Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1919-06-25
TERRIBLE TORNADO
AT FERGUS FALLS
Over Fifty Dead and nearly Two
Hundred Injured Sunday.-Pro-
perry Loss $3,O0O,0O0.

A terrible tornado or cyclonic storm
passed suddenly and Unexpectedly
over the idyllic and peaceful city of
Fergus Falls last Sunday afternoon
at about five o'clock spreading death
and destruction in it's path. Within
a few minutes large portion Of the
business and residential district. of the
city was converted into mass of-ruins
from which rose the cries sOf hundreds
of manned and injured men, women
and children. Buried in the ruins were
large number also who III the twink
ling Of an eye had been hurled into
eternity. Half Of Fergus Falls became
piles of kindling in an instant and
while the other half Of the town was
hardly aware OF the disaster. Accord
ing to the Minneapolis Journal today
there are Al known dead, 1877 injured
in hospitals, and 20 still missing, many
Of whom, perhaps all, may be dead. A
large number of people were killed
when the Grand Hotel, large three
story building, went down before the
storm and was converted into a pile
Of bricks. Lake Alice, a small lake
adjoining the city was partly filled with
residence buildings that were lifted
from their foundations by the storm
and with their occupants deposited in
the lake. Bridges, churches, school
houses, business blocks, in fact most
everything in the path Of the storm,
was demolished or damaged. Big trees
were snapped off by the storm as easily
as one breaks match in two. The
plate glass windows in many buildings
we're blown in BY the terrible pressure.
The storm played many freaks, and
there were many miraculous escapes.
A little girl, Agnes Palm, was sitting
on her fathers lap when the storm
struck their house on the east side of
Lake Alice The father, mother and
sister were killed, but little Agnes es-
capped injury, although her shoes were
torn from her and she was set down
short distance away. The roof and
and part Of the walls of the county
jail were blown away but the cells in
which the prisoners were, remained
intact and none were injured. Among
the buifdtngs dafliaggg,est rs that 81
Northwestern College: ssSs e, - IL =
Major G: l.. Spaulding and Aug. A.:
johnson of this city were in Fergus
Falls as jurors at the federal term
of court. Mr.. Spaulding sat in the
Kaddatz hotel when the storm struck
and he says it was the most terrific
wind that he ever. saw. Mr.. Johnson !
had gone to, st.. Paul to- spend Sunday
and meet Mrs. Johnson who was re-
turning from Lindsborg, Kan, hence
did not see the Storm, He returned
to Fergus Falls on the relief train sent
from st. Paul during the night, and on
the following day he and Mr.. Spauld-
ing helped to extricate killed, wounded
or imprisoned people from the ruins.
Monday was the saddest day in the his
tory of Fergus Falls. i. r,e@.szs.
With death and destruction all
around, The silver lining on the dark
cloud Of misfortune, is seen in the
rushing Of aid to the stricken city as
fast as trains could reach it. After
all, we are one big brotherhood, and
we are all touched by one another's
misfortunes. Let us all do what we
can to help the stricken people of
Fergus Falls.