Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-05-07
SATURDAYS STORM
DID MUCH DAMAGE
-
lao Fatalities Are Reported hear
Sheldon There Ny Be
Others,
0'BRiEk COUNTY IS HIT HARD
0nly Touched Southeastern South
DAKOTA Points With lin
ted DaTage.
O'sRIEN COUNTY IS HrT HARD
0TO AND ssITHLASO VISITED
Farm Houses and Barns Are de-
strDy ed---iteporis from Dther
Points is tIc storms
Path.

Sioux Cry, May ga. The details
u saturday night storm come d. ~ -
found that The damage has Been con-
siderable 30 places = much Dor
than Il fret thought.
Haurice. j.. My 3 This town ~as
visited By q destructive tornado al 4:45
Saturday efeniHg. But no iafal.ties re-
suited The funnel shaped cloud ap-.
preached from the southwest Its
fearful roaring gave the citizens ample 4
warning. and most % them bad sought
refuge 10 storm cellars or caves when
'he storm broke iu us fury. lu tire
northwest part 81 the town fhc most
important f~rrsarIEc- lefc.en - the
ground aE4 totally destroyed are the
EClgwir ~igun City and Northern
depot. ~. Pau! and Kansas Ciry Grain
cgmyaAEr e.s}aryT.. valued ~
5000. insured. Jh- elevator con.
tanned about ].5gJ bushels Of wheat
and the same amount II corn and oats,
which viii be sayed with yut little loss.
Three cars containing nearly 2,pJ1
bushels u wheat had beer loaded and
were billed for shipment. These ears
sere overturned, but tAe wheat will
al be saved. with probably the loss %
Z 20 bushels. The elevator is owned By
the Sioux City and Northern railroad
and leased by s. -. ILcmpsou q Co..
( The building IL ruined. IL contained
10 grain, O., il was not O~ing operated.
Z Tie dwelling house % j. Nicely was
destroyed with its contents. The resi-
z Gence Of {. Van Gorkam with content.
is q total loss.
There were many minor igsse- thg>"
Of most Importance being the dp~iruc-
lion Of q box and a stock ear for the
Northern railroad, considerable dam
age 20 their water tank and stock
wards and the killing 81 several head Of
horses, hogs. etc.
When the work OF destruction had
been finished in Maurice. the storm
. continued ia q noTthea-terly direction
until il came 10 the farm house Of Hen
~ Duvau. one mile from town. The
house. together with the barn and
farm machinery, were lefeled 10 q ma-s
u ruins. The family escaped 20 the
cellar aud were uHhuTt The storm
continued on It's course. demolishing
barns and outbuildings. until last
heard from. "a mile west Of sheldon.
where the greatest damage j. said 20
have occurred
The only person hurt here "as al
aged man. Isaac Van GoTksm. lie wa
pinned Cor a time 81 . cellar By falling
fimbeTs. His injuries are not Of a Sc
yjCus nature. The shock 10 his nervous
system On account Of bis age AZ first
promised 10 prove serious. but he Is
now considered Out Of danger. By q
fortunate providence zach family in
the path Of the storm was provided
with e storm cave or cellar, and these
were taken advantage Of in time.
The depot viii he rebuilt at once and
a. least one Of the elevators viii be
reconstructed. The most Of the dwell
ings destroyed win be replaced with
better ones. The work Of clearing up
the debris has been energetically pros
ecuted, and those who lost their all
have been provided with temporary
quarters. and will be- well cared for.
The town today has been visited by
thousands from adjoining towns and
country 10 view the destruction.
O'Brien County suffers severely
Sheldon, Ia. Nav "A large amount
Of damage was done by the storm Sat
urday afternoon. The tornado seemed
20 be in three parts. That coming
from the southwest demolished
i ~ nan r 4 FFAF anu b1A ~ ~
family barely escaping into a dugout.
Their neighbors, the Bronks. across
the road. a family of eight. had two
children sick with measles, who could
rot bc deserted. The storm struck the
house. tearing a child from the moth
er's arms and landing tho little one out
In the field unhurt. Most Of the fam
ily were badly cut and some had bones
broken. One Of the boys who was sick
was landed about ten Tods from the
house, right side mp on his bed, with
out a scratch.
the storm worked on northwest 10
Alex Persons, where the house was
turned around. the barn demolished
and "A horse killed.
Next IL passed TO Henry Weeks.
where only the barn was smashed with
sixteen head Of horses, none of which
were Killed.
At the Evans place the house was
E--ccl.ca 81. 'he barn blown over. No
one was hurt. Evans lives one mite
west Of town.
The city pumping station was next
In the path, but only the barn OF the
superintendent was destroyed.
Another branch OF tle storm went
south of here eight miles, killing two
children Of Mr.. Lemkahls.
East Of mere three miles the storm
struck the Bonderman place. breaking
an arm and leg of Bonderman, junior.
Reports are coming in slowly. All
the physicians Of this place were in
the country all night in attendance
upon the injured persons. There was
very little warming of the approach
ing storm. a heavy rain followed.
The st. Paul passenger train was
stopped two miles north of town till
The storm passed. No damage was done
10 the track.
At Oto aud smithIand.
Otto, Ia, May 2.-As was briefly re-
ported yesterday, Otto was among the
places visited by Saturday evenings
tornado. The storm began about 4:45
with terrific rain and hail, and at 5:15
che dreadful funnel shaped cloud was