The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-15
Two Minnesota Towns Devastated by a
Wind-StOrm of Terrible Violence.
st. Cloud and Sauk Rapids the Scenes of De-
struction-Forty-Five Persons Killed
Outright and About Sixty Injured
Hundreds of Dwellings and Stores Lev
eled to the Earth in Both Places.
&c.,
Pecuniary loss at Sank Rapids Very Heavy
Both Towns Appeal for orImmediate Assists s
ance-Damage by Storm Elsewhere.

ST. PAUL, MINI. April 14-St Cloud and
Sauk Rapids were swept by 3 terrible Obstructive
cyclone this afternoon. The first knowIsdes of I
the disaster was contained in the following tele-
gram sent to Mayor Ames from st. Cloud, ask
ing for help:
''To Mayor Ames, Minneapolis-A Obstructive
cyclone passed over St Cloud and Sank Rapids
late this afternoon. There has been terrible
obstruction here. Please send up all the assist
ance you can, Immediately, by special train.
Send physicians and surgeons" ass
kilograms to the following effect were re-
ceived FROM Sank Rapids:
'To Mayor Ames, Minneapols--Can you send
special train with physicians to this city2 A
cyclone passed over the city this afternoon. A
great many are believed to have been killed, but
the number is not yet known"
Immediately upon the receipt Of these mes
sages preparations were made to respond to tie
call for. help. A train for st. Cloud left at
o'clock. The information at hand.is very meagre,
and sensational reports are current that 100 peo.
pie were killed. 1t is believed at least forty
persons have been killed and about seventy-fiya
wounded. but it is impossible to get much In
formation as yet. All is excitement, and the
streets are filled with excited men, women and
children. The disaster is certainly appalling
AS near as can be learned, scores of houses havs
been entirely wrecked. esss * sa
The following physicians were aboard the Fe: s.
lief train which left for st. Cloud: Drs. Ames,
Kilvington, Freeman, Quinby, Lee, Bunker
Gibson. Bofiin, Allen and Vancleave.
The city is full of rumors. and it is very diff
cult to obtain reliable news The storm struck
St Cloud between the round house and the
freight depot and swept path severa, hundred
yards wide through the city, levelling between
$50 nd 200 houses. N. H. Clark, a we'll known
lumber man, who lives in ST. Cloud, says ninety
persons were killed in that city, and more than
a hundred injured many very seriously.
Superintendent Wakeman, of the Manitoba
road, says that between thirty and forty per-
sons were killed at Sauk Rapids, a small town
the Manitoba and Northern Pacific roads, a
few miles from ST. Cloud. and nearly double
that number injured The telegraph wires
northwest of this city are all down, and no
news direct from either st. Cloud or Sauk
Rapids has been received since o'clock A
terrible thunder storm passed over St Paul
and Minneapolis about 6 o'clock, and heavy
hail-storm followed, though of but short dura
ton.
Near Fergus Falls house was struck by
lightning, and Clement Crogan and hircd man
were severely injured. Several times lightning
struck in Minneapolis, terrifying people, but SO
far as learned doing no particular damage Tbs
when Rochester and Elgin were devastated by a
tornado
The St Cloud cyclone began about 8 o'clock,
in the basin of the Masonic cemetery, forming
whirlwind about one thousand feet in diameter.
1t took most every tree in circle from the
ground, or twisted it off at the trunk. Great
stones were torn up and carried along with the
wind, moving slowly in northeasterly direction.
1t wrecked the Catholic Church and several
houses in its course across the prairie adjoining
the town. 1t completely demolished John
Schwartzs large brick house. and scattered fifty OF
morr smaller frame houses like feathers. In
most cases nothing was left to mark the site OF
the dwellings but tho cellars The prairies were
strewn with furniture. The freight depotof the
Manitoba road is a total wreck. Cars loaded
with freight were blown a mile, and the rails
wrenched from the ties. The storm crossed
the Mississippi at the Sauk Rapids wagon
bridge, which it demolished. Stanton's grist
mill was also sieveled. From there it swept
through the center of the = town, taking
the best of the business portion, including the
courthouse, hotel, public school, and every inn
portant business, building in town, except
Woods store. The village is virtually wiped
out The fatalities in st. Cloud, though great
are not equal in number to those in Sauk
Rapids. In every house most all the inmates
were more or less hurt The dead, at st. Cloud
SO far as known. as follows:
Mick Junemann. Mrs. Weisman and little girl
fou--year old son of B. o. Wreski; a seven
year-old son of Frank Geinskoffski; Mrs. Swain
four yearold son of P. Waldorf; s. A. Young
railroad man. His brother William had both
legs mashed, and they had to be amputated
An unknown railroad employe, j. Van Horsen.
two young children Of NJ Csno and babe Of
Mrs. Knolls were also killed.
The dead at Sauk Rapids far heard from
are: ]. Berg, merchant, and his two chidren
John kenard, county auditor George Lindiey,
county treasurer; two children of O. @. Wood;
Edgar Hill, president of the German American
National Bank. Abner Styr, child Of p Car
penter and Judge Beaupre Of the probate court
were all fatally injured.
From Sank Rapids the storm went to Rieea