The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-06
TORNADO At WHITE HIR
CHUTES BUILDING COMPLETELY
DEMOLISHED AND OTHER
DAMAGE DONE
MANY BOATS WERE CAPs1zED
No Lives Lost So Far as Known
Storm Struck the City
Later. Doing Some
Damage.


nado last evening shortly after o'clock
q, which dashed the surface of the lake
into huge waves, demolished many small
| buildings. tore up trees by the roots and
completely destroyed the new $4,000 shoot
the chutes structure. situated near Ra-
maley's pavilion.
The massive frame structure was
crushed into kindling wood and pieces Of
! scantling carried far over into White
! Bear village. That Ramaley's pavilion
escaped is remarkable, and only explain
ed by the fact that the fury of the storm
was spent on the last object it struck.
| The yachts and rowboats anchored at
Ralnaley's dock were piled up like cord
| wood, and the debris collected by the
storm was scattered over the roof of the
pavilion and over the railroad tracks
into the yards of the summer residents.
The residence of DR.. Fry, at Cottage
Park, was moved off Its foundation. and
bathhouses and lighthouses in the patch
of the storm were reduced to splinters
and carried into the lake.
The wind coming when it did, many es-
capped injury that would have otherwise
been in the path of the storm
Col Wescott w. Price, manager of the
Lake Shore resort, was one of the first
to note the approach of the storm. Civ
ing hasty orders to his employees as many
windows were closed as possible before
the cloud reached Lake Shore.
STARTED NEAR WILDWOOD.
1t started, as near as can be ascer-
tanned, in the vicinity Of Wildwood, and
made patch across the lake about 400
feet wide, striking the shoot the chutes
structure squarely, and passing west On
the north side of the pavilion.
MANY BOATS CAPSIZED.
Several fishing and pleasure parties
were on the lake when the storm ap-
preached and were making for home as
fast as possible when it broke over the
lake with great violence. Nearly every
boat or the lake was capsized.
Col. Price, after the storm was passed,
set about the rescue of the people in the
lake. Several boats Immediately put out
from the dock and rode the waves as
best they could, picking up the drenched
pleasure seekers.
NO ONE DROWNED.
AS far as could be learned no one was
drowned, and the people in the immedi-
ate vicinity escaped serious injury.
At White Bear village the wind played
havoc with the shade trees. uprooting
many and breaking off the tops of some
of the larger ones. Several small I'M
occupied buildings were wrecked, por-
lions of sidewalk torn up and carried
many feet away.
Telephone wires were blown down. and
telephone communication with the city
entirely suspended for the night
Soon after the storm White Bear peo-
pie Hooked to Lake Shore to view the
wreck left by the storm Boards and
sections of the structure were blown into
the tree tops, and the surface OF the
water was covered with floating pieces of
the shoot the chutes," The electric
wires furnishing light for the pavilion
We're parted by the flying timbers and
lanterns and candles were the best to
be obtained in the way of Illumination.
CAME VERY SUDDENLY.
The storm came up very suddenly
Nearly every one at Lake Shore was at
supper al the time, and but few were
on the street, and these sought places
of safety as quickly as possible.
The tornado is described by Col. Price
from what he saw of it, as a black,
whirling cloud preceded by fierce gusts
of cold wind. When it came in contact
with the huge structure the roar increas-
ed and there was a sharp grinding and
swapping of timbers followed by a sue
| cession of dull crashes occasioned by the
scattering of the lumber. The trees in
the neighborhood bent almost double, and
DSlOI6 any one COuiu realize what HdQ
happened the chutes buildings was gone
and about thirty cents worth of boards
only remained.
MOVED THROUGH THE LAKE.
From what could be learned at the lake
last night the storm must have gained
force and the tornado developed some
where out On the lake as from appear
Gnces it came from Wildwood, yet no
damage other than an uprooted tree was
reported from that point. Col Price
states that it appeared to make path
! right across the lake in its course from
| what appeared to be directly from Wild
| wooG. The water was parted on either
side, carrying a great wave before it. Thi:;
struck the timbers of the building first,
and in an instant it had been torn asun-
der and scattered to the four Winds He
says:
at appeared to make straight for the
shoot the chutes building, as the struc-
ture was struck squareiy in the middle.
We had intended to open it the Fourth of
July, and would have done 81 had not
the Golfer dam been carried away by a
storm a few nights before 1t cost when
new $4,000, and it was fully covered by
| tornado insurance. The structure was
the same that proved so popular at the
| Omaha exposition. and was 290 feet long
and 65 feet high, containing In the neigh
borliood of 5000 feet of lumber Work
men had been busy putting on the I'm
! ishing touches during the day, and had
/ only abandoned their work the hour be-
| fore. The storm struck us at 7:15 A
cloth sign hangs directly in front of the
pavilion, and, remarkable as it may seem,
it was not disturbed by the wind I think
| the path of the storm was about 400 feet
wide, as near as I could make it out If
| the storm had occurred on the Fourth the
| result would have been much more dis
| astrous."