St. Paul daily globe., 1892-06-18
ONLY SIX Are KILLED
Southern Minnesota Cyclone
Losses Exaggerated in a
Remarkable Manner.
Correspondents at Half a
Dozen Points Kill Off
Scores of People,
Whereas There Was No Loss
Of Life Except at Two
Points.
But the Ruin Wrought Among
Buildings and Crops
Is Very Heavy.
Special TO the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
WELLS, Mimi. June 17.-Tonight for
the first time since the great storm of
Wednesday struck Southern Minnesota
q correct estimate can be made of the
loss of human life. Happily the num-
Der of dead is very much smaller than
the exaggerated estimates of last night
would indicate. The daughter of
Charles Melchart died this morning,
bringing tie death list up to an even
half dozen for the three counties
in which the tornado struck the earth.
Nobody was killed except at Minnesota
Lake, five miles northwest of here. in
Farlbault county, and east of that point
in Hartland township, Freeborn county.
At the latter point over dozen people
were injured, but only Andrew Hanson,
farm hand, was killed. He stopped in
a barn, which blew over and crushed
him. The dead at Minnesota Lake
are John Brown, Mrs. John Latusck,
Henry Pietrus and Alice and
Mary Melchart. Tie exaggerations of
Thursday were quite natural owing to
the railway and telegraph chaos occa-
stoned by the storm. For twenty-four
hours trains were unable to move, and
Tor a longer period the telegraph serv-
ice was in 4 state of paralysis. AS soon
as the trains began to move the train
men began to relate what they knew
and what they had heard. and those who
heard the stories told them to others
and they gained rapidly in their tray
els. Correspondents of the Twin City
newspapers sent out accounts from
Sherburne, Fairmont, Jackson, Wells,
Blue Earth City, Mankato and Albert
Lea. Each had only heaFsay evidence,
and their lists referred in the main to
deaths in the same localities, although
the names were often so garjIed as not
TO be recognized as referring to the
same people. The aggregate made up
a list OF nearly fifty dead, and with
the rumors a list of nearly 100
was made up. In all of the
early reports it was stated that a school
house had been blown down in Martin
county, and that teacher and sixteen
pupils had been killed. This story,
sifted, is as follows: What is known as
SilverthOrn school house, seven miles
northwest of Sherburne, was blown down
on Wednesday. and Miss O'Hare,s the
teacher, and FIVE or six of her pupils
were injured, none of them seriously.
The losses to crops. buildings, tele-
graph, railway and mill property in half
a dozen counties is, however, not exag-
gerated. 1t will reach 500, 600.
HOW the Storm Acted.
The storm in this neighburhcod was
of 4 regular cyclonic nature. 1t was
revolving. funRel-shaped mass that
moved with great rapidity. 1t was ac-
cOmpanied by rain and darkness. When
it struck house, it tore it into spIinters.
a charge of dynamite placed nnder a
bNA4-0tne NOulA uOA Lave NduoCO al liOIG
complete wreck. What were yesterday
fine large farm buildings are today
mass of splinters for miles around.
Charles Melchert had a fine new house
and had recently bought new furniture.
1t is a mass of ruins, nothing being
saved. Horses. cattle and other
stock were killed, machinery was
blown away and lodged in trees
and other unheard of places.
John Brown. who lives five miles north
west of town, lies dead at Minnesota
Lake. He was picked up and taken to
that place by the passenger train We'd
nesday night. 1t is reported that a school
teacher and one of Browns girls were
picked up and carried half mile Both
are injured but still alive. In the same
neighbOrhood Mrs. John Latusck was
found dead on the prairie. Frank Pie
trus' boy is dead. Herman Drage had
an arm broken. Herman Heller'S son
was badly injured. Albert Craychee
and wife injured. The casualties in
the Melchart family were more
severe than in any other. Besides
the girls who were fatally in
jured boy had a leg broken.
Mrs. Melchert with her little sister
was up stairs when the storm struck.
She felt the house gong and grabbed
here sister. They landed in the yard.
The next thing Mrs. Melchert remem-
bered she was in a grove, with a tree
across her side. She crawled out and
chung to the stump with one hand and
to the little girl with the other. Mrs.
Melchert was seriously hnrt, but the
little girl sustained no injuries. But
few passed through the terrible ordeal
without receiving some injuries. The
people seemed TO hardly realize the ter
rible blow that had struck them. The
injured mOaned with pain. the women
sobbed and wrung their hands in their
woe, and the men seemed TO be stunned
with the weight of af1iction resting
upon them.
where the T0is3er Struck.
Beginning at a point in the extreme
West Of Minnesota Lake township, and
not far distant from the village of Eas-
ton, the first marks of the cyclones ray
ages are on the john Armstrong place.
Here capacioua barn was blown from
its foundation and demolished. But
little ether damage was done here, but
at a neighbOring farm the house, barn
and granary were carg::ou by tie sheer
fierce OF th9 Wind from thei- founda-
tions and smashed into kindiing wood.
Next in fhn D9th of tho wind .vas fba