Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-04-15
Friday.A wind Htoryii,

The storm of wind which ragged in
this vicinity Thursday night and Friday
Of last week was by no means local. In
fact reports from the outside world indi
cate that our experience was mild one
compared with those Of other localities
Here in Custer the wind was first motto
ed because Of its velocity about eight OF
nine o'clock Thursday evening. All
night long and during Friday morning
it blew unusually hard, but 1t was be.
tween noon and two o'clock in the
afternoon of the day last mentioned tha,
it attained its greatest force. During
that time few chimneys went down,
two or three small buildings were blown
over and lumber from the several yards
in town was scattered in every direction.
No afternoon session Of the public
schools was held. No one familiar with
the construction Of the school house
deemed 1t at all unsafe, but its elevated
location and broad walls gave the els-
ments an exceptional advantage and
teachers and pupils felt safer at home.
Outside of town in the timber the evil
dences of the fury of the wind were
more numerous. LIVE trees foot or
more in diameter were twisted and
broken off and the ground was literally
covered with branches and twigs. A
good many fences were blown down
and " few ranch buildings lost their
roofs. Put all altogether the damage to
property in Custer and vicinity was
very light. Perhaps the wind didn't
blow much harder in these parts than it
has on previous occasions, but the old
timers will have to search their memo
ries pretty carefully to find storm
which for length, and velocity of the
wind, will equal this last one.
Throughout the Hills the telegraph
and telephone lines were considerably
damaged and the service crippled tor a
short time. In Deadwood number of
buildings were unroofed, trees broken
off ard windows blown in. Lead City's
base ball grand stsndwas demolished and
several residences and store buildings
slightly damaged. The cad was taken
off from Rapid City residence and a
large warehouse unroofed. At Pied
mont one of the walls of the brick store
was blown in aud several small build
ings blown cut Of shape. Every town
In the Hills suffered moro or less, but
no one was injufeo and all the damage
effected will be easily repaired.
In the eastern part of this state and in
Nebraska extensive prairie fires were
burning when the storm burst and az
the wind was accompanied with very
little rain or snow the fires became ter
rbly destructive. Hundreds Of farmers
lost their buildings, personal effects and
live stock and two or three lives were
lost in the flames. The total destruc-
ton of several small towns was averted
only by the hardest kind of work on the
part of fire companies and citizens
Fort Robinson, Neb., was threatened
bul the soldiers conquered the flames.
Through the central states and along
the great lakes the storm was genuine
hurricane and the damage to property
on land and water was great. On Sat.
urday, the sth, western New York was
swept by cyclone and it is estimated
that million dollars will hardly cover
the loss.
For storm 80 general and SO dsstruc'
tive to property, the number Of lives
lost 10 wonderfully small. Weather
Prophet Foster, who predicted this
storm waye with such accuracy promises
us another next week. 1t will be sin
cerely hoped that he is mistaken fol
once in his life.