The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-07-03
PukWAHA STORM SWEPT
Loss OF 100000 in the Town and
About $75, 900 on the Car
penter-s anborn Banch.

*SOSOOS OA VIC Soxs
penter-Sanborn Banch.
The little town OF Pukwana, in
Brule county, about SO miles west
OF Mitchell on the Chicago. Milwau-
kee st. Paul road, was nearly wiped
out of existence Saturday night by
the Visitation of a tornado, which
covered an extent OF about a
quarter lh.le wine, and did damage
that Will take u long time to repair.
The storm stlucH the place aboDt
IL O'Clock aud the town was sound
asleep, and it came with t~e1litic
force, lasting about live minutes, but
the damage Was awful. The tornado
came from the northwest leNelins
houses in its pathway Between
twelve and fifteen business stores
and residence were absolutely deS-
tIoyed while there is not a house in
the town hut what was wrecked to
some extent. People were driven
from the homes by the fear of the
danger that Threatened tut they had
no place to 90, and with tile dark
ness that e~nShTOuded them made the
scene all the worse. Two large
elevators were blown down across
the Milwaukee track covering a
freight cal. The depot was practically
wrecked, and the main track of the
,ood mnc.Shnr off fro,n traffic far tho
day. Several new houses which
were just completed in the town were
l1atlened to the ground and the
lumber scattered in every direction.
a AKA timber WIS driven through one
OF the houses. The greatest personal
loss was on the Carpenter-Sanborn
farm, which adjoins The town on
the north, from which direction
the tornado came. Every building
on the ranch was destroyed but two,
these being small residences. Over
500, 600 worth of improvements have
been put on the ranch in the past
few years. An immense big barn
had just been completed on the
ranch and it went with a half dozen
other large structures.
Accompanying the tornado was a
hail and rain storm. The hail
covered a section of country about
three miles wide and what the
tornado failed to do the hail storm
finished up. The entire farming
country passed over by the hail
storm was ruined. hardly a vestige
of the once promising crop remaining
to tell the story when the light Of
morning revealed the fearful waste.
A coal a standing on the track
was half filled with hailstones Sunday
morning, many of them being six to
eight inches in circumference. The
heavy rain that followed covered
portions OF the town with a large
surplus of water. Both lumber yards
were filled with floating lumber and
the presence of so much water made
1t impossible to get around to any
extent.
Throughout all the storms there
was not a person injured, which
was considered miraculous from the
flying missiles through the darkness
of the night.
Additional details Of the tornado
at Pukwana were received Monday
afternoon. stating that the loss 10
the town would amount to $500. 600.
The crops for a distance three miles
wide and Is miles long are totally
destroyed, entailing the loss Of an
immense SUN of money. for the
crop prospect vas excellent out
that way. The Carpenter. Sanborn
ranch is the heaviest loser In that
vicinity, their loss being placed at
s75, 600. Both the Reliance and
Hunting elevators were des-
troyed with q quantity of grain In
them. The Methodist and Catholic
churches were both destroyed at a
total loss. D. M. FeIl's im plement
house, Will IIolleran's furniture
store, M. A. Glass general store,
stock and building, Mrs. Murray's
house, Powers store and the opera
house are totally destroyed. The
loss to live stock is very large,
occasioned by the hail. Telegraph
and telephone connections with
Pukwan we're secured this afternoon.