Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-16
THREE TOWNS ARE WIPED OUT
Terrific Cyclone Sweeps the EOrthsastsn
Portion Of North Dakota.
sToRM-SWEPT DISTRICT IS DESoLATE
Communication is Cut on, but IL IL
known the Tornado Was Severe
and Laid Low Many Homes
and Business Houses.

ST. PAUL. July 15.-Tremendous damage
and It Is thought, great loss Of life was
caused by terrific windstorm, which early
this evening swept in a southeasterly di-
rection from the international boundary
across the northeastern portion of North
Dakota. Three towns according to the mea-
ger reports which were obtainable at mid
night we're totally wiped out.
Telegraph lines we're wrecked and there
Is no communication with the section OF
the state, where the most serious devasta-
tion is thought to have been wrought by the
tornado.
The first intimation of the seriousness Of
the storm came at o'clock when the Great
Northern and Northern Pacific telegraph
lines in the storm district were suddenly
disabled. A few moments later commune
cation west Of Fargo on the Great Northern
and west OF Ulen on the Northern Pacific
was absolutely cut of.
Telephone lines suffered the same dis
turbance, and from the ONCE at midnight Il
was impossible to reach further than Fargo
The little town OF Borup on the st. Vincent
line Of the Great Northern is an absolute
wreck. The final report last night was that
the entire town was wiped out and hardly
| a structure Of any sort left standing. This
came from a plucky Great Northern tele-
RTdpn operator, WHO AILeT MS SIhIlOn OIuCH
had been laid fiat saved his instruments
from the wreck. and tapped the wires at
the nearest available point. He also re-
ported the razing of hamlet some miles
distant, with the destruction Of a large
amount of property. The report from
| Borup came in soon after the storm struck
and contained no information as to the
casualties.
other Towns DESTROYED.
with the report from the St. Vincent
branch came reports that the town Of Ell
dorado, seven miles from Frand Forks
and Thompson. between Grand Forks and
Larimore, had been destroyed. At Thomp-
son the Great Northern station lies a con-
fused mass of wreckage directly across the
main Hne. 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 came
| from Eldorado, but 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
partially accounted for by the fact that
they were sent before news could have
been received from the outlying districts.
The reports indicate that the cyclone de-
veloped southwest of the Lake OF the
Woods country and took course down
across the northern portion Of the state,
travelling toward the southwest. It's path
seems to have been unusually wide, and
the effects OF the storm outside Its primary
i line unusually severe. The devastation OF
! lHueh widely separated points indicates. ap-
parently, a storm of unusual violence,
The Northern Pacific at midnight was
unable to gain the slightest Information
over it's wires from the storm district.
AT Winnipeg Junction stock train was
blown completely from the track, but
whether or not the crew escaped could not
be learned.
Linemen and relief trains have beer
started for the stricken district, but II
will probably be some hours before de-
tails can be received.
FARGO N. o., July 15.-Passepgers ar
} irving here on a delayed Great Northern
! train report two churches, an elevator and
tho depot destroyed at Thompson by to-
days storm. Telegraph poles are dowr
} from Merrifeld to south of Thompson.
The track of the storm extended for thtr'
7 teen miles along the railway. Many farm
buildings are reported down.