River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1899-06-22
TIE TERRIBLE TORNADO!
Its Awful Work-The Model City
of New Richmond Blotted Out
of Existence.
IFS people Kllled-5OO Injured
Loss of Property 81, 225, 900.

AOS1 Va FhSPNasy VAtA-~t1NOs
The first reports of the tornado's |
awful work at New Richmond while |
horrifying in their details were not
exaggerating. The developments OF
week have only added to the realiza-
tion Of the enormity OF the disaster. |
As one views the results of that fierce
hurricane he will wonder that any
human being could have come
through it scathless. The fury OF
that storm literally wiped out the
city OF New Richmond. A few build
ings In the northwest corner, and a
few others in the southeast, remain.
The rest OF the city was ground into
dust and splinters. The loss of life
was grieyous-l25 killed; the injured
number between 500 and 600. The
property in the area of the storm,
everything but the ground was de-
stroyed-buildings, merchandise, fur
niture, household goods, clothing,
wagons, carriages, domestic animals
all yaluables; nothing remains intact
the once beautiful city is wide
waste Of deyastation--a commingled
mass of debris.
The swift approach of the tornado,
UllC dH1u IOdI anu Vi UIlC lClOC
tempest, the thunder of falling walls
and crashing timbers, the swirl of
flying debris, the cries of the dying,
the appeal of the injured-the sudden
shock left the survivors stunned and
dazed, impotent for time to act.
When they began to recover from the
stupor of the awful horror, In efforts
to aid they were handicapped. No
means of assistance was present but
bare hands;-saWs, axes and all
remedial appliances for aid were gone.
Men, women and children, pinned
beneath the broken buildings perished
from the impossibility of rescue as
fire added its swift fortunes TO the
horrors of the situation.
The tornado with its mighty and
irresistible force, with its contortions
and eccentricities performed some
strange feats, things which at first
thought would seem to be hardly the
result Of natural laws. Many OF these
are considered incredible. Few men
would believe without seeing that
straws could be driven for a quarter
of an inch into painted board.
The force of the tornado crushed
the most substantial buildings of
brick and stone as one could an egg
shell in his hand, stripped the trunks
OF huge trees of bark and left the
splintered timber of wooden struct-
ures broken into little fragments in
as regular order in wide concentric
circles as if they had been deposited
with the precision of machine.
AS the tornado passed through New
Richmond it seems to have risen from
the ground for number Of miles
when it struck the earth again near
Clear Lake in Polk County destroy
ing Arland, small village of half
dozen stores, and Pineville, another
village near by. Several persons were
killed at the latter place and many in
jured, among the latter Aaron Rosen-
quist, recently of this vicinity. Bar
ron also suffered severly from the
shock of the tornado.
The force of the tornado extended
to forty-eight blocks of the city and
on twenty-eight of these every struct-
ure was totally destroyed. Most of
the buildings on the other twenty
were badly damaged. One hundred
and twenty-eight buildings-stores and
dwelling hOuses-were dem olished,
| merchandise to the value of half
million dollars destroyed and all the
furnishings of comfortable homes en-
tirely swept away. The property loss
will reach fully a million and quarter.
A lesson of the tornado seems to
teach that the cellars of wooden
buildings are comparative safe pro-
| lection against the hurricane and
| that the easements of stone and brick
structures are yeritable death-traps.
The tornado had wrought much de-
struction on it's course through the
| country this side of New Richmond
at Burkhardt and Boardman, stations
on the n. w. r. r. 1t is reported
| that nine persons were killed at or
near these places. Some of these are
| mentioned in the list of the killed at
New Richmond. Captain Hurd's
house was destroyed and Mrs. Eva
| Hurd, Miss Gertrude Wear and John
Neitge, son of Otto Neitge of Deer
| Park, persisted in the ruins. Mrs.
| Kate Hebron was killed near Board
man, and Charles Burrows is also re-
ported to have been killed near this
place. The depots at both places
were destroyed with many farm build
| ings along the line near by
Three hundred workmen went to
New Richmond Friday by special
train to assist in the work of clearing
| up the ruins. Two hundred Of these
were from the Omaha car shops and
one hundred from the saw mill. Still
water also sent up hundred laborers.
Sever Olson, whose buildings were
| wrecked in the tornado had taken out
a cyclone policy with an insurance Of
81 200 for which he paid 1920 but a
few hours before the storm.
Among the many cases of misfor-
tune that calls for profound sympathy
none perhaps strikes most readers of
the Journal with more intimate ap-
probation than that of s. n Hawkins.
His wife, his two daughters and one
son were killed, himse seriously in
jured, home and all other property in
the city destroyed.