Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1892-06-02

| iiom WlCCnlCa, WIN g. corps OF fifteen
doctors.
The storm descended from the west
upon the fated city. Itcame in a man.
ner that no two can agree in DIES cribing.
Some say it came ia the shape of q
twister, while others say it did not
have the characteristic tunnel shape
OF tornado, while still others say it
simply descended in the shape OF q
storm cloud.
The appearance OF things however,
leaves no doubt but that it was q
twlster. and a genuine twister at that,
for trees have been torn from their
roots and houses were turned right
about face. The Lutheran church,
81 massive frame building, one OF the
most substantial GIFTS kind in the
the city, was taken up, turned com.
pletely over and now
STANDS WITH THE FLOOR UPWARDS,
as solid apparently as if it had been
built in that way. 1t is not small
building, either, for 1T has q seating
capacity OF 700 people. The old court
house, a solid two. story stone struct-
ure was completely demolished and
reduced to gravel and splinters, with
the exception OF one little frame office,
that a pair OF donkeys could drag
from it's foundations, and that was
left standing intact by the SIDE OF the
ruins oftheoid court house. It's stately
neighbor OF q few days ago, the Pres
byterian church, a very nice and sub.
stantial frame editice with seating
capicity OF l 900 persons was reduced
to the merest splinters. The frall
parsonage beside 1t was compare
lively unhurt.
The spicknall block on North Wash.
lngton avenue, which is the main street
OF the city, was All imposing row OF
! six brick buildings. Now it is q pile
OF little splinters, pieces OF brick and
pulverizsd glass and mortar. Two
Newspaper Offices, reasonably large
plants, the Monitor-Press and Voice
were i'll this build and nothing is
left OF them but the pied type and
broken machinery beneath the ruins.
The beautiful Standard block is a
wreck and ruin. 1t could not have
more holes in it ii twenty pieces OF ar
tillery had been playing on it for
uwenty.four hours. TWAS a beautiful
block, consisting OF about six two
story brick buildings, built about five
years ago. In this block the yelling.
ton Daily Mail and the Sumner Coun-
ty Standard were published. These
two plants were worth not less than
5000, 900 today they are apparently
not worth 200 cents. The postoffice
WAS also located in this block, next to
the Standard Office. On the opposite
side OF the street was thriving foun-
| dry and stove works. 1t was totally
demolished.
All these ruins are on the north side
of East Harvey avenue, and they are
Il terrible sight to behold. It's
IMPOSSIBLE TO DETAIL THE RUIN
on Washington. Every house on each
side of the street is unroofed, theback
walls are out OF most OF them and q
brigade OF soldiers, each armed with a
gun loaded with buckshot, could not
have brokenthe glass ofevery window
on this entire block more effectively
| than the storm did. The splendid
opera house is practically rum, and
the Phillips house, across the street
! from it, is as complete f. wreck as If
| thousand men with axes had been
choppipg it tor a week.
| The beautiful Cole Il RobinsOn's
brick block, one OF the rooms OF which
WAS occupied by the Alliance Mercan-
tile exchange, is also acomplete wreck,
not foot OF it standing on its founda.
ton. In the collapse this building
caught fire and two inmates, Mrs.
Sasher and her sister, Miss Strand,
were literally roasted alive there. The
Episcopal church is IN splinters, while
| q very small frame house near it sur
vived the devastating wind without a
scratch.
DEATH TO MsRRYMAKER6.
The most appalling scene was that
at the Phillips house, where a ball was
in progress when the cyclone burs
The escape from the topping struct.
ure. As the building began swaying in
the terrific gale the people in the
crowded ball room made frantic
rush Tor the doors. The stairways
and balls we're Immediately filled BY
tie crazed men and women, who tore
at each other III their mad rush tor
the open air.
With the crash of the walls about
and over them there arose a great
wall OF despair from the imprisoned
and doomed multitudes. As the tim.
[ bers crushed down upon the struggling
merrymakers their hoarse cries were
throttled by the weight of the mass OF
timbers above them. Then came the
silence OF death and insensibility, on.
ly to be followed moment later by
the shrill blasts of the tempests as it
rushed on to other destructive work
and the agonized shrieks of the in1ur-
ed or dying who were
PINNED DOWN IN THE MASS
OF debris. Those who excaped from
the building began Immediately the
work of rescue. Some of those who
fled from the building had left wives
and sweethearts, husbands or broth.