Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-14
Herman, Neb., Visited By a
Cyclone Last Night
ITS BUILDINGS RAZED
There Was Some Warning Given and
Many People Escaped to the Gel
larS--An Interview With an Eye
witness of the Storm.

| Omaha, June 14.--A special to the Bee
from Blair, Neb., says: AT 6:15 last night
the town of Herman, II miles north OF
mere, was practically wiped off the map
The storm had been gathering for some
hours and people in Blair and the sur
rounding country had noticed two huge
funnel-shaped clouds converging toward
that point
| At Herman people scurried in all di-
rectlons and sought the shelter of the new
cyclone cellars: and instantly the town
was seething mass of debris. After the
first violent burst of wind a torrent of
rain fell. Train No. 2, the flyer of the
Chicago, ST. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha
due In Herman at 1903 p m., pulled in Il
minutes late and discovered that the en-
tire town had been destroyed. The train
crew, as well as many of the passengers,
turned themselves into a relief corps and
the train into an emergency hospital. The
| train. unable to proceed through the
! wreckage of the grain elevator blown
across the tracks, returned to Blair with
some So persons, this number including
one of the dead and all Of the wounded
found up to that time.
Immediately upon the arrival Of the
train in Blair the wounded were carried
to the homes of the residents of Blair and
the Christian hotel, near the station. The
train returned at once to Herman with
medical assistance. all the physicians that
could be spared, several ministers and
many of the town people.
On
cal rred a block and a half. and a large
iron safe was carried two blocks. The
main street of the town is a mass of de-
bris. A freight train left Blair at mid
night with medical aid and other relief
for the sufferers.
One of the best stories of the storm was
received from j. d. Kelly. with num-
Der of other guests l was dining in the
hotel,' he said, when suddenly the wind
began to rise and be very violent.
came down to the window and looked to
the north. l could see two immense
clouds separated by quite a bit Of sky
swirling and tearing around fearfully.
We at once felt that a tornado was at
hand. Our suspicious We're confirmed
when we saw the two divisions of clouds
were rapidly converging into the trad-
tional funnel shape. But while we looked
it seemed to us that the cloud would
sweep to the west and avoid the town
When it reached point to the northwest
we were terrified to see it suddenly change
its course and make directly for the town
We all hurried into the cellar. saw no
more of the tornado but we knew by the
flightful din that it was working havoc
in the town. When it had passed we
emerged from the cellar and found that
the house had been wrecked and that
every building in town had been blown
down with the exception of an isolated
few on the outskirts. The tornado had
swept right down the main street crush
ing the buildings as though they were
eggshells. The only brick building of i'm
portance In the town was the bank. After
the storm l do not recall seeing it and
presume it, too, was destroyed. The town
was pile of debris soaking with water.
In front of US we could see horses pigs
and frame buildings all heaped together.
/ could not say how many persons were
killed or how many We're injured 1 saw
several dead and many wounded. Of
course, there We're many still alive after
the storm and they did all they could tc !
assist in the work of rescue. When the
first train left l came back"
Mr.. Kelly and several others referred !
to one queer freak of the wind which they
had observed. At a point two blocks
northwest of the Burden hotel workmen
had nearly completed great tank which
was to supply the city with water. This !
tank weighed in the neighborhood of 20
tons. When the storm had passed the
.ank was found close to the hotel practi-
,aly uninjured. The work of taking the
lead and wounded out of the debris is go-
ng on slowly and is likely to prove a long
md difficult task