The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-27
CITY STRUCK BY
A FIERCE STORM
Wind, Hail, Rain and lightning Do
Heavy Damage to Mime
apolis.
The Rainfall Broke the Record
for the Time It
Lasted.
A.---------
The Star Elevator Engine House
Wrecked by Debris Engineer
Barely Escapes.


storm that ragged over Minneapolis shortly
after 2 o'clock this morning. The rain
fall was the heaviest on record in the
same time; the thunder was the loudest,
the most incessant, that has been heard in
many months. The hail sang treble to the
thunder s bass. But the water caused
only tri1ing damage: the lightning injured
no and damaged slightly the few
buildings that it struck. The hail hurt
nothing but sparroWs. The wind, which
did not attain an uncommon velocity thru
out the city, and which attracted little no
structive than the lightning or the water.
The gale blew ferest along the river
bank in southeast Minneapolis.
Telephone poles blown down across the
track at University and Washington ave-
nunes Sc interrupted traffic on the inter-
urban electric line Many persons were
thus delayed on their way to business and
the first st. Paul mail carried by inter
urban cars did not leave Minneapolis un-
til almost noon. Telephone service be-
tween the twin cities was seriously i'm
peded numerous local phones became
speechless. The telephone lines escaped
important damage.
In the business district of the city signs
were blown down and In many places the
heavy downpour Of rain flooded store
floors and Easements. a sign was blown
down at 215 washington avenue N smash
ing in the plate glass front Of the store
adjoining on the east. At ITO on the
same avenue the upper portion of a two
story building was blown off exposing a
fat and q storage room.
The large awning Of the Nicollet cafe
was torn from its fastenings and thrown
to the sidewalk. Trees thruout the city
were bereft of twigs and branches. Uni
versity avenue Sc, where the wind was
specially energetic, was strewn with sew
ho11 he ho ONT
of the bakery at 525 Cedar avenue. Plate
glass was destroyed in the front OF Da-
nek's drug store, Plymouth and Washing
ton avenues. The gravel and tar roof
was blown from the Christian flour mill
at Fifth and Oak streets Sc. The con-
| tents of the mill were not damaged and
none Of the employees was injured The
loss was $4,000.
Star Elevator Suffers.
The most serious accident took place
| at Sixth avenue N and First street, where
the wind blew out a section Of the wall,
thirty five feet wide and seventy-fve feet
long, from the No 3 annex to the Star
elevator. This section, thirty feet above
| the ground, fell upon the engine house Of
the elevator, and damaged the machinery.
The loss amounted to $4,000. Lucius
Lyon, the night Waterman, who was In
the engine-room when the roof caved in,
considers himself lucky. Iron Orders so
supported the sheet iron roof that it
formed a metal tent over Mr.: Lyons
head. His injuries were trthing, aside
from the nervous shock.
! Storm Varied In Velocity.
The recorded velocity of the win, new
| ertheless, was only forty-twO miles an
hour at the federal building and that for
| server Outram, that the wind developed
a much higher speed in other districts OF
| the city. III =. .-....t. .. 49, II
The rainfall was 1853 inches within less
than one hour-the heaviest downpoul
that has been recorded since the local
weather bureau was established thirteen
wears ago. The total rainfall for July is
thus increased to 80 per cent more than
the average total of the month-4.1i
| inches. The rainfall for the current sea-
) son, beginning April l. Is more than two
inches greater than average precipitation
for the corresponding period during thir-
teen years. -. .....
The water undermined the street rail-
way tracks along Fourth avenue 8 and
cut off street car traffic until after
o'clock this morning. Besides flooding
numerous Easements in different parts OF
town, the flood interfered with the laying
of pavements and the building Of sewers
PAYERS were delayed along Third avenue
| between Fifth and Seventh streets.
at noon that he was examining the books
} Lightning struck the tower Of the Y. M
c. A. building, Tenth street and Mary
place but the fact was not discovered
. until after daybreak. The fire depart
ment, which was busy during the storm
put out five fires due to lightning.
John H. Fhanneman, q boy, and there
r fore inquisitive, picked up a live wire a
Seventeenth avenue NE and amin street
ITO see how it'd feel" He became uncon
: scious and was taken to his home nearby
! where he soon recovered.
i. The hail killed many English sparrows
: tho their loss is the gain Of more dec
orative birds. One policeman swore b!
his locust that he had seen this morning
in North Minneapolis ffty-three deat
sparrows beneath single tree.
Small Area Affected.
4 Whether the rainfall was widely dis
tributed Section Director Outram Of tn
ewather bureau could not tell this morning
:. He thought, however, that, as to its vic
I lent features at least, the tempest wa
local. Apparently it did not affect tn
Minnetonka region. So few reports ha,
been received that he was unable to de
: scribe the full extent of the disturbance
A heavy rain had fallen at Moorhead
; where the precipitation was 1872 inches
In st. Paul, where the rainfall was tenn
pered to the population, the record was a
of one-inch less than the netropolita
!, baptism vouschafed to Minneapolis.
r Twin City Telephone company's pole
a were blown down for a distance Of ou
blocks along Fourth street Sc. New
> ,,oloa will he in Mace before night