Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-06-13
A TOWN DESTROYED
Hundreds Of People Were Manned
or Killed By a Cyclone in
Wisconsin.
FIRE FOLLOWED The STORM
Heavy Buildings Lifted Bodily and Carried
Blocks Then Dashed to the Ground
Scores of People Beneath
the Debris.

storm along the Upper Mississippi river
and tributaries in Wisconsin and Min
nesOta, has done enormous damage.
The worst destruction appears to have
been at New Richmond. Wis, where a
twister struck Just bef,r. 6 o'clock last
night. How great has been the loss Of
life 1t is impossible as yet to tell, the
storm having effectually destroyed wire
communication. Reports that come
state that the total number of killed
and injured will range between $50 and
500. The town, at the time Of the storm,
was crowded with people who had come
from the surrounding country to attend
a circus.
A dispatch from Saltwater, Mimi,
says: ]. A. Carroll, a travelling man
who was at New Richmond when the
storm struck, has reached that place.
Carroll saw funnel-shaped cloud as it
came up the principal street, and took
refuge in the basement of Hotel Nicho-
las, which was completely wrecked
with every other business house. In the
terrific rain following, Carroll, with a
few others, recovered the proprietor of
the hotel, Charles McKinnon, his wife
and one child from the debris, and also
removed several injured women. Car
roll drove to Saltwater for relief. A
train with doctors left at 1915 a. m.
Carroll says what is left in the town is
being consumed by fire.
New Richmond is on the Wisconsin
Central and the Duluth and Superior
branch Of the Omaha road, thirty-six
miles east of st. Paul, in the heart of a
rich farming section of st. Croix coun-
ty. 1t is one Of the oldest towns in
western Wisconsin, and had many
handsome residences. The storm swept
the principal street, three miles long,
lined with trees. The damage to rail-
roads, telegraph, telephone lines and
crops is widespread.
Next to Richmond the most severe
damage done by the storm was at Hud-
son and Lacrosse, Wis. At Lacrosse
inches Of rain fell. The river rose rap
idly. and 400 people living in the lower
portion of the city were driven from
their homes. Nearly every bridge in
Lacrosse valley is gone. At Mankato,
Mimi, s inches Of rain fell. Winona,
Mimi, Sparta, Wis, and other towns in
adjoining territory are partly under
water.
TOWN NEARLY DESTROYED.
st. Paul, Mimi, June 13.-A Dispatch
reporter just returned from New Rich
mond, and places the number Of dead at
200; injured about 1000. He says Of the
population of $500, only few are un-
hurt. The town is almost totally de-
stroyed.
The inhabitants Of the village felt no
alarm until about $50, when heavy
dark-colored cloud gathered on the
western horizon. Refuge was sought in
cellars, wells, caves or other UNDER
ground structures that promised safety.
The wind was blowing with terrible
force. Trees were broken off short by
the gale, which struck the town full in
the center. In ten minutes awful de-
struction had been wrought. The larg-
est brick blocks crumbled like egg
shells. Lighter frame structures were
whisked away like so much straw, and
many houses were carried blocks and
dashed to earth.
Five hundred buildings, the finest in
town, were wrecked. When the storm
passed, about the only structures Of
any note left standing were the Catho-
lie and Baptist churches. Not resi-
dence was left uninjured. Lumber
yards went up in the clouds, huge
planks being sliced into shingles. A
large iron bridge over the Apple river
was blown into fragments.
THREE HUNDRED CoFFINs.
Minneapolis, June 13.-The Wisconsin
Central train succeeded in reaching
here this morning, having come
through New Richmond at an early
hour. The tracks were all clear, save
where the contents of lumber yard
were scattered over them. When the
train came through the air was so full
of smoke from burning buildings that
1t was difficult to tell the extent Of the
disaster. The central part Of the town,
however, was wrecked. A fire engine
from neighboring town was doing it's
best to check the flames. There was no
medical assistance at that time, one To-
cal doctor having been killed and an
other having both legs broken. The
train brought an order for 800 collins.