The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-06-14
NDEScRlBABLY SAD SCENES.
At New Richmond, Wisconsin,
Where the Dead Have not
Yet Been Counted.
HERMAN, NEBRASKA, STRICKEN
BY the Blast, and not a Building
Left Standing-.-Fcurful
Fatalities.

NEW RICHMOND, Wis. June H.
Fully one hundred corpses. twice us
many mangled people. forty acres Of
piles OF bricks. shivercd planks, scatter
ed heaps OF household goods, dead
horses through which the wind had
driven sharp spllnters OF boards, snoul-
dering fires where houses stood. and In
the midst Of it all, trees us bare Of
leaves as ever they were In the middle
Of winter and for the most part stripped
bare OF bark--this Is what the storm OF
Monday brought In the space OF three
minutes upon the town OF New Rich
mond. There may have been cyclones
which created greater devastation.
some that have occasloned larger loss
Of life. but 1t was only because there
was more material for destruction In
their path than this small village could
afford. In the business portion OF the
town absolutely not one building was
left standing above the cellar windows;
everything above a foundation wall was
shaved as clean as though 1t had been
cut with a plane.
NEW RICHMOND, Wis. June IA
lndcscribably sad are the scenes OF des-
olation wrought by last nights torna-
DO. that has practically swept out Of ex-
istence the prosperous little city Of New
Richmond. Out Of llve hundred houses
and store buildings comprising the
town, fully three hundred were wrecked
by the storm or destroyed by fire. Al
most every family has one or more
members among the dead. Injured or
missing. and little groups are seen ev-
erywhere searching by the light OF Ian
tern or torch for loved ones who may be
buried In the piles of debris on every
hand. With frantic energy the search
has been conducted all day and UP to 9
o'clock Afty-four bodies had been found.
although the number OF dead certainly
will reach hundred or more.
These have for the most part been ia
ken to the Catholic and Congrega tional
churches which. although In the very
edge of the storms path. miraculously
escaped Its fury.
In these temporary morgues, the
sights are such as to touch the hardest
heart. rs the grIef-strlcken living recog
Nize in the bodies, horribly mansied and
often dismembered. the remains Of miss
Ing dear ones.
The wounded find temporary nsylums
In the uninjured dwellings on either side
OF the path OF devastation, where doc
tors and nurses from nearby cities and
towns are doing heroic work without
sleep or rest. as many as possible Of
the Injured whose chances for recovery
are considered good. are being sent to
the hospitals at St. Paul and Mlnneapo-
lis where they Will have better care.
Swept Clean.
The business portion OF the city cover
ed space OF four squares each way
and was built solldly of brick and
clear, foundation walls and in some
places masses OF debris alone marking
where the business places formerly
stood. Trees that had lined the streets
Of the neishboring residence district
were broken clear of or twisted and
uprooted. The tornado came UP the
liver from Hudson. where the damage
was comparatively slight. Following
the general course OF the river and the
branch Of the Omaha road. the storm
gained in Intensity as It progressed. and
was at Its worst when It struck the
business center OF New Richmond. Out
lying residences In the path OF the
storm were stripped of shingles and
boards or sides were blown of. or. ns
more frequently happened, were torn
aSunder and the fragments we're scat
tered to the four winds OF heaven.
Trees were uprooted and roadways
blocked. washed away or 70 overtowcd
The deaolation of New Richmond Of
Today Ia one not TO soon be forgotten.
Along the broken fragments OF their
homes the people wander hclplcssly.
striving somewhat nimlcssly and hope
!@s5ly to gather together what had been
'rft 10 them. ON the east and west I'm
its Of the city many houses were still
standing with little or no damage and
n f.,
Their less-fOrtrnate ncighbors and
'dends. giving them such ald as was
pOrsible and the sympathy that nrc no
much to the stricken souls. The prop
tfty loaa cnnnot be estimated at this
'ine and may never be nccurately
hAD%n. II was almost total for tho
Insurance agents report that no tornado
Insurance was carried In the town and