Morris tribune., 1919-06-27
FERGUS FALLS STRUCK
BY CYCLONE SUNDAY
People Killed and Injured, Homes
and Business Places Completely
Wrecked

A cyclone, very similar to the one
which struck the village of Tyler
about year ago, plowed it's way thru
a section of Fergus Falls last Sunday
evening, killing nearly fifty people,
injuring about two hundred others,
and wrecking scores of homes and
store buildings.
News of the terrible storm reached
Morris about ten o'clock Sunday eve
ming and many Morris people felt
anxious for relatives and friends
Chas. Lee, Supt. Utne, H. o. Eames
and DR.. and Mrs. Harris all have
folks living there, but none of them
were in the path of the tornado.
Three distinct twisters hit the city
about 6 o'clock, each one taking a
different direction. The day had been
very hot and from three o'clock until
$50 there was a continual rumble
of thunder, with heavy black clouds
gathering in the northwest. At
$40 the rain began to fall and few
minutes later the funnel shaped
clouds swooped down the town.
The first twister struck about
three blocks south of the state insane
hospital on North Vine street 1t
went south along Vine street and
Union avenue, utterly demolishing
everything in this part. 1t swept
across the river, taking out Union
avenue and the Court street bridge
and continuing its path of destruc-
tion, tore down the court house and
destroyed a considerable part Of the
Jail; then veering more to the east
ward it Ieveled the Northern Pacific
station and shattered freight train
standing in the yard. Nearly every
house on Vernon avenue was dam
aged by the storm.
Another section of the cyclone
moved directly east from the main
starting point and swept across Un-
ion avenue and the Northern end of
Lake Alice.
In these main paths the buildings
are utterly demolished The main
part of the cyclone sweeping south
ward along Vine street leveled every
residence and destroyed every build
ing on Lincoln avenue from Union
to Oak streets Lincoln avenue is the
main business street of the city
The Catholic church was wrecked,
as was also the Federated church, the
Methodist church and the Lincoln
school building.
AS soon as the news of the storm
reached the twin cities, Governor
Burnquist and Adjutant General
Rhinow left Immediately for the
stricken city and martial law was
established at once. Several COM
panies of National Guard we're or
dered to Fergus Falls and everything
was done to prevent lOoting in the
devastated area. Company "K'' Of
this city have been ordered to Fer
gus Falls today to relieve other COM
panies, and the Stevens county boys
will remain there for a week.
The city is barred against visitors,
unless they have relatives living
there or unless they have important
business to transact. Guards are sta
toned at every entrance and they
have orders to shoot down any per-
son caught looting.
The large business buildings de-
strOyed number more than twenty,
every church building was wrecked.
A list of the buildings follow:
Catholic, Federated, Lutheran and
Methodist churches, Hunts Cigar
factory, Grand hotel, Boynton and
Chase business blocks, both three
story brick. Ice cream plant, Hanson
block, Swedish Northwestern college,
Fergus Brewing plant Fergus Sash
and Door plant, Carnegie library,
court house and the Ceres Grain
Elevator.
All iron and wooden bridges were
wrecked and only concrete bridges
are left standing. The exact time
that the storm struck was set at 4:52
P M, when the hall clock at the
Grand hotel was discovered in the
mass of debris.
City officials of Fergus Falls have
placed the number of residences de-
stroyed at $50. The Grand hotel
was three-story building costing
about $4,000. About twenty bodies
were taken from the ruins.
The county of Otter Tail lost, thru
the destruction of the court house
and jail, about $4,000.
AS soon as the exact conditions
were known at Fergus Falls, people
throughout the state began to Offer
assistance in every way possible. Rec
Cross headquarters we're established
and clothing, money, food and sup
plies began to pour in. The Rec
Cross also got busy to care for the
stricken families in the devastated
area and everything is being done
for them that is possible.
Corporal Rosenau Returns