The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-08-27
FIERCE TORNADO
KILLS FIFTEEN
Great Damage in Cities of St. Paul and Mime
apolis end at Other Points in Mime
sota-Property Loss S2.555,OOO.

St Paul, Mimi. Aug. 23.-The dead:
Fourteen).
AT St. Paul: Viola Robinson, George
kwetson, Lorin F. Hokanson.
AT Minneapolis: Richard Hilgedick
AT st. Louis Park: Albert Ohde, An
ma Hayde, Hedger Child.
AT Waconia: Gustav Moye, Mrs.
Gustav Moye, Fred Moye, Hubert Leh-
mar.
At Hutchinson: Fred Gross, Mrs
Gross.
At Dallas: Unidentified woman.
Fatally injured Uwo): Charles Moye,
Waconia; Fred Picha. Waconia.
Property loss: $2,555, 900.
st. Paul. s1,7so,ooo; Minneapolis,
100000; Saltwater, 100000; waconia,
$4,000; country districts, 100000.
The above is the summary of the dam
age wrought by Saturdays tornadoin va
fious sections of Minnesota. In addi-
tfon to the fatally injured, nearly 200
persons sustained injuries of minor
character. The city government Mon
day had a force Of 300 men at work
clearing the streets OF the vast amount
of debris with which they had been
strewn; gangs Of linemen were at work
repairing damage to electric wires, and
the wholesale houses had their en-
ployes busily engaged in removing
damaged goods and making temporary
repairs to their buildings.
The municipality through the de-
struction of bridges, school buildings,
parks and other public property suffer-
ed the greatest loss. its damage closely
approXimating million dollars.
Great Bridges Destroyed.
Beginning at a 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 it's fury, up-
rooted trees and demolished buildings
in It's pathway toward ST. Paul. 1t tore
Off two spans of the high bridge as
completely as if they had been unbolt-
ed from the rest OF the structure and
carried away by workmen. There the
bridge connected with the high bluffs
at West g. Paul and IL is 1870 feet
above the river. This mass of steel
was carried 10 the flats below.
Theater Buildings Wrecked.
The storm tore along the flats, up-
roofing trees on Harriet islaad, and
with deafening roar and the hiss and
splash Of falling sheets of rain It
struck this city at the Wabash street
bridge. Here were located at the
bridge entrance, on opposite sides Of
Wabash street. the Tivoli concert hall
and Empire theater, both Of which
were fairly crowded with men watch.
ing the performance Both buildings
stood on the edge of the bluff over
looking 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 became panic-strick-
en-. Men and boys rushed over each
other for the exits. The lights went
out and the sheet lightning flashes, one
following another with gunfire rapid
ity, illuminated scene of pandemon-
ium which was intensified by the crash
of glass and the tearing Of timbers as
the frame structure gave away before
the tornado. Sections of the roof were
blown through the air and landed east
in Third street, a block distant. I'm
derneath the debris of the Tivoli were
found. when the storm had passed, the
mangled bodies of Lorin f. Hokanson,
one of the employees in the concert
hall, and George Kweton, one of the
audience.