Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-06-06

OF BUILDINGS echcu
A detailed statement of the damage
to buildings Is yet impossible to obtain.
Hundreds of residences all over the city
were either totally wrecked or badly
damaged, and even the staunches'
buildings in the city succumbed to the
fury of the gale.
Every flagstaff on the Auditorium
building. where the republican conven'
ton will be held. was broken, and the
pole on which the stars n stripes sc
proudly waved All hour before. was
blown off and the flag ripped in shreds
The east roof Of the building was blown
off. The flying boards shattered win
dows within a radius OF $50 feet. The
plaster on the roof was carried away
This caused many holes and crevices
through which the water poured and
submerged the floor of the building
There is not much left of the roof al
best, and IL will have to be replastered
and repapered. A couple OF roof Joists
went through the south wall OF the
building, tearing in their path a space
OF four by fifteen feet. and this was not
through windows but the solid portion
of the wall. These two joists huns
threateningly and were removed after
the storm had abated.
A twenty foot section of the western
wall of the city jail blew down, expos.
ing the interior. 1t was during the ex.
ercise hour and nearly 200 prisoners
were in the big bull ring" They, were
too frightened to rum. Instead. they
set up a yell of terror, and vol.
. H. -a
cells. Jailer Wagner was or
the scene in a moment. and with a mum
her Of detectives and policemen, soor
had the noisy crowd behind the locks
A special detail of police was hastil,
summoned. and stood guard all night.
The building on the corner OF Seconc
and Pine streets was blown clear ovol
and it's contents blocked the streets
Part Of the roof Of the Merchants ex
change in Third street was also blown
off. There is a Geographic pole sticking
through a window Of the old postoifice
in Third street. A man was mashed al
most to death at the levee and Locust
street. A mass Of bricks fell on him as
he was fleeing t. shelter. An ambulance
was summoned and he was sent to the
~ hlsDtlAFblg it dAi
dition.
FERN & Smiths printing establish
ment on the southwest corner of Second
and Vine streets was blown into the
middle Of the street. being totally de-
molished.
The east wall Of the saloon at COO Carr
street was blown IN to Il. Colombanis
bakery.
At Seventh and Choteau avenue a cab.
man was blown from his cab and almost
instantly killed. He was carried into
Bruins drug store OF he corner but 1t
was too late to help him.
The Tale OF Ruin.
Three stories Of the Coe Manufac;ur-
ing company's building. Ninth and era
tot. and nearly half Of the Wainwright
brewery we're blown down.
The Sumner high school. Eleventh and
Spruce streets; T. +. McDermott's sa-
loon, Eleventh and Gratiot; the Hotel
Emmett. on the opposite corner; J"re
Sheehan's livery stable, Eleventh and
Walnut. and DR.. Emo Sanders Mineral
company, 125.l29 South Eleventh street,
were unroofed The engineer at the
Aetna Iron works, Twenty-first and Pa
pin streets. was almost instantly killed.
The walls blew in and he was scalded TO
death by steam. The Consolidated Wire
works, Twenty-frst and Papin streets,
was almost totally wrecked. one Of the
boilers blew UP and the cylinder did the
rest.
Seven people are known"2 have been
seriously there. and a workman
who accompanied them 10 the city dis
pensary says hat many more were-
by falling walls. The great
s:s.ssy SS"ss-
The tornado seemed TO take a north-
westerly course from Fourteenth and
Gratiot streets TO jefferson avenue and
Pine. ~
As tho storm cut through the railrbat
yards back Of the Union station,
turned over a number of freight ant
passenger cars and carried away tn,
northwest corner Of the Union Depo
grain elevator. This elevator is one o
the largest In the city, and as the wreck
age came down It crashed through tn
roofs of a half dozen deserted shanties
AS the storm came on I'm It's fury.
struck the saloon at Twenty-first ant
Clark avenue owned by a mar known 4
the police on the beat as steve Brodie.
The whole east wall Of that three stof!
brick structure was carried away, bu
as 1t fell IL caught the heavy lines o
electric wires and snapped then, each II
twain. Then came the crash which bur
led two women.
Next to the saloon Is Mrs. Gums gro
Gerry store. She and Gertie McKenn,
were there alone. and as they wer'
standing speechless under the fury o
the storm the west wall of "Brodie's'
saloon came down through the roof O
the grocery store. The women wer'
crushed.
The storm carried away the fronts o
the brick dwellings at 2035, 2037, 2039 ant
204l Clark avenue, but none of the oc
cupants were injured.
Every tree was blown TO the grount
from Twenty-first street to jefferson
avenue.
Over in Chestnut street scores of pole
supporting heavy Geographic wires fel
TO the street. AS they fell n Of tn
poles shot through car So OF the Marke
street line and knocked one man out o
the back end. His skull was said to b
broken. and he was taken HON,
in Connecticut avenue. The car wa
wrecked. Another man was injured In TIL
same accident, but he left before the am
bulance came. In falling the wires caugh
two horses and a wago on Twenty-firs
street. near Chestnut. The wagon hat
been deserted by the driver, and wa
crushed by the wires.
The Planters hotel lost several hundred
panes Of glass. Every room I'm the ives
side of the top floor was damaged. Tn
ladies' ordinary at the Southern was dam
aged. the chef was cut in the head by glas
and four other persons were injured.
Every electric light in the court hous'
was ~extinguished.
The city hall windows arc all smashed.
Olive street, from Sixth TO Fourteenth
Is a mass of wreckage. Broken glass an,
splintered signs cover the ~pavements.
The network Of live wires that dragge'
the ground free, BODIED death to pedes
TRANS.
Between Seventh and Eighth streets tw'
carriages were piled upon the pavement
from which the horses had kicked loose.
All the magnificent glass fronts TO tn
furniture and piano stores between Tent
and Twelfth streets In Olive were com
pletely demolished.