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

Two Hundred Buildings Wrecked
The st. Louis Globe. Democrats
Wellington special says that the loss
by the cyclone will aggregate 100000.
Two hundred brick and wooden build
ings were destroyed. Editor Luke
Herring, OF the Monitor, was caught
III his falling building and badly in.
jured. Hundreds OF men were set at
work in the ruins in the hope OF res
cuing tlle imprisoned people. The
house of Esquire Smith was leveled
and several members Of the household
mapsled-two probably fatally.
The streets are impossible and
nothing but ruin exists everywhere.
At least twelve bodies have already
been taken out OF the ruins, and some.
thing less than seventyfve are in
jured. Men were working everywhere
| trying to rescue imprisoned ones. No
one can realize the full extent OF the
catastrophe.
The Cole e. Robinson block ruins
caught fire, and strenuous efforts were
made to rescue people known to be
buried there.
1t is now believed that The list OF
the dead will number between twenty
and thirty and the injured about sew.
enty.fve.
The loss to property alone in the
city Will be $5OO,OOO, as mostly all of
the large stocks OF goods in the city
were destroyed by the cloudburst
which followed the tornado after it
had taken all theroois away. Reports
from all the country to the west are
very discouraging, and, while there is
no detailed news from the country IN
the Immediate vicinity OF the city, the
| Indications are that the damage is
terrible.
It is safe to say that $50 buildings
are complete wrecks, while $50 more
are partially wrecked.
The greater portion of the city was
completely devastated and the entire
community, consisting OF between s..
| 600 and 5000 people, were thrown
into state ofconsternationa and dread
and fear actuated all. The shouts OF
the resources mingled with the cries OF
the suffering, while those unhurt rush.
ed from their homes but partially
dressed.
The wind finally subsidized and in q
| brief time every available man in the
city was engaged in the work OF rescue,
conducted under the leadership OF
George Whitley, president OF the coun.
Gil. Order was soon brought out OF
| chaos.
| 1t was just 8 O'Clock when the tor
nado, which came from the southwest,
\ descended un0n fhp town
| NEWSPAPER OFFICES IN RUINS.
The Lutheran church was turned
completely over, the lcourt house de.
molished, Presbyte church reduc-
ed to splinters, and OF the specknott
block, on the principal street OF the
town, composed OF q hali.dozen brick
buildings, there is nothing but pile
OF brick, mortar and glass. The
Standard block consisting OF six brick
buildings. was completely wrecked.
In this block the Wellington Daily
Mail and. Sumner County Standard
were published. These plants were
utterly destroyed, as was the Monitor,
Press and this Voice in the Specknott
block. The foundry and stoves work
were also leveled to the ground.
On Washington avenue every house
on each side OF the street was unroof-
ed, the back wells are out of many OF
them and window glasses are general
ly smashed. The opera house is q
wreck and the Philips hotel COM
plete ruin. This house proved to be
THE MOST FATAL TRAP,
for over half a dozen bodies or more
will be taken from its ruins.
The Episcopal church is in splinters
and great damage was done to the
Rock Island lumber yard. Theschool
house is total wreck.
There is only one telegraph wire up
between there and the east. and it is q
very difficult matter to get q message
over it. There is no wire up west Of
Danville, but messages from there re-
port q very
DISASTROUS CYCLONE AT HARPER.
The telephone system is : complete