The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-01
DAMAGE A MILLION.
RUIN RODE IN THE WAKE OF
THE GREAT EASTERN
GALE.
THE LOSS OF LIFE SMALL.
WIDESPREAD REPORTS OFF PROP
ERTY DESTRUCTION ARE STILL
POURING In.
WASHINGTON GIVEN A wRENCHING
Even the White House Slightly In
jured by the Hurricane Which
Swept the City.

LANCASTER, Pa, Sept. 30.-Late
this evening telegraphic and telephone
communication had been established
with the surrounding counties and the
later reports confirm the earlier ad-
vices Of the wide extent of this morn
1ng's cyclonic storm. Every section Of
the country has been heard from and
the story is that ruin rode in the wake
of the gale. While an estimate OF the
total loss is necessarily speculative
there does not seem any doubt that it
Will easily reach million dollars and
may largely exceed that amount. In
this city the individual losses are as
rule comparatively small, but there
are hundreds of them which will make
the aggregate great The wind roared
through the streets with a noise like
thunder and houses literally rocked
upon their foundations. During the
two hours of terror which kept a large
part Of the people awake, the air was
filled with bricks. stones, slate, timbers
and roofs Of heavy sheet iron and tin.
while gigantic trees were ripped up by
the roots and tossed about almost like
toys.
scarcely less severe and of course the
destruction of the Pennsylvania rail-
road bridge across the SuSquehana at
Columbia overshadowed all else in rel
alive Importance. The bridge, which
comprised tWentysevenI spans, was
completely demolished. 1t was insured
for $500, 900 and everything was carried
away except the stone piers, the single
iron span and one Of the shore spans
The lgt. dge proper was crushed 10
splinterS. 1t was lifted bodily off the
piers and deposited just above, in the
water, a portion resting on the piers
Not timber was left standing All
through freight south was run over the
Columbia bridge and the Frederick
division to Baltimore and other South
ern points. It is settled now that there
was no loss of life, as a search Of the
bridge has failed to reveal the bodies
Of two men whom it was feared were
on the bridge when it was swept away
by the hurricane.
SHAMOKIN, Pa, Sept 30.-The dam
age caused by the cyclone that passed
over this section last night is greater
than early reports indicated. 1t is now
thought the total loss will reach $3.50
900. The, Paterson breaker Is almost
a total wreck, but the debris was saved
from flames by the downpour of rain
that followed the wind. Supt. Vincent
places the damage to the colliery at
$4,000 Fourteen Of the dwelling houses
and twenty board shanties, occupied
by the mine workers, were also blown
down and five Of the former were con-
sumed by flames. Two Of the tenants
were killed, several injured End eleven
cattle were crushed to death beneath
the dismantled barn. The killed and in
jured are:
James Hanlon, crushed by debris of his
house, died in a few hours.
Minnie Kline. fractured skull jumping from
second-story window to escape fire; died from
injuries
Injured:
Mrs. Brobinskt leg fractured; Mrs. spielka.
head badly crushed; Mrs. Crawford, arm frac-
tured; James Kopola and wife, severe con-
tusions of body; infant of John Dummkie,
badly cut by being thrown through window;
Charles Klitchie, leg broken.
Shamokin, Mount Carmel, Locust
Gap and other surrounding towns suf-
fered heavily. Reports from the farm
ing districts indicate that barns were
demolished by the hundreds. At the
Colbert mine the fan and engine house,
both boiler houses and all of the
smoke stacks We're demolished, throw
ing 400 men and boys out Of employ
ment.