The Red Cloud chief., 1904-08-26
hit BY A TORNADO
st. Paul and Minneapolis are
Terribly Damaged.
FIFTEEN LIVES ARE LOST
FIfty.avc People Injured and Damage
TO Property Over Three Mil
lion Dollars

Ave injured in the fierce tornado at
81. Paul and Minneapolis and the ag-
gregate loss is conservatively esti-
mated ut $4,000. 900. or this amount
81. Paul suffered to the extent of about
one million. Minneapolis is estimated
Mt 81 500. 900. while in the outside dis
tricts II IL feared that $500, 900 will not
rover the damage done to crops and
farm property.
The storm was of short duration,
lasting no more than fifteen minutes.
The devastation II wrought was ter
rife. Tho wind. according to the gov
eminent weather observer. blow eighty
miles an hour. coming from the south
west. Buildings we're unroofed and
fronts blown In. the interiors being
flooded by the rain which came In
great waves along with the wind.
Beginning at n point below Fort
Smelling. there is the first known evil
dence that the storm struck with dam
aging effect. 1t came from the south
west ana. bowling In its fury, %uprooted
trees and demolished buildings in its
pathwa. toward st. Paul.
II tore off two spans of High bridge
completely. The bridge is there con-
nected with the high bluffs at West
st. Paul and 1t is $50 feet above the
river. This mass of steel was carried
to the flats below where flying steel
girders and heavy planks fell on sev-
eral small frame houses Of the fiat
jewellers and crushed them. None OF
the occupants of these houses were
hurt, they having seen the storm COM
ing. and taken refuge in the caves in
the hilisides. The storm tore along
the flats. uprooted trees on Harriet
island and with u ~deafenlng roa and
the hiss and splash Of falling sheets
OF rain, Il struck st. Paul at Wabasha
street bridge. Here were located at
the bridge entrance on opposite sides
Of Wabasha street. the Tivoli concert
hall and Empire theater, both Of which
we're fairly filled with men watching
the performances. The full force Of
the tornado struck them. The build
ings began to sway and rock and the
audience became panic stricken. Men
and boys rushed owe each other for
exits. The lights went out and the
sheet lightning flashes, n following
another with gunfre rapidity, illumi-
mated a scene OF pandemonium which
was intensified by the crash of glass
and the tearing of timbers as the frame
structure gave way before the tornado
The tornado which struck st. Paul
cut a path q half mile wide and eight
miles long through the business and
residence districts, leaving ruin ant
devastation In It's track. Fortunately
the loss of life was not great. tire,
persons having been killed. but the lis
several who are reported to be fatal.
hurt, The damage to property wa
immense. conservative estimates plac
ing It between $500, 900 and 81, 1000, 00C
The down town business .~istrict wa
hit hard. many of the large ONCE an
business blocks being completely rid
died. and the stocks of wholesal
houses seriously damaged by the food
or rain that accompanied the wind.
The storm cloud. which came froI
the southwest, first hit the ground o
the west side bluffs near the hig
bridge, Two spans of this structure
which Is of steel and which crosse
the Mississippi rived at a height of &c
feet. were cut out as clearly as thong
done with a knife, small houses sit,
ated on the fats along the river ban
The storm kept on across the river
an oblique direction, leveling the n,
merous shade trees on Harriet islam
where the st. Paul public baths a
situated. but doing little or no dana,
to buildings there. 1t struck the Tive
theater, a frame structure on the San
stone bluffs at the edge OF the rive
There was a vaudeville performan
on at tho theater which was fairly We
filled. Two men were killed by Il
fall Of the roof. and about a dozen pc
sons. women performers and Other
were buried In the ruins. Many
them were severely hurt before tn
we're extricated by the police depai
ment, which rushed to the rescue
soon as the storm had abated. At w
bash street, the Empire theater, a tw
story brick house of the same chara
nono. Ga.A=.l XlGo~~l... 49,