St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-27

ously injured from fifteen to twenty,
slightly injured at least twenty more,
cut a swath through thickly populated
section 200 feet wide and mile long,
rendered 500 people homeless, de-
stroyed or greatly damaged from
seventy-fve to 100 buildings, mostly
dwelling houses, levelled a beautiful
square of over 500 trees, and entailed a
property loss now estimated at 100000,
all of which was uninsured against
damage by wind and storm. The calam-
ity is the greatest which has visited
Lawrence since the fall and burning of
the PembertOn mills thirty years ago.
South Lawrence is that section of the
city lying south of the Merrimac river.
At this point the main line of the Bos-
ton & Maine railroad makes sharp
turn to the eastward, and following
the Merrimac, crosses over the
river at Bradford. A railroad
bridge connects the suburb with the
city proper and with the railroad lines
north. The point is busy railroad
junction, and in the vicinity were many
wooden houses, occupied mainly by
well-to-do mechanics, and among these
the air fiend
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
ing how narrow was the escape from
more appalling loss of life and property.
1t was veritable dog-day. The
air was hot and humid. Dark
clouds scurried westerly through the
heavens with intermittent rain. Sud-
denly the wind veered to the west, an
inky-black cloud seemed to drop from
the cumulous mass hanging in the
the southwest, and move rapidly with
awful aspect toward the city. 1t was
accompanied by torrents Of rain. In an
instant the crash came. Buildings were
crushed like egg-shells. Some were
lifted from their foundations and
dashed to 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 or groaning in the ruins of
their homes. The survivors were too
much terrified to know where or
when the cyclone ended in it's course,
but the train of ruin in its path showed
that it touched the earth at or near the
cricket grounds, crossed Emmett street,
Broadway, the railroad and Barker
street, entered Springfield street at its
southwest 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 Spring
field street into Union square, leveling
over 500 trees, and thence over Shaw
seen river into the town of AndOver,
where it exhausted its fury on trees and
fences. As soon as the survivors real
lied the extent Of
The Devastating Work
word was sent to the police station, and
ambulances with a squad of officers
started for the scene. Marshal Vose
soon ordered out the whole force. An
alarm was rung in, and the firemen
rendered great assistance in removing
the injured from the ruins. The ambu-
lances carried several loads of mangled
and crushed human beings to the hos
pital. Others were taken to private
houses. The work of devastation be-
gan at the cricket grounds on the south
west with the uprooting of number of
trees. On Emmett street the wind lifted a
story-and-half house belonging to
Thomas Evans bodily and slapped it
into the roadway complete wreck. Mr..
Evans, his wife and baby we're In the
house at the time but escaped without
injury. House No. 10 Emmett street,