Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1899-06-16

Wipd Failed to Accom- plish Wires Are
Are Very Meager.
ST. PAUL, June l3.-The terrific
storm throughout the Upper Mississippi
and in sections of Wisconsin and Mime
sofa has done enormous damage. The
worst destruction appears to have been
at New Richmond, Wis, where a
frightful twister struck just before 6
o'clock p. m. How great has been the
loss of life it is impossible as yet to tell,
the storm having effectually destroyed
wire communication in the stricken re-
gion. Reports that have come in state
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 a cir.
Gus performance.
A dispatch from Saltwater, MIMI,
says that J. A. Carroll, 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 other business house in the
city. ~-".- ~
In the terrible sheets of rain follow
ing, Carroll, with few others, sue
ceeded in recovering the proprietor Of
the hotel, Charles McKinnon, wife and
one child from the debris and they also
removed the laundry girl who was
fatally injured. They also removed
two men named Barrett and Newall
who were severely injured. Carroll
drove to Saltwater by team for relief
and train with doctors left there at
1916 a. m. Carroll further says that
fire followed the storm and that what
is left of the town is being consumed
by fire.
New Richmond is on the Wisconsin
Central line and on the Duluth-Superior
branch of the Omaha road. 1t is 81
miles east of St. Paul and in the heart
of the rich farming section of St. Croix
county. 1t is near Willow river, on
which are several large saw and :grist
mills, and is quite business center.
It is one of the Oldest towns of Western
Wisconsin and had many handsome
residences. There were two principal
streets crossing each other at right
angles, the more important ones run
hinge east and west. It was through
this street the storm passed. The thor
oughfare was three miles long, lined
with trees and made fine driveway.
Damage to railroads, telegraph and
telephone lines is widespread.
Next to New Richmond, the most
severe damage done by the storm was
at Hudson, Wis. and also at La Crosse,
Wis. In the vicinity Of the first named
town, a tornado and cloudburst de-
stroyed wires, haystacks, unroofed resi-
dences, barns and outbuildings all along
its path.
At La Crosse it was the worst storm
known in II years. Nearly inches of
rain fell. The river rose so rapidly that
400 people living in the lower portion Of
the city were driven from their homes.
Over 100 head of livestock were
drowned. Nearly every bridge in the
La Crosse valley is gone.
At Mankato, Mimi, 6 inches of rain
fell. Winona, Mimi, Sparta, Wis, and
other towns in the adjoining territory
are partly under water, and much dam
age done.
MILWAUKEE, June 14.-Latest adj
vices received at the Offices of the Wis
consin Central railway company in this
city are to the effect that the list of
dead for the storm at New Richmond,
Wis, now foots up 100 and that the
ruins of the Inflated city are being
swept by fire. Every effort is being
made to stay the progress of the flames
and to remove dead and dying from the
luins.
Relief trains were sent from Chip
pewa Falls and Stevens Point late at
night. Doctors and nurses are being
picked up along the route.