The Minneapolis observer., 1890-08-23
A BALEFUL BLAST.
Pennsylvania Towns Suffer from
a Cyc' one.
Fifteen or Twenty Persons Killed In
wilkesbarre-The Victims in Neigh
boring villages May Swell the
List OF Deaths to 100.
HEAVY PROPERTY LOSSES.

ifs-thh isOSSESs
WmKEsBARRE, Pa, Aug. 20.-At 5
o'clock Tuesday afternoon a cyclone
struck this city. Whole rows of trees
were blown down. Following this hun
dreds of houses were unroofed,
partially blown over or completely de-
molished, and, worse than all, number
of lives were lost. The exact number
is not known, but 1t is thought that
from fifteen to twenty per-
ished. Large districts in sew.
eral sections of the city are in
absolute ruin, and women and children
are homeless in the streets. The dam
age will reach hundreds of thousands of
dollars. Railroad cars and locomotives
were blown over and every wire in the
city--electric light, telephone and tele-
graphs down. The devastation is to be
compared with nothing in the memory of
the Oldest inhabitant.
The total number OF deaths so far as
asccrtained is twelve. Four men are
known to have been killed in the
Hazard wire-rope works. A house on
Scott street, occupied by miners who
had just returned from work, fell in,
and three of the inmates were killed.
The huge stack of the Kyle planning
mill fell on man and two
horses and all were killed. A
little colored girl was killed by a falling
building on South Main street Two
men suffered death by the falling of a
portion of Stegmaier's brewery and a
third incurred the same fate through
the almost complete demolition of S.
l.. Browns handsome brick business
block on East Market street There
were, undoubtedly, fifteen or sixteen
others killed. 1t is impossible at this
time TO give the names or particulars
It is already known that fully 200
buildings have been blown down or
otherwise damaged. Many of the struct-
ures were of large size and of great
value. Approximate losses only can be
given, as follows:
Hazard wire-rope works, s25, 600; ST. Mary's
Catholic Church, sl5.000; Malinckrodt Convent
1900; Murray shaft $4,000; Hollenback shaft
5000; White Haven Ice Company. 5000; Lee
high Valley depot, 5000; Pennsylvania Rail
road Company round house. 1900; Ahlborn's
pork-packing house, 5000; Paine's OIL house,
1900; Dickson Manufacturing Company, 5000
In addition to these, hundreds OF citizens have
suffered losses running from 800 to 5000.
Mayor Sutton has issued a proclama-
ton calling on the members of the
Ninth Regiment to assemble at the
arnory to aid in the police supervision
OF the city. He also requested all idle
working-men to report to him for labor
In clearing the debris The wires are
working so badly that it is almost i'm
possible to get any thing off. The esti-
mated loss at midnight is $500, 900, al
though it may reach a higher figure.
The suffering is great
Loss OF LIFE AT OTHER TOWNS.
Reports come from Sugar Notch, a
mining town three miles from here, that
the destruction of property is terrible,
and that fifteen persons we're killed.
At Parsons and Mills Creek, four
miles from here, coal breakers in all d.
reetions have been more or less dam
aged, and the number OF killed will
reach ten. Telegraph wires are down
in all directions and eommunica ton is
shut off,
1t Is feared the total loss of life in the
devastated district will exceed 100. The
cyclone seems to have taken an erratic
course among the towns situated on the
Susquehanna river, but nowhere has
its effect been more terrible and disas-
trous than at Wilkesbarre.
New MILFORD, Pa, Aug. 20.-A cy-
clone struck this region at precisely
the same moment that Wilkes
barre was struck. Farmer Coles house
was demolished and Mr.. Cole was killed.
SCRANTON, Pa, Aug. 20-Trainmen
on incoming trains report that the viii
lage OF Summerville, thirty miles west
OF Scranton. was struck by the cyclone
Tuesday afternoon about $50 and total
ly annihilated Engineer William
Fischer, in giving an account OF his ex-
perience while passing through the cy-
clone, said the engine was lifted from
the track, the cab was blown off and all
crushed in by the force of the wind.
Two OF the train hands were seriously
injured.
Plymouth, Pa, Aug. 20.-Harveys-
vile, farming village ten miles from
here, was wrecked Tuesday afternoon
by tornado. The Methodist Episcopal
church and the adjoining parsonage
were blown down. Harvey's large store
was totally destroyed Nearly all the
buildings in the village and on farms
were unroofed and are uninhabitable.
The crops in fields we're ruined. Elijah
tahrenninger. a well-to-do farmer. was
killed and several others were injured.
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