The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-07-10
STRUCK BY A CYCLONE.
FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, LAID
WASTE BY THE WIND.

Havoc Wrought by a Fierce storms ev-
era1 Lives Lost-Many Buildings Laid
in Ruins.
st. Paul dispatch: A report is cur
rent here that the town of Fargo, n. D..
was completely swept away by cyclone
this morning. and that Moorhead,
which lies in Minnesota, across the Red
river from Fargo, was also Slightly
damaged.
Of course, if the report is true. there
must have been great loss of life at Far
go, and all indications tend to confirm
the reports. A railroad man who ar
rived from that vicinity this morning
says terrific windstorm prevailed there
this morning, and that several trains
were blown from the tracks. All wires
to Fargo are down, and the Western
Union officials report that about two
miles of telegraph wires near Fargo
have 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 p. m.
Sunday, and they show a low barome-
ter, temperature of so degrees, and a
wind velocity of six miles per hour,
good condition for storm.
From Mapleton in the west, Buttville
in the south, Muskoda in the east. and
Villernon in the north, the country
has been swept by terrible tornado.
Fargo was the center OF the storm. The
sitting, ominous calm of midnight gave
warning of the approach Of the storm,
and the city was awake and as we'll pre-
pared as possible for the worst.
The storm came just after
2 o'clock and lasted for thirty-fve min
utes, during which time nearly every
large building in the city was unroofed
or otherwise damaged. The heavens
seemed one mass of flame, and the thun-
der was appalling The wind came first
in heavy gusts, every one of which
seemed to carry off roof, finally set
thing into a steady sweep that grew
fiercer as the time went by. In the in
tervalS between the thunder bursts could
be heard on every side the crash of
falling buildings, flying roofs and the
smashing of glass In windows Great
chimneys were torn from brick build
ings and hurled in every direction.
There was not building in Fargo but
lost glass, from the heaviest plate down.
Women and children shrieked as they
ran about in the darkness, and men
SGOOu utlploSSly dOOuG Will DIduCn0O
faces, unable to move hand or foot to
protect their property.
For thirty minutes t re storm ragged,
bhen slowly passed off toward the north
west Half an hour later daylight
dawned and soon the entire scene of de-
VISITATION was brought to view. AS if in
mockery, the only tall building left
standing was that devoted to the signal
service, where a wind gauge showed the
velocity Of the storm to have been
eighty-two miles. The scene about the
city was terrible. The streets were
choked up with debris of all kinds.
The wife OF Captain j. w. Mccarthy
and her seven children were caught and
crushed in cellar. When the storm
app reached Mrs Mccarthy gathered
the children and took them into the
cellar for safety. A moment later the
house was lifted uR and dashed down
upon the devoted band. The seven
children were crushed out of all SEM
blance of humanity. For three hours
the mother was pinned down with
broken limbs and crushed body, but
help came too late TO save her. These
alone were the deaths. though there
were several injured.
Milwaukee wis dispatch: Advices
received at the Chicago, Milwaukee 81
st, Paul offices from their agent at
Fargo are to the effect that the town
is pretty we'll wiped out. Several peo-
Pile were killed and a number injured.
A Northern Pacific train was blown
from the track
A st. Paul Mimi dispatch says: The
Western Union Office in this city has
been unable to get Fargo or Moorhead,
NJ .:oI,S 81
river from there. Their wires are
down for some distance in all directions
from Fargo, and nothing definite can be
learned from them at the pres
ent time It is probable that o special
train will start soon for the scene of the
disaster, but it could not reach there
before midnight at the earliest The
condition of the wires would also great
ly delay the speedy receipt of definite
news.
General Passenger Agent G. S. Fee,
of the Northern Pacific, has the follow
ing telegram from jamestown, n. d.:
about 2 a. m. severe storm struck
the Dakota division. No. l was blown
from the track at the Fargo shops. The
roof was blown off the depot at Maple
ton. One of the elevators at Dalrymple
moved off it's foundation, The elevator
at Edmunds on the Jamestown &
Northern was struck by lightning and
burned. Cars were blown out on the
main track at Buttsville on the Fargo &
Southwestern branch.
''No. has not been abandoned west
of Fargo. No. and No. are being
held by No. /. Have sent working out
fit to Fargo Will take six hours to
make track passable there. Main line
is clear aside from this. VIII give you
particulars later, as wires are all down."
Mr.. Fee says that if any one on the
train had been killed or injured it would
certainly have been mentioned.
From Far and Near.