The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-16
Several Towns Believed to Have Been
Wrecked and Their Inhabitants
Killed Injured.
MEAGER REPORTS RECEIVED
AND THE FULL EXTENT OF THE DIS
AsTER NOT KNOWN.
Destruction of One Town Reported by
a Telegraph Operator, Who
Tapped the Wires.

ST. PAUL, Mimi, July 15.-Tremendous
damage. and. it is thought, great loss of
life. were caused by the tornado that swept
in southwesterly direction from the inter-
national boundary across the northeastern
portion of North Dakota tonight. Three
towns, according to the meager reports
which were obtainable at midnight, were
wiped out. Railway and Western Union
Telegraph lines are wrecked and there is
no communication with the section of the
State where the most serious devastation
is though to have been worked by the tor
nado.
The first intimation of the seriousness of
Great Northern and Northern Pacific
telegraph lines in the storm dis
trict were suddenly snuffed out. A
few moments later communication
west of Fargo, on the Great Northern and
west of Ulen on the Northern Pacific also
was cut off. Telephone lines suffered the
same damage and from the st. Paul head
quarters at midnight 1t was impossible TO
reach farther than Fargo.
The little town of Borup, on the ST. Vim
cent line of the Great Northern. is a wreck
The final report tonight was that the en-
tire town was wiped out and hardly
structure of any sort left standing. This
came from plucky Great Northern tele-
graph operator. who, after his station Of
flee had been laid fat saved his key from
the ruins and tapped the wires at the near
est available point. He also reported the
razing of hamlet some miles distant, with
destruction of a large amount of property
The report from Borup came in very soon
after the storm struck, and contained no
information as TO the casualties
With the report from the st. Vincent
branch came reports that the towns of Ell
dorado. about miles from Grand
Forks, and Thompson, between Grand
Forks and Larimore. had been destroyed
At Thompson the Great Northern station
lies a confused mass of wreckage directly
across the main lire. Stores and residences
are in ruins and the main portion of the
town is wiped OUT. The population is about
200 Mere fragments of information come
from Eldorado, Fut these indicate the de-
struction of that town of about $50 people.
Neither of the reports from Thompson or
Eldorado speak of loss of life. This is par
TALLY accounted for by the fact tnat they
were sent before the news could have been
received from the outlying districts.
The reports indicate that the tornado de-
veloped southwest of the Lake of the
Woods country and took a course down
across the northern portion OF the State.
travelling towards the southwest Its path
seems to have been unusually wide and the
effects of the storm outside it's primary
line unusually severe. The devastation at
such widely separated points indicates. ap-
parently. a storm of unsual violence
The Northern Pacific at midnight was
unable TO gain the slightest information
over it's wires from the storm district
AT Winnipeg Junction a stock train was
blown completely from the track. but
whether or not the crew escaped could not
be learned. Linemen and relief trains have
been started for the stricken district. but !,
probably will be some hours before details
can be received.
At 12:40 clock this "wednesday morn.
ing what is thought TO have been the edge
Of a tornado struck st. Paul. Its onslaught