The Saint Paul globe., 1902-06-03
TORNADO STRIKES
LA CROSSE, WIS.
Houses Are UnrOofed, windows
Broken and Many People Hurt
Storms at other Points.


LA CROSSE. Wis, June "A tornado
struck this city tonight. blowing OF
roofs, piling pedestrians up in street cor
ners, smashing out plate glass windows
and clearing Main street of signs. A
number Of people were hurt, but none. it
is thought, fatally. A woman was badly
lacerated by broken glass, but will
live.
A strange phenomenon accompanied
the storm. Black clouds, with vivid
lightning. rose in the west, but a dead
calm prevailed. Then a deafening roar
was heard and in moment the tornado
was in full blast At a height Of 40
feet funnel-shaped cloud appeared from
which a great bali of fire descended,
striking in front of a saloon and ex-
ploding.
Panic seized hundreds of people, who
were on the street, drawn there by the
appearance here of an Odd Fellow dele
cation. Three cars of delegates to the
Odd Fellows convention were just un-
loading at the corner of Fourth and
Main streets, when the storm burst; they
were picked up, some running, others car
ried bodily, and scattered along the
street for a block. For two blocks on
Main street every sign and street show
case and many awnings were torn off, and
the pavement was covered with timbers
Of unroofed buildings. Farland's big
millinery store suffered the greatest dam
age wild duck descended dead to the
postoffice steps as DR.. Powell stepped
from the door. Through the southern
portion of the town small buildings were
unroofed and large trees were uprooted.
A portion of the spire of st. Josephs
cathedral was blown down, blocking the
street with brick and timbers. Damage
or the south side OF the street is such
as to make the street impossible. for
blocks, big trees, roofs and timbers be-
ing piled up in confusion. An uncon-
irmed rumor was received at the police
station that a town TO the south,
Brownsville, or De Soto, was completely
wiped out, but every telegraph and tele-
phone wire is down. AT 10:30 a second
dispatch from the south says that one
man was killed and a score injured at
De Soto.
The damage here win probably reach
$1,000.
MILWAUKEE. Wis. June "A severe
rain and wind storm. preceded by a
warm wave was general today within
a radius of 100 miles of Milwaukee. In
this city one-thlrd Of an inch of rain
fell within ten minutes. At the same
time the wind blew at the rate Of forty
miles per hour, breaking many paneS OF
glass and doing other damage.
At Fox lake tornado swept 1O0-yard
SNatl through town Il
roofing the house occupied by Fred Fish
err blowing in the plate glass window
of Miss Lindsay's house and breaking
off big maple trees at the roots. Wind
mills and sheds were blown down. The
wind picked Henry Matthews off his
feet and carried him a rod in the air.
racine reports a deluge or ram ac-
companied by thunder and lightning
Women and children sought cellars in
safety. One hundred trees We're blown
down and many signs were wrecked.
MELLEN, Wis, May with a roar
like the thunder Of dozen swift-moving
trains a tornado cloud swept across the
central part of Ashland county yesterday
afternoon, cutting for itself a broad
path through the forest that had stood
perhaps for centuries.
Moving from northwest to southeast
the gray and black mass Of vapor
whirled its way through the forest over
rivers and across lakes.
1t touched the right of way of the
Wisconsin Central railway at Penokee,
plunged against the rocky sides OF the
Penokee range and swerved off to the
south. Whether any homes were de-
stroyed is not known. 1t is said a wide
path of timber was leveled and the loss
will be heavy.
OTTUMWA, Iowa. June "A travelling
man just returned from Des Moines says
a waterspout along the Burlington track
between Des Moines and Abba today did
+hrrF a1e. ne An a.
The train stopped six times within a few
miles on account Of water running over
the tracks. The engine fires were put
out several times.
DUBUQUE. Iowa. June "A tornado
struck near Louisville Iowa today An
aged farmer named Ward was killed.
the hotel badly damaged and many
barns and windows wrecked