St. Paul daily globe., 1889-01-11
BIG BLOW AT BIsoNvILLE.
A Cry of. Woe Go IS Up From tho
CITY at the Foot of the Lake.

A Cry of Woe Go IS Up From the
City at the Foot of the Lake.
SPECIAL to the Globe.
BUFFALO, N. Y, Jan. 10.-FrOm an
early hour last night until noon to-day
a wind storm ravished this city. No
such scene of destruction has been wit
messed here in seventeen years. In the
city proper shade trees were uprooted
and thrown across the streets, electric
wires were torn down, and chlnfneys,
windows. signs and roofs blown about
promiscuously. here were no indi-
vidual losses of great amount. but col
lectively the destruction wrought
by the wind is extensive. 1t
was in the exposed portions OF
the city bordering on the lake
where the damage was greatest and the
most suffering enSued. A cry OF woe
went up from the strip of land known
as ''the Island' this morning. Desola-
tiOn and destruction relgned along the
sea wall at the foot of Michigan street.
The awful scenes Of the fall OF 1856 were
repeated and were even worse A mere
chaos of window frames. roofs ETC..
marked the spot where yesterday stood
many little cottages close to the sea
wall, and no better example can be fur
nished of the terrific wind and wave.
The people living In the houses near
the beach at the foot of Porter avenue
suffered terribly during the storm.
About three O'Clock this morning the
water
FLOODED THE RAILROAD TRACKS
and began to pour down into the low
land below the track. Tine water
poured into the cottages and shanties
and the people made a hurried toilet
and prepared to escape. Many were
scantily clad. The people waded
through water foot deep and most of
them took refuge in houses across the
Porter avenue bridge. The household
effects were almost ruined. Twenty
families were rendered homeless and
their little property almost entirely
swept away. Many of them are very
poor and are left in the worst plight
imaginable. There were rumors of
loss of life, but so far but one is verti-
fed. There were many narrow
ceeded in rescuing portions Of their
household goods, which are p led Oh the
railroad tracks above high water. The
Tiff farm aud "the flats' are flooded so
high that people living in that section
had to be rescued from second-story
windows. The Thirteenth ward is
under water. The railroads suffered by
washouts where they run along the
Buffalo creek, and transfers had to be
made at that point. But few trains left
the city to-day, and those arriving were
several hours late. Charles Wagner was
killed at Grand Island ferry this morn
ing by the falling of building. Wag-
ner and companion were in Schwartz's
saloon when
THE ROOF FELL THROUGH,
crushing Wagner to death. His COM
panion escaped. Wagner's body was
found this afternoon. He was about
fifty-five years of age and an IRON
worker by trade. When found he had
a cat in his arms and the cat had a
mouse III her mouth. All of course
were dead. Some time before that
Swartz took his gun and other property
out of the saloon and placed them i'll a
safe place. Wagner was warned to
quit tie place, but went up stairs with
his w cat to bed. The ferry boat was
swept completely away; SO was
Schwartz IL Oehrig's saloons and TWEEN
tv-three boat houses. The Jefferson
Fishing clubs house is badly wrecked.
1t is believed the entire damage in the
vicinity will reach $1,000. The rear
third of the roof of School 1, together
with two chimneys. was torn from its
fastenings, carried into the air and fell
upOn either side of the building. Heavy
timbers were buried
DEEPLY IN THE GROUND
and great quantities of the debris fell
upon dwelling house occupied by Mr..
Dickinson, crushing the front portion
of the roof. One heavy timber rene-
trated the roof and narrowly missed
young boy in his bed.
At TolOWanda the storm played havoc
with the docks and lumber piles last
night. Peter Hittle. planning mill
hand, while asleep in bed, was struck
by flying board which crashed through
a window. He suffered fracture of
the colarbone and shoulder blade.
The damage to shipping and docks dur
ing the storm last night was extensive,
though so scattered that no one is
feet or more, and with this and the
waves to add to the impetus given the
vessels by the wind. many of them
broke adrift and went ashore or drifted
into other crafts, breaking spars,
rigging, etc, The most serious YES
sci stampede was in the Erie basin.
The Lackawanna prOpellers Rus
sia and Grar4 Traverse first
broke loose. The Russia made break
for the Exchange elevator, where she
was received without much damage,
but the Grand Traverse opened on the
Lackawanna and the Scranton and two
other propellors of the line. The Pas
saic's stern was crushed in as though it
had been an egg shell. A floater fell
over. smashing itself and doing some
damage to other vessels. Campbell &
Radcliffe's floating elevator also fell
over and two of the group of ice houses
standing in the basin also went to
pieces.