All in Its Path.
Twenty Five or Thirty Persons Killed
and Hundred Injured at Sank
Rapids.
ST. CLOUD DEVASTATED.

upon being north OF the track of cyclones,
for it was this afternoon swept by one Of
the most horrible tornadoes in the history of
Minnesota. Sharp points were first seen to
dart down from the clouds, and so far as this
town ia concerned the cyclone had its COM
mencement about O'Clock in the basin of
the Masonic cemetery, forming whirlwind
here about a thousand feet in diameter. 1t
took almost every tree in its circle from the
ground OF twisted 1t of at the trunk.
Great stones were torn up from the
earth and dragged along. Moving slowly
from here and combining itself to
space of 100 feet across, it passed north
east over Calvary hill, wrecking the Catho-
lie chapel and SCATTERING the crucifx. The
first house taken was Nick Jumemann's, and
it entered the city at John W. Tennford's
place, taking the rear part Of the house, and,
crossing St German street, completely de-
molished John Sohwartz's large brick house
From here It swept straight across the
prairie, scattering fifty or more smaller frame
houses like SO many feathers In most cases
nothing was left to mark the site of dwell
ings but the cellars The prairies were
strewn with timbers, furniture and cloth
ing.
DAMAGE TO THE MANITOBA PROPERTY.
The freight depot of the Manitoba railway
was directly in its path, and portions of it
and the cars on the track were blown half a
mile. Long lines of cars loaded with freight
were blown from the track and the rails
wrenched from place. 1t passed the limits
OF the town just west Of Lieut. Gov Gil1nan's
residence, taking part OF his fence and kill
Ing horses 1t crossed the Mississippi at the
Sank Rapids wagon bridge, taking the two
Stanton's grist mills took the full force, and
were leveled The cyclone swept from there
through the center Of the town, taking the best
Of the business part of it, including Berg's
hardware store, Beaupre Bros grocery, the
court house and hotel near by, the public
school building, part of the brewery, and
every important business house in the city
except G. G. Woods store. The village is
virtually wiped out Of existence, four-fifths
Of the buildings being leveled- The course
Of the storm through St Cloud was wit
messed by hundreds Of citizens There had
been short. sharp showel during the past
twenty -four hours, and q warm south wind
blowing at the time. The clouds were seen
to form just southwest Of the ctty-dark,
oveEhanging masses Then
SHARP TONGUES OF LIGHTNING
darted down, and the terrible whirlwind be-
gan Its fatal course, passing along slowly
and majestically. Whenever any warning
could be given all escaped safely. but In
most instances nothing was known of the
approaching destroyer until its awful roar
was heard too late for flight The part of
the town struck was that Of the poorer resi-
dents living in clumps of small frame houses,
often several families being in one house.
The men were nearly all laborers or railroad
men and away at their work, and only the
women and children left in the houses The
fatalities in St Cloud, though great, are not
equal in number to those in Sank Rapids,
but complete list there cannot now be OBJ
tanned In every house almost all the in
mates were more or less hurt, and their es-
capes from death were marvellous
THR ST CLOUD FATALITIES.
Mrs STEIN, widow,
AVvesSy