The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-07-08
Two Bad Storms Visited This Vicinity Last Week
and Each One Left Broad Trail
to r1ark Its Course
TOTAL LOSS WILL BE GREAT.
Ten Buildings Were Destroyed and Others Partially
Wrecked Yet No Lives Were Lost
and Few Are Injured.

passing stopped there for refuge. The
SIN inmates went to the cellar and the
house was taken off from over them.
The frame part was completely de-
moralized, nothing except the floor re-
manning but the log part stood better,
a part of the walls being left. The
movables outside were carried off, the
wagon being found fully half a mile
away and nothing except one pair of
wheels of the visitors wagon has been
found at this writing. Nancy, Fred
'McClellan's running mare, was lifted
bodily and taken from the yard, car
ried several rods and dropped. She
was cut some and one leg is injured.
The pig pen was also demolished and
the porker carried off, but he hobbled
back on three legs the next morning.
Aftrunk was taken out of the house by
the wind, set down right side up, torn
open and all it's contents removed and
scattered for miles, but the trunk was
left there uninjured. The trees here
we're mostly uprooted and those which
were left were leafess and the bark
was Clipped off either by the wind or
the sand which blew against them.
Steadman's loss is total, even to the
crop. The ferceness of the storm was
also noticeable in the tall grass, where
the tops were cut off as if cattle had
been grazing there.
John Olson, who lives just below
McClellan's, was another who lost his
all. The family hurried into a little
hole which they had under their house
for storing vegetables-it was too
small to be called cellar-and es-
caaed without q scratch. Everything
they possessed was swept away, spl1nt-
cred, torn and demolished. They
have secured quarters in a house near
by and some of the Princeton business
men have given them enough to keep
them comfortable for a time.
From here until the Berry school
house was reached the storm expended
it's fury on the trees. Eyewitnesses to
the destruction of the school house say
that the building WAS carried first
several feet to the southwest and
smashed to pieces, after which the
storm seemed to gather the fragments
ana carry them on it's northerly
course. There was nothing left of the
building but splinters and the seats
and other contents were as completely
pulverized. The storm at Mr.. Berry's
residence seemed to raise for an in
slant and his house is unframed but
the grove is ruined and his barn was
partially wrecked. Mrs. Berry was in
Princeton when the storm was seen
and drove hurriedly home, The horse
was quickly unhitched from the car
riage and not a moment too soon for in
an instant the storm burst it's fury and
the buggy which Mrs. Berry had just
left was an unacceptable tangle of
iron and splintered wood. The storm
seemed to enter the barn by the door
and did no damage to that side but a
large section of the roof is missing on
the northwestern corner showing con-
clusively where it left the building.
Another popularity of the storm was
noticed here where the planks were
taken from under the cattle, leaving
them standing there uninjured.
Oscar Mystrom was the next victim
in the path. He heard the roaring OF
the storm and saw that it was pointed
toward his home and he hurried his
family to root house fifty feet
away. There in little room not more
than 5xS feet were huddled Mr.. N.Y.
strom and his wife and three children,
while the water from the cloudburst
rushed in until they stood to their
knees in water. Their house was a
small temporary affair and was handled
as if it were an egg shell. It struck
the ground after the first blow
within dozen feet of the
root house and was then
carried SO yards to ravine whore it
struck on it's side again and was
smashed to kindling. Some of the
clapboards were left there driven into
the ground several feet and the ground
was indented fully two feet by the
blow. The stills were afterwards found
fully 100 rods away and all through
the woods were scattered fragments Of
the building, furniture, dishes and
clothing. Mr.. Mystrom had only
opened his farm this year and his all