Oakes Republican., 1903-10-09
SEVEN .klllfD, A HUNDRED nURT
PROPERTY LOSS is ESTIMATED
At $4,000 WITH LITTLE
INSURANCE.
FINDS VICTIMS IN OTHER PLACES
FARMERS SUFFER HEAVY Loss
TO GRAIN AND FARM
BUILDINGS.

The Dead-John Ebbcn, Will Ebben,
Edward Murphy, George lesson, Will
lam Vest Of Dixon, ILL.,; w. O. Critten-
don of Dover and John Holm, farmer.
winona, Mimi, Oct. 6.-Seven lives
crushed out, about hundred persons
injured, some of them fatally: half q
hundred store buildings and residences
destroyed or partially wrecked, caus.
ing loss now estimated at $500, 900,
on which there was very little in
Surance.
This, in brief, is the terrible work
of a tornado which Saturday afternoon
struck st. Charles, a town twenty-five
miles west of Winona.
Two storm clouds met over the
southern limits of the city and formed
one storm which,. with terrific roar,
swept through the center of the town.
scattering death and
Destruction III Its Path.
Over fifty buildings were badly dam.
aged. Those totally destroyed were:
Spencer's, Ebben's and Logan's sa-
looms, the Chicago Great Western
depot, Hendee & siveley's wagon fac.
tory, st. Charles Furniture house and
stock, L. Sheridan's jewelry store,
Sorenson's store, Stevenson's elevator
and Snell's elevator. Almost every
building on the main street had its
front torn OFF and was partly of wholly
unroofed. Part of the high school was
torn away. The Congregational church
and a big livery stable were unroofed
and the opera house was badly dam
aged. The new -four mill was dam
aged to the extent of $4,000.
1t being Saturday, the country peo-
pie from the surrounding farms had
Gathered in Large Numbers
in the main street to do their Gus
tomary shopping.
At 2:30 the storm cloud was seen ap-
preaching from the southwest and
there was an immediate scramble for
places of safety. The tornado struck
the town from the southwest quarter
and made a clean sweep through it,
following almost entirely the line of
the main street and devastating the
buildings on either side. Then tie res
idences further back from the business
center were struck and many of them
blown completely away.
1t seems almost miraculous that
there was not greater loss of life.
rf ri S~ T114
Eben's saloon when it collapsed and
they were buried
Beneath the Wreckage.
Two others were in a dry goods store,
which was blown away, and they were
killed by the falling walls. Ed Peters
of Dover was killed in the wreck of
the hotel
A relief train was sent from Wirona
as soon as the news of the serious
nature of the storm was received
rand physicians were soon busily en-
gagged in caring for the injured and
and manned. u
The. storm came upon the town with
such suddenness that it was filing the
air with the debris Of demolished
buildings before the citizens fully real
lied the nature Of the calamity. Many
of those injured received their hurts
from flying missiles, while others were
caught beneath the wreckage of their
business houses or homes and re-
NAMED pinned down until rescued by
the relief party.
Other Places Catch It.
The cyclone formed near Chatfield.
About. five miles from st. Charles the
house and barn OF John Patterson
were blown down and his son was
seriously injured and his daughter had
leg broken. The storm then struck
st. Charles and continued northeast,
passing through Bethany, Altura and
Oak Ridge. It then crossed the river
without dipping into the valley and
caught the farm houses on the ridge
near Fountain City, Wis. At Fountain
City the Reformed church building
was totally destroyed. It passed north
east OF Arcadia and struck Independ.
ence. twill be a week before the ex.
tent Of the damage through the coun.
try can be learned. !.
Rebuilding tho Town.
The people Of. st. Charles are al.
ready at work repairing the ruins left
by the cyclone. So far as can be