The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-10

part Of the country had suffered, and the
events of the next few days only record
ed disaster in horror second to none
in the history of the Northwest.
The first Intelligence of the New Rich
mond disaster reached St Paul news
paper offices some time after o clock.
DisJointed reports came from many Wis
consin towns telling of the fury of the
storm, and the most direct intelligence
was from ]. A. Carroll, a travelling man
from Portage, Wis, a survivor, who
drove from the stricken city to Saltwater
In a binding storm
A corp of physicians and newspaper
men were on their way to New Richmond
very soon after midnight Direct com
munication with the afflicted city was
cut off, indeed railroading was quite un-
certain on account of the amount Of
water that fell after the storm and the
bad condition Of the track
A long stop was made at Hudson before
further progress could be made, and
when the first relief party reached New
Richmond 1t was at day break, with
scarcely anything In view but disaster
and devastation. AS one of the corre-
spondents put it, you could not spend
cents in the town." When those who
were upon the scene rcaIl the awful
first day after the storm, 1t appears mar
velous the progress that was made with
the work of relief, which was vigorous
ly pushed from the first
The dead were laid out in the schools
and churches, and survivors were nursing
wounded and dying men, women and chill
dren. The first medical aid that reach
ed New Richmond could do little more
than temporarily dress the wounds, and
In
The means of the dying were heard in
many places little children, bereft Of
home parents and perhaps every earthly
Kin, ran about searching for papa and
mamma. Houses of worship were utilized
as morgues. and the first day thirty dead
were laid out in the Catholic church, and
as many more at the Congregational
sanctuary.
One of the most exacting duties was
that of securing a complete list of the
dead This was done by newspaper men
from st. Paul, and by noon next day the
rising figures had told the world the
magnitude of the disaster, more serious
in loss of life than that at St Cloud
and Sauk Rapids, up to that time the
worst In this vicinity, save where the
horrors Of drowning were added to the
ill fated Sea Wing excursion on Lake
Pepin.
HSIDISSS
condition of the stricken town was made
known.
st. Paul responded with celerity that
Gid high honor to the business men of
the city. With the interchangeable George
R. Finch enlisted early. a second relief
train was under way soon after day
break officials of the Omaha road who
had gone with the first party having re-
turned with graphic descriptions of the
havoc wrought.
This train, beside more doctors and
nurses, brought medicines and provisions.
The hungry were fed. and while they
were being fed their injured comrades
were being loaded into the same train.
now transformed into a crude, but none
the less welcome, hospital train
The Omaha railway ran several extras
to New Richmond, and by o'clock in the
afternoon had forty of the most severely
wounded in st. Paul hospitals. Two men
died in the depot, or while being carried
to the ambulances, and many of the
wounded were delirious. AT and 9
o'clock, respectively, additional special;