The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-04-22
A CYCLONES WORK.
St Cloud, Sank Rapids and Rice's,
Three Northern Minnesota
Towns Viltcd.

lllGC NWluCll MllllC0UlQ
Towns Viltcd.
The List Of Dead SiIty-eight and a
still Larger List Of |
Wounded.
The cyclonic period Of 1855 was calamitoasly
ushersd in between p. =. on the 18th inst
Northern Minnesota was the scene Of the calam-
ity and st. Clond, city q 5000 Inhabitants,
Sauk Rapids, town two niles distant and
Rice's, small railroad station sixteen miles far
ther North were The scene of The greatest diras-
ter, though immense damage was done In the
surrounding country. correspondent OF the
st. Paul Globe, writing in the evening Of the
18th Of the calamity in St. Cloud said:
A few minutes past o'clock the skies be-
came overcast with dark clouds, and great
black mass rose over the hills southwest Of the
city and came with terrible velocity towards the
western outskirts In direct line for the Manito-
b. freight yards. The clouds hung low and
rolled over and over like smoke over battle-
held, and were accompanied by loud roaring
and cracking that resembled holocaust in ito
fury. The cloud was funnel-shaped and the
point dragged along the ground like the tail Of
huge aereal besst lashing everything that
came In lite path into atoms. Citizens hardly
had time to dee to their cellars and seek other
points Of refuge before the whirlwind was on
them and the cir was filed with lying boards,
shingles. bricks and other debris that was
strewn over the country and piled in promiscu-
ous heaps The cloud came from the
southeast and moved In . northeasterly d.
rection until It reached the river. whsrs IT.
course was diverted and Il followed the
river bank until It reached Sank Rapids, where
it diverged TO the left and passed directly
through the center or that town. The utmost
excitement prevailed. Women and children
ran from their houses and ned aimlesely about
In the midst OF the dark cloud Of dust and the
avalanche OF boards and bricks. Men lost their
presence OF mind and stood aweA into silence
and inactivity in the presence Of the wind
demon. 1t was hardly noticed before It was ON
the city in all its fury, and the people we're not
warned OF their dange- before 1t was upon them,
and they fell like grain stalks before the reap
eh sickle. The portion Of st. Cloud stsuck By
the cyclone was the southwest, and was the res
idence portion occupied BY the laboring class Of
people, the majority Of them being foreigners
employed on the railroads. Their dwellings
were light board houses, aud became easy prey
70 the monster that had % viciously pounced up
n them. They were like cockle-shells in the grip
Of the whirlwind. and we're picked up. tossed in
the sir, rent into ten thousand pieces, and scat
tered to the four winds or heaven. The earth
was plowed up in the line Of the cyclone, and
the track over which It passed TO the width Of
nearly quarter OF mile looks % though II had
been upheaved by terrible volcanic eruption
It had hardly begun it, terrible work before It
was finished. and the scene that greeted the
eyes Of those who had escaped it's fury, was one
that caused the stoutest heart " shudder. The
cries and shEieks Of the wounded rent the air,
and the ground atrewn with the bodies Of
the dead, among whom were stalwart men, weak
women and weaker children. The citzens a.
most to man rushed 10 the demolished district,
and summoning physicians began their work Of
rescuing those who were still living, from be-
meath the piles Of dirt and fallen buildings
Drsinerd was promptly autographed Tor medical
help, and she promptly responded by sending
dozen physicians and surgeons by special train
but It was late in the evening when they arrived
on the scene. St. Paul and Minneapolis wer.
also appealed to. and special car was sent ont
with twenty-thre surgeons and physicians for
the scene Of disaster.
The scene on the streets after dark was an Inn
pressive one. Knots Of men stood ON corners
discussing the features OF the disaster and
speaking touchingy Of their friends and &C
quaintances, who had either been killed or terri
bly, wounded. On the ground the scene Was :
ghastly one. Rain poured down in torrents, and
hundreds OF men wandered over the ground,
many OF them carrying lanterns searching for
bodies among the ruins Hotel l0bbies were filed
with excited citizens, many OF whom yet sus-
pected that some portion Of their family Or their
friends had fallen victims TO the terrible mon
ster. Women seemingly unconscious Of the rain
that was falling and converting cutters into tur-
bid streams, glided through the streets sobbing
and moaning in their fright. The scene dcaes
description. In the track Of the cyclone
stood the Manitoba freight house, and cars
filed with freight. Down ON them the whirl-
| wind pounced, and, grasping the heavy cars,
lifted them from the tracks and cast them In
| shapeless masses. Iron rails were torn from the
| ties and twisted like the smallest wires. Tel
| egraph poles were torn mp and wires twisted In.
| TO curious masses. The freight house Was to-
| tally wrecked. The roof was lifted and blown
| several hundred feet The sides next sue
| cumbed and over 5000 worth oe freight was
| whirled through the air and thrown into heaps
and scattered By piecemeal over an area Of
quarter Of mile. Fifteen freight cars were de-
molished. Operators in the telegraph once and
employees at the freight depot saw the cyclone
coming and ned to the cellars and thus escaped.
It was $3.50 in the evening when the special
| car arrived from st. Paul and Minneapolis,
/ bringing Drs. J. H. Murphy. w. w. Day, Richie,
Abbott and Denslow Of st. Paul, and H. G. Ives
| Of the Manitoba road and Lieut.. Gov. Gil
man and ex-senator Mcdonald, from this city,
who were In St. Paul when they learned Of the
calamity. The train was drawn By engine $50,
uuder Engineer Olafson and In charge Of Con-
ductor Dyson, and the run was made in two
hours through terrible thunder storm, and the
night was 90 black that during most Of the way
the engineer was unable to descsy objects on
the track Ave feet ahead Of the engine. At
Ainneapolis Mayor Ames, accompanied by
eighteen city physicians, boarded the train, also
members Of the police and detective forces.
Ar. Gilman was laboring under terrible appre-
hension that his family had suffered, - his
| dwelling stood almost in the direct line Of the
storm, - It was reported to have moved by the
specials sent to st. Paul, but he learned upon
arriving here that bis property had escaped un-
touched, and he Immediately turned his
attention to the aiding the sufferers.
BY $50 all the bodies that could be found
were taken from the ruins and cared for. The
| dead were taken to the Little Giant engine
house and stretched out on the door, while the
wounded we're sent TO St. Benedict hospital,
where they were promptly cared for BY the
corps Of physicians and nurses, among whom