Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-08-01
A STORMS TERRIBLE WORK
Leaves Nothing But Death and DeyaS-
tatiOn in Its Track.
The Little Town of South Lawrence
Literally Swept Away.
Eight Men Are Killed and About
Twenty Fatally Injured.


the first of any considerable importance
within the memory of New England and
one equaling In destructive power those
SO frequently reported from the western
communities, visited the suburb of South
| Lawrence this morning, and IN fifteen
minutes had killed eight people, seriously
| injuring from fifteen to twenty
and slightly injured at least twenty
more. aud cut swatb through
a thickly populated section of 200 feet wide
and mile long, rendered many people
homeless, destroyed or greatly damaged
some IS to 100 buildings, mostly dwelling
houses leveled a beautiful square of over
500 TIRE IS and entailed property loss aver
aging 100000, all of which was unin-
sured gainst damage by wind and storm.
The alamity is the greatest which has
visited Lawrence since the fall and
| burr ing of the Pemberton mills, thirty
ye'ls ago. South Lawrence is a
b sy railroad junction, and in the vicinity
where there are many wooden houses, oc-
| cupied mainly by well-todo mechanics,
and among these the cyclone spent its
| greatest fury. The northern boundary of
the belt of destruction was but three
streets south of the lofty mills with their
| busy throngs of thousands of workers, show
| my HOW IldIION WAS Ji1tlI tSCdpc lIO Ill dH
appalling loss of life and property. The
scurried westerly through the heavens
with intermittent rain. Suddenly the
wind veered and an inky black cone-like
| cloud seemed to drop from the cumulous
mass hanging in the southwest and move
rapidly with an awful aspect toward the
| city 1t was accompanied by torrents of
rain. In an irstrnt the crash came.
The buildings We're lifted from their foun-
dations and dashed 10 pieces. Others
were tipped over or blown from their
| position and more or less damaged.
! The air was filled with flying
debris. Most of those who met death in
| the wreck were killed instantly. Many
! lay unconscious, groaning in the ruins of
| their homes. The train of ruin in its
| path showed that the cyclone touched the
| earth at or near the Cricket grounds,
| crossed Emmett street, Broadway, Rail
road and Parker street and entered
| Springf I'D street at its southeast
end, traverSed its entire length
| demolished nearly every thing
in its course, including one house on
| Foster street and two ON South Union
street where they cross Springfield street
passed from Springfield street into Union
| Square levelIng over 500 trees and thence
| over Sh twseen river into Andover where it
exhausted its fury on the trees and fences.
| The fremen rendered great as
| sIStance. IN removing the IN
| iured from the ruins. Ambulances
carried several loads of mangled and
crushed human beings to he hospital.
| Others we're taken to private houses. The
work of devastation began at the cricket
grounds on the southwest side with up
! roofing a number of trees A story and
a half house in the rear of No. Emmett
street was occupied by James Lyons and
| family. Hearing the approach of the
storm. Lyons rushed into the house, seized
the baby from his wife's arms and fed to
the street Both man and child escaped.
but the dead body of Mrs. Lyons was
subsequently taken from the ruins of her
dwelling. At the foot of Saunders Court
switch house, in which Michael Higgins,
a section hand, was standing, was taken up
bodily by the wind and carried under the
| overhead railroad bridge, crossing Salem
street, where Higgins fell out and was in
stantly killed Several houses were
smashed. The chief clerk of cars in
the Boston & Baine car shops says there
was a sudden rumbling sound and dark
ness. Timbers and trees flew by the car
shops at terrible rate. Following Is the
list of dead:
MICHAEL HIGGINs, aged 35.
Mrs MARY O'CONNELI, aged "a
Miss MARY O'CONNELI., aged II.
Mrs. ELIZABETH COLLINS.
ANNE COLLINS. aged 6.
HANNAH BEATTY, aged 8.
Mrs MARY LYONS.
HELEN CUTI ERR.
A. Hart is at the hospital, and it is
thought he will die. Thirteen of the in
jured were carried to the hospital, while
| the others, whose names cannot be learned.
were cared for by friends, their injuries
| being slight.
The cyclone entered Springfield street,
where the greatest devastation was
wrought. When number 81 fell. O'Con
nell, his wife and daughter Minnie was
carried down with it. O'COnnell was the
first to be extricated. He suffers severe
internal injuries His wife and daughter
were removed from the ruins after two
houis' work. both dead Minnte's neck
was dislocated. On Portland street the
lumber yard was blown to atoms. The
| gate-keeper at the crossing was lifted
bodily from his cabin and carried some
| distance He was seriously shaken up and
for some time unconscious. No. 16,
| occupied by VIM. Collins, was lifted from
its foundation and the upper part came
crashing through the ceiling of the
| lower one where sat Mrs. Collins and
three little children. For a moment a
| heart rending shrek came from the heap
of rubbish, then all was still. Mrs. Col
| Inns was taken out dead, also her daughter
! Annie, aged 6. On South Union street
great damage was done. The wind
continued in the direction of
Springfield street northeastward,
| through Union square, breaking
and twisting trees in every conceivable
| shape. Large oaks and elms were mere
pipe stems in the path of the destroyer
| 1t is believed that from 500 to 1000 trees
were destroyed in and about the park.
| In Andover one house was unroofed and a
plank SIX feet long was landed
in Sutton's mill yard, having
been carried from Lawrence. Trees were
! feled on all sides and fences blown heltar
/ skelte' The occupants of most of the
ruined houses were hard working laborers,
whose houses were the fruit of a life time
of toll The engineer of the
| Boston express saw the cyclone
| as he was nearing South Lawrence and
stopped the engine, this probably saved
| his train, which was due at South
| Lawrence at the time the cyclone struck
| the place Flames broke out and but for
| the Intervention of rain storm the fire
would have added to the calamity