St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-08

descent of the storm upon the city the
sky had been clear and the sun shin
ing brightly. Suddenly heavy black
CLOUDS began to gather in the north
west, and few minutes later a terrific
gale of wind, accompanied by perfect
flood of rain, and furious thunder and
lightning, was sweeping over the city.
Shade trees were broken off close to
the ground, awnings, signs, etc, torn
away, and much minor damage done
in the city proper. The wind moder-
ated after about half an hour, but the
furious rain continued for fully two
hours, during which time the streets
were running with water. The parks
had been crowded all day with people
seeking relief from the almost intoler-
able heat, and when the storm began
there was a stampede for the various
elevated and cable lines. The surface
lines were all equipped with open cars,
the canvas curtains on which afforded
but Slight protection, in view of the
furious gale, which dashed the rain in
torrents in every direction. AS a re-
suit, the occupants of every train made
a sorry looking sight before they had
travelled block, and most of them
after getting a Thorough soaking desert
ed the cars and sought the shelter of
convenient stairways and stores along
the street on which they were travel
ing, and there they had to remaini until
7:30. or take the chance of another wet
ting, by once more taking the cars
Many Easements We're flooded all over
the city, and, in some instances, fire
engines had to be called for to pump
out stores.
Several houses in the outlying dis
tricts of the city were struck by light
ming and seriously damaged. Two
small residences were completely de-
stroyed, but no one injured. The pc
cuniary loss in both cases was small.
AT the height of the storm a signal
tower beside the Panhandle tracks at
Ada street was blown over and the
towerman, August Boedlow, sustained
fatal injuries. Several other people are
reported painfully cut and bruised by
flying debris
The damage to telegraph and tele-
phone wires northwest of the city was
very great. Every telegraph wire was
prostrated, many poles being carried
away, and it was 10 o'clock before
telegraph:c communication was re-
stored to Milwaukee. Even then it was
very precariouS, there being but two
very shaky wires working, while the
demand for service was enormous
Great gangs of repafrers are out from
both ends of the route.
Later reports coming IN through the
police and insurance patrols this even
ing show that the losses in the down
town districts alone will aggregate |
large sum. The great department /
store of Rothschild & Co., occupying
nearly three-quarters of square and |
fronting on State street, suffered most.
vi oil L.
the State street side being blown in |
and goods in the windows and for
some distance back badly damaged by
the flood of rain. Several persons who
happened to be passing the store at
the time received painful injuries from
bits of flying glass, pieces of flag |
staffs from the roof, etc. Plate glass
windows were also blown in in several |
other large downtown stores.
Up to midnight no further fatalities !
had been reported, and it is thought !
now that every one who was out on the !
lake has been accounted for. The re-
port of the drowning of three off Cot |
tage Grove avenue is thought to be |
without foundation, as a small boat |
containing three men put ashore safely |
near the Farragut boat house soon |
after the policeman made the report |
dN
been the one seen by the officer.
SEVERE IN THE STATE.
Dispatches from many points in the |
central and northern portions of Illi- |
nois and Southern Wisconsin tell of |
furious storms this afternoon and
evening, though in no place did the |
damage reach so high a point as in |
Chicago. The weather all through the |
state was oppressively- hot all day, |
and the storm came with remarkable |
suddenness toward evening. Along
the lake shore north of here there was |
much minor damage done, and it is
feared that when the returns are all |
in it will be found that there was much
greater loss of life than heard of to- |
night.
AT Savannah, ILL.,, the storm almost
reached the proportions of a cyclone.
A number of trees and small build
ings were blown down.
At Peoria the mercury had stood at |
SO nearly all day until o'clock, when
the storm suddenly swept down upon
the city. Several buildings were un-
rooted, one three-story frame block
completely destroyed and much dam
age done to trees, awnings and win
dows. Many boating parties were on
the lake, but so far as known tonight
all succeeded in reaching places of
safety.