The Irish standard., 1899-06-17
A TERRIFIC CYCLONE!
Over One Hundred Killed at New
e Richmond, Wis.
BUSINESS PART OF TOWN DEMOLISHED.

BUSINESS PART OF TOWN DEMOLISHED.
Hundreds of People are Rendered Home.
less..-After the Wreck Fire Breaks Out
Adding Further Horror to the Sad Sit
uation.--Relief Trains at Once Made Up
and Sent Forward.
The known dead now uumber ia; the
injured number 10; total 224. To which
total must be added the missing. estimated
at from so to $50.
New Richmond, Wis, June 49,
The number still in the ruins is vari-
ously estimated, some estimates running
up to 100 and others being placed at so.
O. w. Mosher, who has been at the
head of relief work, said tins morning
that fully IS children were still missing
and large number OF adults as we'll.
The estimate is generally considered too
large The working parties expect to
find anywhere from 10 to rs bodies in
the basement OF Williams hardware
store when they have it finally cleared.
By 10 o'clock this morning the work
OF looking for the dead was proceeding
under definite system, although the
number OF men available for the work
was woeiully small. The largest gang
OF men was put to work on the ruins OF
Williams dry goods store, where six
bodies were found yesterday and where
it is believed large number are still
under the massive stones and rafters.
The building had but one story, but it
was fully 20 feet high. The structure
being built Of heavy stone, all the stone
work, floors and store fixtures fell di-
recty into the basement, crushing
everybody and everything beneath it. 1t
will be slow work cleaning out the ruins
and probably several days will elapse
before it is known how many were
killed in the place.
No words can describe the awfulncss
of the scene. II such thing were pos
sib1e the desolation seems even greater
than ever. The people are gradually
recovering from the shock and as they
come to realization OF what they have
suffered, their agony and despair are
painful to witness. Many have seen the
accumulation OF lifetime swept away,
but this could be bourn were it not for
the fact that those whom they held
away. Some OF the merchants will re-
build as soon as possible Others are
dead. 1t will be months before the town
will resume its former aspect, and it
will be years before the marks OF the
awful devastation are obliterated.
The horror OF the situation grows. All
through the devastated district the smell
OF the purifying carcasses OF dead ami
mails permeates the air, and renders the
situation almost uncomfortable. The St.
Paul fire department, which has been on
duty the past twenty-four hours con-
t1nuously, is almost worn out, but is
still doing valiant service.
The fires in the basement OF the Will
liams hardware store and Smith &
Bells market have been extlnsuislled
but they have eaten through the walls.
and are now raging in the basement Of
the bank, where they are proving stub
born Great clouds OF steam arc gem
Grated as the water TAILS on the hot brick
and stone and 60 sweeping across the
desolate scene as though they we're
wreaths OF those who, it is feared. are
still beneath the smouldering ruins.
Men are at work everywhere, but their
progress is slow.
Passengers on the various relief trains
which, fastened to New Richmond from
the south had a warning OF the awful
things they were to see in the deep
traces the storm left behind it while it
was gathering strength and moving to
the attack OF the unfortunate village. 1t
seems that the tornado had its accursed
birth near North Wisconsin Junction, a
short distance from Hudson. Generally
speaking it would be correct to say that
it followed Willow river and the Omaha
railroad track to New Richmond,
though the path was somewhat cratic.
The first building to give the storm a
chance to test its strength was barn
belonging to Farmer Ed Daily, who re.
sides near the junction. This structure
was Tapped up in a trice. AT Ten-Mile
creek the storm destroyed Farmer
Hurds barns. but left him his house.
Here the storm got its first taste of
blood. killing Chris Burrowes and
Granville Hurd. Groves were uprooted
and the roof was lifted from John Nc
Coy's farm house. As if to recon-
pense him for the harm it was to do him
in the village, the cyclone left untouched
the large farm and handsome farm
buildings belonging to John Glover, the
New Richmond banker AT the Beard
farm herd OF cattle were caught and
tossed to death and John Mil was
killed, making the cyclones third victim.
The Lacey farm house was annihiated
and Mrs. Kate Hebron was killed.
The nearer it got to New Richmond
the greater the force OF the wind The
tops of trees were whipped off, the
banks Of the stream sometimes protect
ing the lower parts. Wires were drawn
out of the fences, miles OF board fences
were carried away, the telegraph pole
that stood was the exception. Some
times grain fields were spared and agar
they were hattened out. Dead COWS
and horses lay in the fields Farm
houses were literally RACED to the ground
and agricultural implements were scat
tered all over the fields Then it struck
the town with results that are wei
known.
1t would take the brush of Dort
and the pen OF Poe to htting]y de
scribe the awful hours following the dis
aster. The great roaring sound which
survivors say is so horrible, so awful
and so OMNIBUS that they are utterl,
unable to convey any idea of it, hae
hardy died away in the distance and tn,
last building was hardly fallen to it
ruins when the we'll went to work tt
rescue the wounded and find the dead.
Relatives searched for relatives an,
friends for friends. When the storm
broke the merchants were generally a