Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-04-22
A TERRIFIC TORNADO.
scores of People Killed and Injured
Great Damage 60 Property.

ST. PAUL, April 14.--A tornado struck st.
Cloud, Mimi, at ADD o'clock this afternoon.
It came from south. westerly direction,
passed through the town, and went almost
due north, striking S.luk Rapids, Three miles
away, few seconds later.
The first news of the tornado was re-
ceiyed at the general niInr Of the st. Pnul,
Minneapolis, and MunitJ'n roads just
before 8 p. m.
The message said TINT the eompany's
freight depot had been swept away, and
every car In the company's yard blown over
| and carried several blocks.
second message WIS received few
minutes later, saying that 60 or 10 buildings
had been demolished.
sAUK RAPIDS IN GREAT DIsTREss--THE REVISED
ESTIMATES OF THE KILLED AND WOUNDED.
ST. PAUL, MINN., April 15.-At late hour
last night Governor Hubbard received
message from State Senator Buckman, at
sank Rapids, stating that the town was in
ruins and asking for all the aid possible.
The governor sent ne isages at once to
the mayors Of all cities and large towns in
the state asking that steps be taken at once
to secure money and things needed, and
forward them as speedily as possible to
Senator Buckman for the destitute.
1t is learned that among the injured is
ex-senator Il. q. Hubert, formerly of Bing-
hamton, N. Y. but at present north western
agent OF the New York Mutual Life Insnr-
ance Co. with head. quarters In st. Paul.
He is not expected to live. ~
Revised estimates OF the killed and
wounded are; st. Cloud, Is killed, 40
ininred Sauk Rapids, s0killed, 100 injured;
Riee's Station, 20 killed, number OF injured
yet unknown.
A CALAMITY CAUSING LOSS OF LIFE AND GREAT
DISTRESS.
ST, CIouD, MINI, April 15.-,lhe city has
been visited with u calamity, the CHASTITY
details of which have never been equaled
since the harvest of death at New Ulm and
Rochester few yeais ago; and the COM
munity Is groaning and wailing under
pail OF grief that is intensified as each hour
brings to light fresh evidence Of the terrible
work of the elements. few minutes after
o'clock yesterday afternoon the skies be-
came overcast with dark cloud, and u
great black mass rose over the hills south
west Of the city, and coming with terrible
velocity toward the western outskirts, in
direct line for the Manitoba freight yards.
The clouds hung low and rolled over and
over like smoke over o battlefield and were
accompanied by n loud roaring and crack
| ingsound that resembled u conilagratlon In
its fury. The cloud was funnel shaped and
the point of 1t dragged along the ground
like the tail of a huge aerial beast, lashing
everything that came inits path into atoms.
Citizens had hardly time to flee to their
cellars and seek other points Of refuge be-
fore the whirlwind was upon them, and the
air was filled with flying boards, shingles,
bricks and other debris, that was strewn
over the country and piled In promiscuous
| heaps.
1t came from the southeast and moved In
q northeasterly direction until 1t reached
tire river, when Its course was diverted and
| 1t followed the river banks until it reached
Sauk Rapids, where 1t diverged to the left,
passing directly through the centre of thai
town. The utmost excitement prevailed
Women and children fled from their house.
and rushed aimlessly about in the midst OF
the dark cloud of dust and an avalanche o.
| boards and bricks. Men lost their presence
Of mind and stood In silence and inactivity
in the presence of the wind demon. 1t was
hardly noticed before 1t was on the city in
| all Its fury, and people were not warned OF
| their danger before it was upon them, and
they fell like grain stalks before reaper's
sickle. The portion of st. Cloud struck by
| the cyclone was the southwestern and was
| the residence portion occupied by the
| laboring class of people, a majority OF them
being foreigners, employed on the railroads.
| Their dwellings were light-built houses
| and became an easy prey to the monster
that had so viciously pounced upon them.
| They were like cookie shells in the grip of
| the whirlwind and were picked up and
| tossed In the air and rent into thousand
pieces Tho earth was plowed up in the
| line of the cyclone and the path ever
| which it passed to width of nearly
| quarter of a mile looks as those 1t had been
/ upheaved by terrible volcanic eruption.
| It 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 to
shldder. Cries and shrieks of the
/ wounded rent the air, and the ground wtls
strewn with the bodies of the dead. Among
| them were stalwart men, weak women and
| weaker children. Citizens almost to q man
rushed to the demolished districts and sum
moning physicians, began their work of
rescuing from beneath the piles OF dirt and
fallen buildings those who were still living.
Brainerd was promptly telegraphed to for
medical help and Immediately responded
by sending dozen physicians and surgeons
by q special train, but it was late IN the
| evening when they arrived on the scene.
ST, Paul and Minneapolis We're also ap-
pealed to, and special car was sent out
| with % surgeons and physicians for the
scene of the disaster. The scene on the
streets after dark was impressive. Knots
of men stood on the corners discussing the
disaster, and speaking touchingly of their
friends and acquaintances who had either
been killed or terribly wounded. On the
grounds the scene was u ghastly one. The
rain poured down In torrents, and hum
many Of them carrying lanterns searching
for bodies among the ruins. The hotel lob
bies were filled with excited citizens, many
of whom yet suspected that some portion
of their families or their friends had fallen
victims to the terrible disaster. Women,
seemingly unconscious OF the rain, and ig-
noring the turbid streams, gllded about
sobbing and moaning In their fright.
In the track of the cyclone stood the
Manitoba bridge and freight house and cars
loaded with freight. Down on them the
whirlwlnd pounced, and grasping the heavy
cars, lifted them from the tracks and cast
them TO pieces in a shapeless mass. The
iron rails were torn from the ties and twisted
like 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 several hundred feet. The sides
next succumbed, and over $4,000 worth OF
, freight was whirled through the air and
thrown into heaps and scattered by piece
meal over an area of a quarter of q mile
| Fifteen freight cars were demolished. The
operators in the telegraph office and en-
} ployes at the freight depots saw'the cyclone
coming and fled into the cellars and thus
r escaped.
| 1t was $50 O'Clock in the evening when
. the special car arrived from st. Paul and
) | Minneapolis. The run was made In two
hours, through terrible thunder storm
The skies hung low with black clouds, and
zig-zag streaks of lightning made lurid riffs
in the black pail. while peals of thunder toe
> deep to he drowned by the roar of the cal
! wheels shook tho air. Through the nil
drove torrent of hail and rain with sufIl
Client force to almost break the car win
: dows, but undaunted, through the battling
= elements, the locomotive drove at the rate
9 OF So miles an hour. Along the road wer,
4 signs of terrible storms apparent on eithe
| hand and the etraams had bllret over thi
confines Of their banks and covered thu
prairies until the country bad the appear
ance of world of angry waters.
CROWDS ATTRACTED TO THE SCENES OF DEATI
d AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 90 MILE
u AWAY.
ST.. CLOUD, MINI, April 16.--The city !
n filed TO overlooking with visitors from al
y over the state. So many in fact are her
o that numbers are unable to secure prope
accommodations. Farmers have come Il
from the surrounding districts by scores
I. and apparently have no other business thai
o to look over the ground so lately visited b
d the cloud of devastation and stand aroun
the corpses and comment on their appear
~ anee.
:, A report comes from the lower portion
n Of Douglass county, Just south of AleS
= andria, that three farm houses were torn t
shreds by the wind but there is no intima
ton that there was loss OF life. Farmer
.s from the northwest part of the county te
10 almost Incredible stories of finding rem
4, mans tofbuildings on their property go mile
distant from the city and portions of organ
lr and pianos have been picked up 15 mile
from the city and brought in as curiositie
ie The prairie for miles north west of il
Or track of the cyclone Is full of pieces (
le plank driven a foot or more into thegronn
At which gives a limited idea of the terrib
as force with which they must have bee