Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-08-28
Strikes Wilkesbarre and Vicinity and
Leaves Nothing but Destruction
in ITS Pa.h.
Men and Animals Are Killed, Leaving
Many Homeless and Without
Shelter.
Dead List Numbers Twelve as Far as
KnOwn-Other Fatalities
Are Feared

| WrLKEsBARRE, Pa, Aug. 19.-At FIVE
o'clock this afternoon the most terrible
| cyclone that was ever experienced In this
/ locality struck this city. 1t came up the
river. and the suddenness of its coming
was one of its awful features. The heavens
we're as black as night and the wind blew
with a most trightful velocity, whole
rows of trees were blown down. Fol-
lowing this, hundreds of houses were
unroofed and partially blown over
or completely demolished and worse
! than all, visitation of death was sent
upon a number of people. Large dis
tricts in several sections Of this city are
in absolute ruin, and women and children
are in the street, crying aud ringing their
hands in absolute dismay. The damage
will reach hundreds of thousands of DOL
lars The passenger train and locomotives
at the depot were blown over and every
wire in the city. electric light. telephone
and telegraph is down. The devastation
is not to be compared.with anything in the
memory of the oldest inhabitant. Everyone
is rejoicing that no fires as yet taken place,
| for the streets are impossible with trees
and fallen buildings and the kengines
could not be drawn through them.
The total death list, so far as ascertained,
is twelve. Four men are known to have
been killed in the Hazard wire rope works.
A house on Scott street, occupied by min
ers who had Just returned from work, fell
! in, and three 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
fall ing building on South Main street.
Two men suffered death by the falling of
a portion of Stegmaiers brewery, and a
third incurred the same fate through the
almost complete demolition of S. l..
Browns brick business block, on Market
street There are undoubtedly fifteen or
sixteen others killed. Many poor people
suffered heavy losses, and it will be
months before all damage can be repaired.
Building mechanics of all kinds can find
| employment here for weeks to come, as it
is already known that fully two hundred
buildings have been blown down or other
wise damaged Many OF the structures
were large in size and of great value APP
proximate losses only can be given as fol
| lows:
Hazard Wire Rope works, 81, 900
s. L. Brown, 800, 900.
st. Mays Catholic church, SIS, 900.
Murpy shaft, $4,000.
Hollenbeck shaft, $1,000
White Haven Ice company, $4,000.
Ahlhorn s pork packing house, s. 600.
In addition to these hundred of eiti-
zens have suffered losses rvuuing from
$500 to 5000
The Murray shaft fan house was blown
down and the fan stopped. There are
twenty-seven men in the mine, but it is
hoped they can be got out safely.
LATER, 7:30 p. m.-Reports come from
Sugar Notch, mining town three miles
from here, that the destruction of property
was terrible and fifteen persons are killed
At Parsons and Mill Creek, four miles
! from here, the coal breakers in all direc-
tons have been more or less damaged.