Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-07-11
THE SAD WRECK OF FARGO.
A Cyclone Visits the Town and Almost
DemOlisheS 1t.
A Train Derailed and Several Lives
Are Lost.
Loss OF Property Cannot Yet be Def
nitely Estimated.


FARGO, July S.-This city was struck
this morning by the severest wind storm
ever known here. 1t began at 2:3O and
continued half an hour. Earlier in the
night there were some indications of rain
AMI about midnight it began to thunder
and lightning. The wind first began to
blow from the south but suddenly shifted to
the northwest and and in a short time was
blowing a hurrlcance. Three electric
light towers were soon blown down. leav-
ing the city in darkness that was relieved
only by the vivid flashes of lightning.
The frightened inhabitants were aroused
from their sleep and lights were shining
from the windows all over the city, but
outside there was nothing but
darkness and the tempest and moth
ing could be heard but the angry
roar of the wind and the crashing of fly
ing debris. By 4 o'clock the people were
hurrying in every direction to ascertain
the amount of damage done. Some APP
palllng discoveries were soon made, the
saddest being the death of seven children
of the late Capt. James Mccarthy, who
died only few weeks ago. The children,
who were at home with their mother.
sought safety in q coal bin. where they
were all crushed to death. The mother
was also seriously injured but it
thought she will recover A few other
persons sustained slight injuries. The
Northern Pacific through north bound
passenger train was blown from the track
and many of the passengers were severely
but not dangerously injured. The North
ern Pacific car and machine shops, the
freight depots, the great Northern and
Milwaukee roads were demolished; several
churches were badly wrecked and numer-
GUS other buildings more or less damaged
The total damage in the city is about
So 900.
FARGO, N. D., July IA tornado of
appalling violence swept this city at
o clock this morning. Several people
were killed and d, large number injured,
and some of the best buildings in the city
were wrecked.
A North Paci6cern passenger train, con-
sisting of twelve cars. was blown from the
track half mile west of Fargo, and n
number of passengers were injured, some
of them seriously.
Considerable damage was done in the
railroad yards. The Chicago, Milwaukee
& St. Paul freight warehouse was de
stroyed and its contents partially ruined
and many ears were blown from the tracks
and damaged.
Telegraph wires were all blown down.
and the city was cut off from commucica-
tion with the outside world for several
hours
The full exent of the loss in Fargo is
not now known.
The storm descended on the city with
out the slightest warning and the slum-
bering inhabitants had no time for prepa-
ration.
ST. PAUL, Mimi, July Fargo, N.
D. was completely swept away by cyclone
this morning and Moorhead, which lies
in Minnesota, east of Fargo was also
slightly damaged. There was loss of life
at Fargo.
A railroad man who arrived from that
vicinity this morning says terrific wind
storm prevailed there this morning, and
that several trains were blown from the
tracks.
QAll wires to Fargo are down, and the
Western Union officials report that about
two miles of telegraph wire near Fargo,
and betw cen there and here have been
blown down. West of Fargo they say
worse conditions exist, and, that miles and
miles of wire and poles are down.
The last reports received by the signal
service from Fargo were a. Z p. m. Sun
day. and they showed a low barometer
temperature of 50 degrees, wind velocity
of six miles an hour, with the conditions
good for a storm,
ST, PAUL, Mimi, July S.-The Wahpe-
ton n d. correspondent of the Pioneer
Press teegraphs as follows: A straight
wind from the northwest struck Fargo at
2:30 a. m. Great damage was done the
city. The electric light towers were
blown down, whole blocks were unroofed,
Yerxes wigwam, McGiII & Cos. ware
house, opera house, Repub-
litan office, Keeney block, the
battlements on the bank of North Dakota
Chaplin block Exchange hotel, Continental
block and Manitoba freight house were
unroofed, and the Milwaukee depot was
blown down dozen small houses were
razed and almost all the plate glass win
dows on Front street and Broadway were
broken. The Jay Cook hotel and the
Graud Pacific at Moorhead were unroofed
The residence of the late Capt. Mccarthy,
corner Fifnh and Ninth streets, was struck
hv the storm and demolished.
Seven children were instantly killed.
and Mrs. Mccarthy is not expected to live,
Two unknown tramps in a box car were
killed. The No. passenger train on the
Northern Pacific going west had just
pulled out of the yard and stopped at the
Milwaukee crossing. The train was made
up OF three baggage cars, nine coaches
and sleepers. party of Chicago & North
western officials in a private car and
Sun't McCabe's car. All of the coaches
and the tender were blown fro n the track
but no lives were lost and no
one was fatally hurt. The lights
had been put out so there was no
fire, nor steam. Superintendent McCabe
and conductor, brakeman and Por'ers
acted very cody and calmed the frightened
passengers who were sent back to the city
in special coaches.
Warren G. Purdy. vice president of the
Rock Island railroad. and family, accom-
panied by Col R. S. Thompson and wife,
were in Purdy's private car, but none
were seriously hurt. Col Thompon and
wife were slightly hurt. Fred Purdy was
slightly cut, but the others are unhurt.