The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1904-08-26

st. Paul, Aug. %. A terrific wind
and surrounding country Saturday
night, resulting in the loss of at least
twelve lives, more or less serious In
Jury to hundreds of others, and de-
struction of millions Of dollars worth
of property.
Three persons were killed in st.
Paul, two in Minneapolis, three at st.
Louis Park and four at Waconia.
Worst in ST. Paups History.
The storm was the most disastrous
in the history Of the city. The streets
were rushing torrents Of water and
the wind swept trees, wires, bridges
and buildings before it.
The thermometer Of the st. Paul
weather bureau recorded a velocity of
northwest for one minute, and then
broke. The rain gauge was demolished
early in the storm, SO that the precipi.
tation will never be known.
The center Of the storm seemed to
follow the Mississippi river from Fort
Smelling to Bridge Square, where the
greatest damage was done, and then
To Spread Its Force
in the wholesale district, DaytOn's
Bluff and the northeastern part of the
city.
Two spans Of the high bridge were
crumpled into a mass Of debris and
hurled into the river. The Tivoli con-
cert garden IN Bridge Square was
crushed as IL it were an eggshell,
killing two people and more or less
seriously injuring a score of people.
The porch along the river frontage OF
the Empire theater concert hall, on
Bridge Square, was carried owe the
building to Third street, and the in
terror OF the structure wrecked.
Good Shepherd Injured.
A frame annex Of the House of
Good Shepherd, used as a dormitory,
was blown down, killing a girl, and
injuring several inmates.
The storm was particularly severe
in the Wholesale district. Almost
every window in many establishments
was blown in, and the floors were
flooded with water. entailing a loss
that cannot be accurately estimated
for several days.
City Completely Isolated.
The retail district, too, felt the fury
of the storm, and suffered a severe
loss in broken windows and conse-
Quent damage by water.
The storm was by no means con-
fined to the business portion of the
city, however. Everywhere were dis
mantled houses, school buildings and
churches.
Communication with the outside
world was absolutely cut of by the
storm. Not a telephone or telegraph
wire reaching st. Paul escaped it's
fury. Railroad traffic between st.
Paul and Minneapolis was made i'm
possible, nothing being heard of the
trains due to arrive after 8 o'clock,
and nc trains left st. Paul after the
storm until yesterday.
Many Residences Damaged.
Chimneys were carried away, houses
were wrenched from their foundations
and roofs were torn off and outbuild-
ings torn to bits. Windows were
blown in in every section Of the city,
and the damage from loss of glass
alone will reach many thousands of
dollars. The flying glass, too, was a
prolific source of injuries, and hun
dreds of people were cut, more or less
seriously.
Uprooted and shattered trees made
tho streets impossible. The water
tore great washouts in the filled
streets, and aided the wind in de-
molishing sidewalks and bridges.
Electric light, street car, telephone
and telegraph wires were carried
down, and wriggling among the tree
tops aided in
BIockadine the Streets.
The current in the wires was shut
OF promptly when the severity OF the
storm became evident, so as to min
imize danger from live wires. and few
accidents were reported from this
cause.
The beautiful park system Of st.
Paul suffered damage that it will take