The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-06-26

veered about blowing at apparently
an undiminisled rate from the north
west, north and northeast. During the
worst ofthe storm lasted the wind
fall of rain, amounting almost to a
cloudburst, and hail battered in win
dows and beat down young trees and
shrubs. After the worst of the storm
the rain continued to fall heavily for
some time and the force of the wind
abated gradually.
Buildings Were Unroofed.
During the high wind houses and
barns were unroofed, some buildings
being totally demolished, telephone and
telegraph and electric light poles were
blown down and big trees either up
rooted or stripped of their branches.
Within forty minutes 700 good sized
trees were blown over, and falling on
the telephone, telegraph and electric
light wires, completely demoralized all
such service and left the city last night
in absolute darkness and with no tele-
phone service. Some of the trees up
rooted and thrown across the streets
were three feet in diameter, and many
others were nearly as large.
As soon as the fury of the storm was
realized the employees at the electric
light office shut off the current, avoid
ing the danger from live wires among
the cables and smaller lines which
were massed on the ground or hung
broken from such poles as were left
standing Saturday night the fire de-
partment was ordered out to help clear
the streets so that teams could get
through but it is expected to take at
least couple of days more before the
debris can be entirely cleared up, and
the scars left on the city's APP
pearance never can be etfaced.
Heavy Losses in Austin.
Following are the principal instances
of damage and loss by the wind and
hail:
HORNED Packing company, storage
building unroofed by the wind and the
contents absolutely drenched by the
pouring rain. The building was well
filled with spices, saltpeter, sugar, salt
and paper labels for the products. The
damage to the plant is estimated at
$4,000.
The Mower County Fair association
suffered a loss of $4,000 through dam
age to the buildings on the fair
grounds. This included the demolition
of the grandstand, the woman's build
ing. erected last fall by the women OF
the county at cost of $1,000; the
floral hall, art building, poultry build
ing, cattle and sheep sheds, seventeen
horse stalls and twelve-foot fence
which surrounded the entire fair
ground.
Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul Rail
road company, roundhouse and shoPs
unroofed. Damage, $4,000.
Austin greenhouses, glass broken,
frames twisted and wrecked, and IN
terror damage, $1,000.
Austin Cement Stone works owned
by Fowler & Pay of Mankato, cement
building blown down, $1,000.
George Hirsh Clothing company
chimney blown down through the sky
light and damage to interior of the
store and the stock, $1,000.
Austin steam laundry, smokestack
blown down so that it crashed through
the roof, $1,000.
Grand hotel, smokestack blown onto
building, $1,000
Southern Minnesota normal college:
building unroofed, $1,000.
Gripman Bros Ice company dam
age to building, $1,000.
St. Augustine's Catholic church,
struck by tightening, $500.
Locked the Church Door
When the storm struck the city,
services were being held in the chruch,
and when the tightening struck the
spire it hurled 2O0-pound brown
stone ornament down onto a part OF
the building. The people were panic
stricken and attempted to rush from
the building, but Rev. Father Dan
Hughes of st. Paul, formerly of Man
kato who was conducting the service
at once had the doors fastened and
kept the people inside. 1t is probable
that he not only saved them from in
jury as result of the panic but from
serious danger otherwise, as scores OF
people who rushed out of doors in
other parts of the city were struck
by flying timber and other debris car
ried by the storm and suffered broken
arms and legs and severe bruises.
The Franklin schoolhouse, Austin's
high school building, was damaged to
the extent of $1,000.
The electric lighting equipment,
which belongs to the city, suffered
mostly from damage to wires, poles
and cables This amount to $1,000.
Hurried Up the Jurors.
When the wind struck the Mower
county court house it made the build
ing sway and shake. Court was in
session and jury in a civil case had
been out all the afternoon. When the
building began to sway the jurors
begged the sheriff to let them out, but
he refused to break the jury law, and
the twelve men quickly decided that
agreement was impossible. returned to
the court room and reported, were dis
charged, and two minutes later not
one of them was to be found in or near
the court house. The building was
damaged to the extent of about $1,000.
The Northwestern Telephone COM
pany and the Interstate Telephone COM
pany each suffered about $1,000 dam
age.
Thirty barns in the city were de-
stroyed and not less than 10000 panes
of glass were broken by the hail or
blown in by the high wind.
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