Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-06-14
STORM LEVELS TOWNS
Over Two Hundred Lives Lost In Wis
cOnsin Tornado.
FULLY A THOUSAND INJURED
New Richmond, Where the Wind
Ragged Worst, Sustains Greatest
Loss Fire Adds to the
Storms Horrors.

81. raul, June Ia eGElHc storIlis
along the upper Mississippi river and its
tributaries in Wisconsin and Minnesota
have done enormous damage. The worst
destruction appears to have been at New
Richmond. Wis, where frightUl twist
or struck. A Dispatch reporter who
has just returned from New Richmond,
places the number of tornado victims mt
200 and the injured at about 1000. He
says that of the entire population Of
$500 only a few can be found unhurt.
The town is almost destroyed. AT the
time of the storm it was crowded with
people who had come from the surround
ing country to attend circus perform
ance.
A dispatch from Saltwater, Mimi,
says that j. A. Carroll, II travelling man
from Portage. Wis, who was at New
Richmond at the time the storm struck,
has reached that place. Mr.. Carroll
saw the funnel shaped cloud as it came
up the principal street and took refuge
in the basement of the Hotel Nicholas
which was completely wrecked, together
with every business house in the city.
In terrible sheets of rain following,
Carroll. with II few others, succeeded in
rescuing the proprietor of the hotel,
from the debris, and they also removed
the laundry girl. who was fatally in
jured.
They also removed two men named
Barrett and Newhall. who were severely
injured. Carroll drove to Saltwater by
team for relief. and train with doctors
left there, Carroll says that fire follow
ed the storm and that what is left of
: l,nt l.,;,, l,,,S
story of the storm.
The day had been close and muggy and
threatening rain. Heavy dun colored
clouds gathered on the western horizon
and soon spread over the sky, gradually
growing dcnser and darker and presaging
a tornado.
Great alarm prevailed shortly before
the storm broke, and refuge was sought
in cellars, wells, caves or other under
ground structures that promised safety. |
The wind, which Il moment before was
a mere whisper. began blowing with ter
rible force. A moment later the storm |
burst on the village. Trees bent low to
the earth and were ,irested of leaves. |
branches and even the bark.
The storm struck the town full in the
center. and in ten minutes awful destruc-
ton had been wrought. The largest brick
blocks crumblcd like eggshells. The
lighter frame structures We're whiskAd
away Ike so much straw. and many
houses were carried for blocks and dash
I'd to the earth.
Five hundred buildings, the finest in
he town, were demolished, and when the
storm had passed about the only struc-
ures of any note left standing were the
Catholic and Baptist churches.
Not a residence was left untouched,
md few people escaped without injuries.
Lumber yards went up in the clouds,
he huge planks being split into shingles.
\ large iron bridge over Apple river was
blown into fragments and the parts dis
ributed along the banks half mile
way.
Where New Richmond Is.
New Richmond is on the Wisconsin
CENTRAL line and on the Duluth Superior
ranch of the Omaha road. 1t is 36 miles
asst of st. Paul and in the heart of the
ich farming section of st. Croix county.
t is near Willow river. on which are ,
everal large saw and grist mills and is ,
ute a business center. !
1t is one of the oldest towns in western
Wisconsin and had many handsome resi- t
ences. There were two principal a
trertS crossing each other at right an I
les, the more important running east L
nd west. 1t was through this street the c
torn passed. The thoroughfare was a
lree miles long. lined with trees and O
lade a fine driveway. n
Damage to railroads, telegraph and d
'lephone lines and crops is widespread. a
ext to New Richmond, the most severe
amage done by the storm was at Hud-
IN, Wis, and also at Lacrosse. Wis.
4 the vicinity of the first named town St
rnado and cloudburst destroyed wires, t,
lystackS. unroofed residences. barns, lc
ltbuidings all along it's path. 81
AT Lacrosse it was the worst storm CT
lown in II years. Nearly five inches of e
in fell. The river rose so rapidly that IL
VI people. living in the lower portion Of t,
q city were driven from their homes. HI
yer 100 head of live stock were drown M
/. Nearly every bridge in the Lacrosse ri
Hey is gone.
At Mankato, Mimi, six inches of rain
II. Nlnona, Mimi: Sparta, Wis, and
her towns in the adjoining territory pt
e partly under water and much dam &c
q done. Ii
laribnult. Mimi: Eel Roy, Viola, Rock IT.
and Tomah also suffered severely W
d have the same story to tell of flood tn
cellars and streets; heavy damage to al
)ps, hundreds of head of cattle drown va
numerous washouts on the railroads ne
dges washed away and wire communi. We
ton paralyzed
A Gpv