Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-04-23
TERRIBLE CYCLONES.

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mt once 10 The MAY Ors of all cities
and large towns in the state, asking
that steps be taken a. once to Sc
cure money and things needed, and
forward them as speedily as posi-
bic TO Senator Buchanan for the des-
iitute. II is learned that among
The injured is ex-senator Hubert,
formerly of BinghamtOn, y. Y, but
at present northwestern agent OF
the New York Mutual Life Insur.
ance Company. with headquarters
IN st. Paal. He is not expected to
live. Revised estimates of the
killed and wounded are st. Cloud
- killed, 80 injured Sank Rap
ids 30 killed, 100 injured Rice's
Station - killed, number of injured
yet unknown.
ST. CLOUD, MINI, April ID
The city has been visited with ca
lamity, the CHASTITY details of which
have never beel equalled since the
harvest Of death at New Tim and
Rochester, few years ago, and the
community is grooming and walling
under a pail Of grief, that is inten.
slied as each hour brings to light
fresh evidence OF the terrible work
Of the clements. \ few minutes
after four o'clock yesterday after
noon the skies became overcast
with a dark cloud, and a great black
mass rose over the hills southwest
Of the city, coming with terrible
velocity towards the western out.
skirts, in n direct line for the Mani
toba freight yards. The clouds
hung low and rolled over and over
like smoke over a battle field, and
cracking sound that resembled a
cOnllagration in its fury. The cloud
was funnel shaped and the point
dragged along the ground like the
lail OF huge IriaI beast, lashing
everything that came in its path
into atoms. Citizens had hardly
time to flee TO their cellars and seek
other points Of refuge before the
whlrlwind was on them, and the
air was filled with flying boards,
shingles, bricks and other debris,
that was stTcwn over the country
and piled in promiscuous heaps
II came from the southeast and
moved in a nOrtheasterly direction
until it reached the river where its
course was diverted, and it followed
the river banks until it reached
Sank Rapids, where it diverged to
the left, passing directly through
the centre of that town. The ut
most excitement prevailed. WO.
men and children fled from their
houses and rushed aimlessly about
in the midst of the dark cloud of
dust, and avalanche of boards and
brick. Men lost their presence of
mind and stood in silence and mae
tiyl;y In the presence Of the wind
demon.
The portion Of st. Cloud struck
by the cyclone was the southwestern,
and was the residence portion Oc.
cupied by the laboring class of peO-
pie, "a majority OF them being for
cigncrs employed OH the railroad.
Their dwellings were light built
houses, and became an easy prey
10 the monster that had so vicious
IL bounced upon them. They were
like cookie shells IN the grasp Of
the whIrlwind, and were picked up
and tossed IN the air and rent into
a thousand pieces. The earth was
plOwed up in the line Of the cyclone
aud the path over which it passed
to the width of nearly quarter Of
u mile, looks as though it had been
upheaved by "a terrible volcanic
eruption. 1t had hardly begun its
terrible work before it was finished
and the scene that greeted the eyes
Of those who had escaped its fury
was one that caused the stOutest
heart 10 shudder. Cries and shrieks
Of the wounded rent the air, and
the ground was strewn with the
bodies Of the dead. Among them
were stalwart men, weak women,
and weaker children. Citizens, al
most to a man, rushed to the demol-
ished districts, aud summOning
ply siclans began their work of res
cutug those who were still living
from beneath the piles of dirt and
fallen buildings. Contiguous cities
which were appealed TO promptly
sent aid. The scene was CHASTITY
one. The rain poured down in tor.
rents, and hundreds of men wan.
dered over the ground, many Of
them carrying lanters, searching
for bodies among the ruins. In the
track of the cyclone stood the Man
itOba freight house aud cars filled
with freight. Down on them the
whirlwind bounced, and, grasping
the heavy cars, lifted them from
the tracks aud cast them to pieces
IN Il shapeless mass. The iron rails
were torn from the ties and twisted
liAe the smallest wires. Telegraph
poles were torn up, and the wires
twisted into curious masses. The
freight house was totally wrecked.
The roof was lifted and blown sew
cral hundred feet; the sides next
succumbed, anu over $4,000 worth
OF freight was whlrled through the
air and thrown into heaps, and
scattered by piecemeal over an
area of a quarter ola mile. Fifteen
freight cars were demolished. What
was the centre OF the town is now
covered with all sorts of debris,
timber, doors, pieces of furniture,
etc. Only the City Hotel remains
intact. The Northern Pacific depot
was literally blown away, and
large number of freight cars over
turned upon the tracks. At the
present time twenty-five dead bodies
have been recovered from the ruins,
ana large number of people are
injured. The spectacle is sad one,
the living being not only deprived
Of their friends, but of all their
earthly possessions at the same
time. The total loss of property is
not less than 100000, without a
dollar of cyclone insurance. Thorn
rs Van Etten was carried four |
hundred feet through the air and
IS fatally injured. lie weighed 25O