Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1904-08-25
Tornado That Struck Twin Cities
Wrought Terrible Devastation.
PROPERTY LOSS IS THREE MILLION.
1t Cut a Pathway Eight Miles Long
Through Business District-Hun-
dreds of Fine Shade Trees
Ruined.

st. Paul, Mimi, Aug. 22.-The tor
nado which Saturday night struck this
city cut a pathway about half mile
in width and eight miles long through
' the business and residence district,
leaving ruin and devastation in its
track. Sixteen persons were killed and
the list of injured is long, in which
there are several who are reported to
be fatally hurt The downtown busi-
ness district was hit hard, many of the
big office and business blocks being
completely riddled and the stocks Of
wholesale houses damaged by the
floods of rain that accompanied the
wind.
The aggregate property loss is esti-
mated at $3,OO0,0O0. OF this amount
st. Paul suffered to the extent of about
$1,00O,000, Minneapolis damage is es-
timated at $1,50O,0O0, while in the out
side districts it Is feared that $500,000
will not cover the damage done to
crops and farm property.
Beginning at 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 and bowling in its fury uprooted
trees and demolished buildings in its
pathway toward st. Paul. 1t tore off
two spans of the high bridge COM
pletely. There the bridge connected
with the high bluffs at West St.. Paul
and it is 180 feet above the river. This
mass of steel was carried to the fats
below, where flying steel girders and
heavy >planks fell on several small
frame houses of the fiat dwellers and
crushed them. None of the occupants
Of these houses was hurt, they having
seen the storm coming and taken ref
uge in the caves in the hillside
The storm tore along the flats, up
roofing trees on Harriet island and
with a deafening roar and the hiss
and splash of filling sheets of rain it
struck this city at Wabasha street
bridge. Here were located the Tivoli
concert hall and Empire theater, both
of which were fairly crowded with men
watching the performance. Both
buildings stood on the edge Of the
bluff overlooking the river, with sides
Of the buildings open, and were
wrecked. The full force of the tornado
struck them. The buildings began to
sway and rock and the audience be-
came panic-stricken. Men and boys |
rushed over each other for the exits. |
st. Sigfrid's Episcopal church on
Eighth street. frame structure, was
levelled to the ground. The tornado
dropped again at Lafayette park, cor
ner of Tenth and Lafayette avenue, and
all of the magnificent elm and other
shade trees were uprooted or twisted
of.
From Lafayette park the tornado
swept up Lafayette avenue to Payne
avenue, the principal business street
Of East St. Paul, wrecking many busi-
ness structures and unroofing and
otherwise damaging residence proper
ty. The tornado then veered about
and skirted along the eastern edge of
the town, striking the house Of the
Good Shepherd, q Catholic institution,
on Milton street, unroofing and badly
wrecking the dormitory, killing one
child and injuring several Of the nuns.
The damage to shade trees through
out the city was enormous. Stately
elms, three feet In circumference, were
either torn up by the roots or twisted
on like reeds. Along Summit avenue.
famous throughout the country a.
beautiful residence street, trees and
that lined the boulevard
were devastated. No considerable
damage was done to any Of the mag
nihcent residences, however.
Harriet island and the public baths
suffered far more from the fury Of the
wind than could be learned during the
first hours Of the story. Nearly every
one of the 500 trees comprising the
big groves on the island are either
torn up by their roots, twisted on at
the base or broken of half way mp
their trunks. In the destruction Of
the trees the island has lost one Of its
chief attractions and 1t will take a
generation or more to replace the beau
tiful groves. 4
Three storms at Minneapolis.
Minneapolis, Mimi, Aug. 22.-The
worst wind and rainstorm in the his 4
tory of this place broke here Saturday /
night about $3.50 when three storms
from north, west and east gathered and
broke over the city. Hundreds Of .
were badly damaged, all the Q
great wire systems were paralyzed and
thousands Of beautiful shade trees up
rooted. For three minutes the wind
blew at the rate Of 30 miles an hour
md the rain fell In torrents. So far
V known two people are dead. The
roof Of the Plymouth Congregational
.hurch in which the Women's Catholic
rider Of Foresters was holding q con-
Fention was caved In BY the storm and
! panic ensued among 400 delegates as