Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1886-04-24
In THE CYCLONES RUINS.

The city is filed with visitors from
all over the state. Farmers have
come in from the surrounding dis
tricts by scores, and apparently have
no other business than to look over
the ground so lately visited by the
cloud of devastation. A report
comes from the lower portions OF
Douglass county, just south of Alex.
andria, that three farm houses were
torn down BY the wind. Farmers
from the northwest part of the
country tell almost incredible stories
of finding remnants of buildings on
their property twenty miles distant
from this city, and portions of Oh
gans aud pianos have been picked
up fifteen miles from the city and
brought in as curiositieS. The pral.
RE for miles northwest of the track
of the cyclone is full of pieces of
plank driven a foot or more into the
ground, which gives a limited idea
of the terrible force with which they
must have been driven by the wind.
The sides of many of the buildings
are pierced with heavy splinterS.
In the walls of other buildings holes
are noticeable that seem to have
been made by cannon balls. Panels
have been torn from the doors, and
with this exception the buildings
seem to have been untouched. In
other places window panes have
been blown out and the sash I'M
touched. The walls OF many of the
buildings have blaekeaed appear
ance as though they had been fired
and badly smoked. A box car was
picked up from the track and blown
three blocks and dropped into ra-
vine. The fatal ending of the we'd
ding party near Rice's Station forms
the saddest feature of the whole.
sale destruction of life and property.
The party was assembled at the res
idence OF John Schulz, farmer, to
celebrate the wedding of his daugh.
ter Mamie, and the ceremony was
performed about one O'Clock by Rev.
Gustavus Smith. The afternoon was
spent in social enjoyment, and ut
four o'clock the party gathered
about the wedding feast. 1t was
happy assemblage of nearly forty
people celebrating the bridal festivi.
ties for the favorite daughter of the
house. The cyclone came, and in
the space of five minutes the house
was converted into kindling wood
and scattered all over the farm. OF
the happy party of few minutes
before, ten were dead and many
others injured, several of whom will
die. There was not building left
in which the few survivors could
care for those not past help. The
bridegroom was killed outright, but
the bride was only injured.
/ There was Il solemn mass of re.
QUEEN in the Cathedral at st. Cloud
this morning for the victims OF the
cyclone, Father Stemper officiating.
Thirteen of the bodies were in the
Cathedral. Similar services took
place in the Church Of the Immac
ulate Conception, where there were
four bodies. The services were con.
Quoted by Fathers Gross and Gas.
per. Both churches were heavily
draped. The funeral eortege passed
on Its way to the cemetery through
the devasted districts. About two
thousand persons were present, who
came from all over the country. The
dead were buried in two large
graves, nine adults IN one aid eight
children in the other. Mrs. Stein
was buried yesterday and Mrs.
Fehr today in the North Protestant
Cemetery. Annie Zeibold, three
years of age, died this morning from
the effects of fracture of the skull.
Wilbur Dahlmar, a farmer near
Buckmantown, twenty-five miles
from here, and workingman named
Clark, on Senator Buckman's farm,
we're killed.
Fifty four wounded have been at.
tended to at the hospital. Thirty
three are there at present aud five
at the convent. Every house in the
vicinity has one or more wounded,
and close on to one hundred injured
are in the two towns. Those in the
hospital are under the charge offive
doctors and fifteen Sisters of st.
Benedict. Two out of ten who sub
mitted to amputatIons will die. The
doctors are very busy, and have had
but little sleep. VIM. Shortage,
who had both legs amputated, lies
in critical condition. Mrs. Jung.
len was in the hospital to day look
ing after her wounded husband and
two children. Three of her children
who were killed were buried this
morning. Fourteen dead were bur.
led i'll the cemetery at Sank Rapids
today. Ten doctors have been in
attendance, and large number Of
nurses from st. Paul and Minneap-
oils are looking after the wounded.
Nothing has been done towards re-
moving the wreck in either st. Cloud
or Sank Rapids. The loss of prop
erty in st. Cloud is estimated at s70,
600 and in Sank Rapids at s2S0,00O
The wreckage on the railroad is es-
timated at $4,000.