The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-05-29

part 6l the bridge is just east of the big
tower, near the Illinois shore. and ex.
tends east for about 300 feet The en-
fire upper portion. traversed by street
cars ana carriages. is carried away,
while the tracks beneath are buried in
the deDrl:, i'll some places eight feet
deep
Gas Holder Collapsed.
AS the storm was at its height, the
gas holder at Eighteenth street col
lapsed People were terrified by col
umns of burning gas leGping high in
the air. The tank was nearly full at
the time, and the force Of the wind
caught it and turned it over. AS the
immense columns which supported the
tank proper fell, the gas was ignited
and burned for few moments at a fear
full rate.
Poor house, which is situated at the
extreme southeast limit of the city, suf-
fered severely from the storm. The en-
tire roof of the building was torn off
and flung many yards away and large
posts were twisted away from the walls
The main damage done at the big
institution, however, was caused by
the destruction of the tower, which
stood OH the top of the central building.
The tower was blown down and
Crashed Entirely Through the Building
down into the basement There were
eight columns supporting the roof, and
the falling of these carried the floors of
the building beneath it. There were
eight. inmates of the poor house who
rcceigsd numerous wounds from flying
glass and bricks, but it was not thought
that their injuries are in any way dan
gerors. Incredible as it sounds, with
1,O3O patients in the building, $50 of
whom are insane, not life was lost at
the poor house during the storm The
damage to the buildings is estimated at
$3.50, 900.
Lumber Yard Carried Away.
Mayors lumber yard was completely
carried away, as was the upper Louis
vile and Nashville freight depot. It is
asserted that there is not whole line
of wire between any two points in the
Western states. After the wind had
done its work fire added to the destruc.
ton.
Convention Hall Damaged.
Convention hall and the four courts
were i'll the path of the cloud as it
passed from the city hospital toward the
river. Convention hall lost part of
the roof at the eastern end, and the east
end was punctured in several places bv
flying missiles. and sustained some de.
rangement of the interior Ten DAYS
work and the expenditure Of 5000 will
make the hall good again.
A section of the brick wall of the iail
went down and the prisoners We're panic
stricken.
In the district between Sixth street
and the river, nOrthward from Choteau
avenue, the tornado tore u diagonal
path. The district comprises business
houses, many of them Of tie older type.
Every Building Sustained Injury.
Every building within the path sus-
tanned damage. Smokestacks and
chimneys were toppled over. Walls
were levelled. Roofs We're lifted.
Thousands of windows We're smashed:
miles Of telegraph and telephone wires
We're left in network OH the ground.
Through these districts the streets are
impossible. They are covered in places
with debris 10 feet deep. Along the
levee front the hawsers snapped and
boats were sent adrift some to 20 down,
others to go ashore OH the eastern bank.
The loss of life which might have taken
place at this point was averted by the
hour at which the tornado came. A
little later the excursion steamers would
have been going out. None of them
had left their wharves. Other river
passenger boats had gone an hour be-
fore, and although not heard from,
probably had passed beyond the path of
the storm