Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-08-16

LOSS ESTIMATED At S25O,Oo0.
Many Excursionists and Picnic Parties
Are Caught in River, But No Loss
of Life Is Reported.


cial. looming out of blue sky that
promised nothing but clear weather, the
most severe tornado that ever struck La
Crosse swept through the city at
o'clock Sunday morning. The damage
is estimated at $25O,OOO. For fifteen min
Utes the storm ragged, working havoc to
factories, residences, churches, business
houses, and bringing to earth hundreds
of beautiful shade trees. The wind was
accompanied by a binding rain.
Great Loss of Property.
The places that suffered damage were:
Michel Brewing company, chimney blown
down, loss $4,000.
LiStman flour mill almost completely de-
strOyed, loss $4,000
German Lutheran church, a steeple blown
off, loss $4,000.
St JOseph'S Catholic cathedral, Steeple
blown off, loss $1,000.
william Grams store crushed by falling
tree, loss $500
John Fuller's store crushed by falling
Residence of Frank ]. Holmes crushed
by falling tree, loss $1,000.
z. j. Farlan'S house unro0fed, loss S4OO
Segeke & KOhlhauS Manufacturing com
pany, smOkestack blown down and The roof
blown off, loss $500
Norwegian Lutheran church, walls
cracked and cupOla turned, loss $l2Oo.
Other losses of a minor nature have
been reported, bringing the total damage
up to u quarter of Il million.
Lawns Are Ruined.
Every tree in the yard of John =.
Bird, superintendent of schools, was
fclied or damaged. The house stands in
Il scene of ruin impossible to describe.
la other places in this district the same
desOIation is presented The list i'll
Guiding some of La Crosses wealthiest
residents: The homes Of y. II. Withee.
g.. u. Mariner, John G. Burns, Mary Il.
Davis Joseph Gutman, DIR. e. n. Cat
trrdam, George H. Ray, @. r. Monta
gae, Isador Schlling, Mrs. J. w. Losey,
Mrs. C.. l.. Coleman, John Paul, w. w.
Gargill, W. S. Cargill, James Vincent,
Il. e. Edwards, l.. L. Easton. and many
others are among those damaged.
THE houses in none Of these cases are
damaged to any extent, but the beautiful
lawns, gardens, and groves, the result of
years of care and expense, are destroyed.
Other Towns Suffer
Reports from neighboring towns since
communication has been reopened show
that considerable damage was done,
though not so much as at La Crosse. At
Sparta, Leon, Onalaska, West Salem,
MjndOra, and the country round about,
roofs were taken off and trees torn down.
No reports of loss of life have been re-
ceiYed from any of these points.
Swim to Shore
Tho storm struck the city just at the
time when most of the Sunday eXcur-
siOnstS were setting out for the day.
The river was lined with rOwboats and
other small craft and great number of
these were swamDed when the tornado
came suddenly upon the city. a few
Uuinutes' warning was given by the al
Imost total darkness that prevailed for q
short time before the storm. Many of
jtte excursionists took advantage of this
land rOwed to the shore. The others
iwere caught with the full force of the
tornado and only escaped by abandoning
ttheir boats and swimming to the river
banks.
Miraculous Escapes.
The escape of the people in ST. Jo-
,scphs Catholic church and the German
Lutheran church was almost miraculous
iIn the Catholic church the steeple
crashed through the roof to the altar.
twherN the priest was celebrating mass.
The falling slate completely demolished
the altar and spread the debris all over
the church. The falling of the steeple
of the Lutheran church occasioned a
similar miraculous escape Here the de-
hcis landed i'll the center aisle. No one
was injured in either house of worship.
Begin Repair Work
morning. The city employed an addi-
ti0nal force of 100 men to clear away
the debris. III some places the streets
are so strewn with fallen trees and other
matter that it will take a week to clear
them.
Electric Storm at Neenah
NEENAH. Wis, Aug. 12.-[Special.l
For the third time within month Nee.
nah has been visited by a destructive
storm, and it is estimated the combined
losses will reach several thousand dollars.
Sunday mornings storm of wind, rain
and lightning was unusually severe.
Three structures were hit by lightning
and Il number of trees, and the wind
and rain caused great damage Mrs.
MAX Neabling was rendered unconscious
by lightning which struck tree near
jher, and the entire family of Thomas
iCox was badly shocked by 4 stroke
(which tore away a part of the residence.