The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-08
TERRIBLE CYCLONE.
Fargo, N. Dak., in Ruins and a
Number Of Lives Lost.
A Hurricane Comes in the Dark Hours Of
the Night and ArOuseS the Se0perS.
The Electric Towers Blown Down and the
Town Left in DaTkneSS-Children
Crushed in a C0al-Bin.
Special Dispatches to The MORNING CALL

FARGO On. Dak.l, July This city was
visited this morning by the severest wind
storm ever known here. 1t began at 2:30
o'clock and continued for half an hour.
Earlier in the night there were some
indications Of rain. and about mid
night it began to thunder and light
ming. The wind first began
to blow from the south, but suddenly
shifted to the northwest, and in very short
time it was blowing a hurricane. The
three electric-light towers were soon
blown down. leaving the city in
almost impenetrable darkness, that was
relieved only by vivid flashes of lightning.
The frightened inhabitants were aroused
from their sleep. and lights were shining
from windows all over the city, but
outside there was nothing but darkness and
tempest, and nothing could be heard but
the angry roar OF the wind and the crashing
of flying debris.
By o'clock people were hurrying in
every direction to ascertain the amount
of damage done. An appalling dis
covery was soon made, the death
of seven children of the late Captain
James Mccarthy, who died only few
weeks ago. The children, who were at
home with their mother, sought safety in
a coal bin, where they were all crushed
to death. The mother was also
seriously injured, but it is thoug ht she will
recover. A few other persons sustained
slight injuries.
The Northern Pacific through north-bound
passenger train was blown from the
track, and many of the passen-
gers were severely but not dangerously
injured. The Northern Pacific repair and
machine shops and the freight depOts OF the
Great Northern and Milwaukee roads were
demolished. Several churches were badly
wrecked, and numerous other buildings
more or less damaged. The total damage
in the city is about SIS, 600.
ST. PAUL, July THE report is current
here that the town of Fargo. n. OAK, was
completely swept away by cyclone this
m orning. OF course, if the report be true,
there must be a great loss to lite. All the
indications sent confirm the reports. A
railroad man who arrived from that vicinity
this morning says terrific wind-Storm pre-
vailed this morning and several trains were
blown from the tracks. All the wires to
Fargo are down and the Western Union Of
fcials report that about tM o miles of poles
near Fargo, and between there and here,
have been blown down. West of Fargo
they say worse conditions exist, and that
miles and miles of wires and poles are
down. The last reports received by the
Signal Service from Fargo were at O'Clock
Sunday evening, and they showed a low
barometer, temperature OF So, wind with
velocity of six miles an hour, with condl-
tions good for Il storm.
REPORT CoRRoBoRATED.
General Passenger Agent Fee of the
Northern Pacific Railroad has the follow
ing telegram from Jamestown: About 2
o'clock this morning severe storm struck
Dakota Division Train / and blew it from
the track at the Fargo shops. The roof
was blown off the depot at Mapleton. One
of the elevators at Dalrymple was struck by
lightning and burned. The cars were
blown out on the main track at Buttsville.
1t will take six hours to make the track
passable there. The main line is clear
asid e from this. Fee says that if any one
ON the train had been killed or injured it
would certainly have been mentioned
TRAIN l INJURED.
The Northern Pacific furnishes this in
formation: Several people were injured
on Train /; none fatally, most of them
slightly. Colonel Thompson of the Puray
party, also a lady Of their party, were Sc
verely shaken up. The porter OF their car
was seriously injured. Purdy IS Secretary
and Treasurer of the Rock Island road.
His special car was attached to the train
which was blown from the track.
HEAVY LOSS OF LIFE REPORTED.
One of the reports received says seven
children were killed by being caught under
roof. Nearly all rumors mention heavy
loss of life. These reports are based on the
fact that nothing has been heard from
Fargo and Moorhead since o'clock this
morning, and the further fact that there
was undoubtedly storm which blew down
the wires in every direction.
CONFLICTING REPORTS.
More definite reports place the number
of deaths at nine. About one dozen are
injured. at least one of whom will die. No
estimates as to loss of property or the ex-
tent of the storm are vet received.
DETAILED STATEMENT.
The Pioneer Press contains the follow
ing: A Wabpeton IN. Dak.) correspondent
of the Pioneer Press telegraphs as follows:
"a straight wind from the northwest
struck Fargo at half-past 2 o'clock this
morning and great damage was done to the
city. The electric light towers were blown
down and whole blocks unroofed. Yerxas'
Wigwam, McGiil & Co.'s warehouse, the
Opera House, the Republican Office, the
Keeney Block, a battlement on the bank of
North Dakota, Chaplin Block, Exchange
Hotel, OOullU6uldl biOCh anu MdQlLODa
freight-h0use were unro0fed and the Mil
waukee Depot blown down. Dozens of
small houses were raZed and almost every
plate-glass window on Front street and
Broadway broken. j. Crooks hotel and
the Grand Pacific Hotel at Morehead were
Carthy was struck by lightning and de-
molishe1. Seven children were instantly
killed and Mrs. Mccarthy is not expected
to live. Two unknown tramps in a
box-car were killed. No. / passenger
train on the Northern Pacific, going
west had just pulled out of the yards and
stopped at the Milwaukee crossing. The
train was made of three baggage-cars and
nine coaches and sleepers, and party of
Chicago and Northwestern officials in their
own private car and in Superintendent Nc
Cabe's car. All of the coaches and the ten
der were blown from the track, but no
lives were lost and no one fatally hurt.
The lights had been put out, so there was
no fire or steam. Superintendent McCabe
and the conductor, brakeman and porters
acted very coOlly and calmed the fright
ened passengers, who were sent back to
the city I'M special coaches. The injured
passengers and trainmen,.s0 far as known,
are George A. Manning Of Post Falls,
Idaho, knee hurt and shaken up; }. F.
and leg hurt; Miss McCabe, sister of
Superintendent McCabe, ankle bruised !;
c. r. Helm, Ellensburg, Wash, knee hurt
and bruised; Mrs. Nordstrom, en- route
from Finland to Seattle to join her hus-
band, badly cut in several places, and the
tendons severed and the wrist cut; John
Richie, baggage master, cut in the head;
Albert Lee, express messenger, bruised !;
Addison Augur Palouse City, WASH. face
cut; Mrs. G. K. Grl1fiths, Miles City, Mont.
badly bruised; Warren G. Purdy, Vice
President of the Rock Island Railroad, and
family, accompanied by Colonel r. 5.
Thompson and wife. were In Purdy's pri-
vate car, but none we're seriously injured.
Colonel Thompson and wife were slightly
hurt. Fred Purdy was slightly cut, but the
others were unhurt,
REPORTS FROM oTHEg SOURCES.
MINNEAPOLIS, July Z. = The Western
Union has just got the wire into Moorhead,
across the river from Fargo. The signal
observer there telegraphed to Washington
that seven lives were lost in the cyclone and
thirteen injured.
A Detroit (Mich.) special correspondent,
inst arrive1 from Earro eava n tarrihla knr.-