Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-04-22
DEATH.sMITTEN TOWNS.
Awful Work Of the Cyclone at Sauk
Rapids and st. Cloud,
MINI.
The Groom, Minister, and Eleven Others
OF Wedding Party Instant
ly Killed.
Terrible Scenes at the Devastated Towns
Deadly Storms in Iowa and
Other States.
Ist. cloud Mimi speoiaI. !

lou. OlOuu tM1nn.) Speclal.t
So far from being exaggerated it Is certain
that the first reports of the horrible work OF the
cyclone did not reach the full measure OF the
calamity. 1t is now known that ffty-eight peo-
pie have been killed, viz, thirteen az St. Cloud,
thirty-three at sauk Rapids, and twelve ON the
road TO Rics's. At least one hundred more a-e
tain, will only be removed from that list TO be
added to the roll OF the dead. 1t is not ST. Cloud
which has suffered most terribly. Here the
death Of thirteen e1ple is bad enough but the
tale that sauk Rapids has to tell is immeasur-
ably saddtr Perhaps that OF Rfce'H IL suddest
OF all. Here the outskirts Of the city only were
struck. The very core and heart Of Sauk Rap
ids was torn out
All OF that portion of the village OF st. Cloud
northwest Of the bridge presents scene Of al
most total oblitt ration. Where yesterday were
the scenes of active business, to-day horror and
total destruction reign supreme. The fine pas
senger and freight depot of the Northern Pacific
Railroad lies piled up, huge mass OF g. ound-
up lumber. The schoolhouse was rent into the
finest pieces imaginable by the destroyer and
like all buildings in the line OF the storm, is far
beyond repair. Fortunately school had
been adjourned for vacation last Friday and
no one was in the building ut the time
The Court House is a conglomeration on Of building
material fully ten feet deep, which is being rap
idly cl ared away by the workmen. Nearly all
the records saved intact in the vaults, ex-
cept few that were lying loose in the building
and in use at the time the cyclone passed
through. 1t was here that the County Auditor
and Register Of Deeds were killed while work
ing Mt their post Of duty. Judge OF Probate
Beaupre received n WOunu upon MS bkull III
the fall OF this building. but he will probably
live.
Sauk Rapids is n sickening sight The dwell
ing houses are strewn in extreme confusion,
and their owners are unable to distinguish the
material that yesterday made up their peaceful
homes.
The pen is powerless to paint picture that
would give the reader perfect idea of the con-
dition of affairs. Men are here who have lost
every dollars worth of property that they owned,
and added to this afiiction many OF them have
10 grief CauHed Calani-
| tous death OF doar friends or relatives. 4
The rumor Of the destruction OF u wedding
| party near Rice Station, on the Northern Pacific
| Road, proves too true. The party was assembled
at the residence OF John Shulz, farmer, to cele-
| brate the wedding OF his daughter Mamie, and
| the ceremony was performed about / o'clock by
| Rev. Gustavus Smith. The afternoon was spent
| in social enjoyment, and at o'clock the party
| only few guests having departed, gathered
about the wedding feast 1t was u happy party
| of nearly forty people celebrating the bridal
festivities of the favorite daughter of the house
| The cyclone came, and in the space OF five
minutes the house was converted into kind
| ling-wood and scattered all over the farm
The nuptial viands were distributed over
| several acres, and of the happy party of q few
| minutes before ten were corpses and many 9th
ers injured, several OF whom will die. There
| was not building left in which the few sur.
| vivors could no. care for those not past help
| The bridegroom was killed outright but the
| bride was only injured. The nelghbors who had
| escaped the fury of the cyclone came to the
rescue, and the bodies OF the dead Were taken tC
ever a more miserable more appalling, picture
| of the sudden approach OF death in the midst o
| life and happiness? Farmers from the north
Test R&Tt IT % 2f the feHnsE tel u almost
| property twenty miles distant from the city
| and portions OF organs and pianos have beer
| picked up fifteen miles from the city
| and brought i'm as curiosities. The prairie fol
miles northwest Of the track Of the cyclone i
full of pieces of plank driven foot or moro int
| the ground, whi IN gives a limited idea of the
terrible force with which they must have beer
driven by the wind. The freakish disposition
| of the tornado is evident in cases where small
kitchens were taken from the body of the house
and carried hundreds OF feet without disturbing
the main structure in the least, Dogs wer
found with the scalps torn from their skulls q
neatly as could have been done by the scalpel
and small houses are now standing
with the chiInneys torn off, while large
buildings but few rods away wer
SO badly rent and shattered that onl
the cellar remains to show where it stood. Tn
sides Of many of the buildings are pierced witt
thick wall only large enough to protrude lik
huge psgs. In the walls Of the other building
holes are noticeable that seem to have beel
made by cannon balls. Panels have been tor
| from the doors, and, with this exception, tn
buildings seem to have been untouched.
In other houses window-panes have beel
| blown out and the sash untouched. The wall
of many OF the buildings have @ blackened al
! | pearance as though they had been fired an
badly smoked. 1t is estimated that forty fam
, | ilies are homeless and in destitute ciroum
stances and relief is badly needed
The sign "Sauk Rapids ON the Manitob
Depot, and a casket full of books were found
, Rice Station, fifteen miles distant. This show
! the terrible power Of the storm.
A box-car was picked up from the track an
. . blown three blocks and dropped into ravine.
! The storm extended from Jamestown, Oak
through Minnesota and into Wisconsin, thoug
its most disastrous effects are to be found in th
: three places first named.
corps of men were busily engaged durin
/ the day washing the blood from the mutilate
: faces, and composing as well as possible the di
torted features During the forenoon the II
7, terror of the engine house presented an appeal
= ance that would cause the stoutest man
I shudder. Fifteen collins were ranged along ii
) sides of the room some OF them containing II
y lifeless remains, the others waiting for the
q CHASTITY tenants.
,, The Storm In Iowa.