OCR Interpretation


The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, August 22, 1904, Image 4

Image and text provided by Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

Persistent link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90059523/1904-08-22/ed-1/seq-4/

What is OCR?


Thumbnail for 3

ELEVEN FALL VICTIMS/TO CYCLONE'S FURY
CONTINUED FROM P^VGE TWO
THOUSANDS VIEW
WRECKED BRIDGE
Steel Girders Now a Twisted
Mass of Junk on River
Bank
Only a tangled mass of twisted and
broken steel girders, plates and rods
and broken planks, lying partly, on the
west bank of the Mississippi and part-
Jy submerged in the river itself, tells
the story of tbe destruction by the cy
clone of the west 590 feet of the Smith
avenue high bridge and a loss of thou
sands of dollars to the city of St. Paul.
A weight estimated by City Engineer
W. L. Rundlett at fully 300 tons had been
lifted bodily from the piers on which it
rested and tossed like a jackstone 200
feet below.
The weight of the bridge by no
means represents the necessary lifting
power of the wind, for the big steel
structure was fastened to its piers
by dozens of big steel bolts more than
two inches in diameter, and an addi
tional 300 ions must have been ex
erted to snap these big bolts, lift the
great steel structure and carry it
away.
Water street is completely obstruct
ed by the debris. The outer span of
250 feet in falling went into the west
channel of the river. It fell fully a
hundred feet out from the south line of
the bridge as it stood before the storm,
and the long truss lies buried in the
muddy bottom of the Mississippi with
only now and then a rib of steel ex
posed.
The tower, fifty feet in length, and
built with special provision as to its
strength, lies on the edge of the river's
bank, and in falling a section of it cut
a trestle of the Omaha railroad, with
the steel rails surmounting it, as clean
ly as though by a great knife operated
by a giant hand. A section of the
trestle thirty feet in length was car
ried away in the fall of the tower, and
the sturdy piling was swept aside like
straws before the force of the weight
with the added momentum of its 200
--foot fall.
Steel Bent and Twisted
The 170-foot span which was directly
over Water street really barricades
the street, and in this section of the
bridge the steel work is so bent and
twisted that it is practically valueless
except for old iron. Solid steel bolts
three inches in thickness, the heavy
beams and girders and the great steel
trusses are broken in dozens of places
and no greater tribute to the power of
the elements can be possible.
In this span experts say that the
damage done is almost total. Higher
up the river's bank are two sixty-foot
girders, and these are the least in
jured because they did not fall so far In
reaching solid earth. The mass of
broken iron, with the planks of the
loadway that did not sail away on the
river flood, are piled so high in the
street that no effort was made yester
day to force an opening for traffic.
While the thousands of people who
visited the scene of the destruction of
the bridge yesterday were awed by the
object lesson of the power of the cy
clone, their hearts were moved to hu
man pity by the spectacle of a poor
stableman and his wife and little chil
dren in their humble little house just
east of the wreckage of the bridge.
While just outside the zone of the
heavier steel wreckage of the bridge,
the man's house did not wholly escape,
and yesterday Joseph Altendorfer, 301
Water street, showed crowds of curi
ous, yet sympathetic people, through
his shattered house.
Flying planks from the falling bridge
had carried away, the upper part of his
little home, a 4x4 timber had been
driven with terrific force through the
side of his house, and had struck his
little twelve-year-old stepson, George
Wilenauer, inflicting a scalp wound.
The timber was five feet long and it
struck the boy only a glancing blow.
TKe injury is just above the left ear
and is not considered dangerous.
House Completely Wrecked
The whole family had gathered in
the front room and were holding the
doors shut against the wind when the
timber came in. The house is a com
plete wreck, and the family yesterday
received a number of contributions
from people wrho realized their situa
tion.
Altendorfer is a hostler employed by
the Milton Creamery company and has
a wife and five children. The house is
150 feet east of the bridge, and the
nearest house on the west is that of
Joseph Hable. The water washed away
the piles on which this house stood
and it moved towards the river. The
house has been deserted by its occu
pants, though Hable and his wife and
two children were in it when the house
started for the river.
The Smith avenue high bridge,
which has always been considered an
unusual departure In bridge engineer
ing, was built in 1889 at a cost of
$479,878. Its extreme length was 2,773
feet, and because of the varying ele
vations of the east and west banks of
the Mississippi it was built on an in
cline, its highest point being the pier in
the river from which the destroyed
portion was torn. At this point the
bridge was 275 feet above the river,
and at the extreme west end 200 feet
above the water level. That part of
the bridge which lies on Water street
and which cuts its way through the
Omaha railroad tracks fell 184 feet.
May Save the Pieces
Were there no salvage, it is probable
that the loss would amount to fully
$150,000, but bridge experts maintain
that there will be a salvage from parts
of the bridge now in the bed of the
Mississippi, and that high upon the
river banks. From the wreckage en
cumbering Water street little is ex
pected in the way of salvage. City En
gineer Rundlett stated last night that
he believes the bridge can be replaced
for from $35,000 to $40,000, provided
the work is postponed until the Avinter
season.
Mr. Rundlett superintended for the
city the construction of the high
bridge when it was built in 1889 by the
Keystone Bridge company, and he de
clares that no earthly power of a
straight wind could have blown the
bridge from its fastenings on the piers.
"I had thought I had built that
bridge for keeps," Mr. Rundlett said
last night. "It was not a light bridge,
but a strong, stiff bridge, extraordinary
precautions having been taken in its
Dlans to protect it against winds be
cause of its height. There was little
exposure to the wind and it was built
most substantially."
The city engineer insists with much
earnestness that the bridge was the
victim of a cyclone and not a tornado.
"The bridge must have been lifted up
and then dropped down a hundred feet
away to the south. It is my belief that
the movement was entirely cyclonic,
and this is supported by the evidences
on Harriet island. The tops of the
trees there were peeled and many
broken off high up in the air. The cy
clone was undoubtedly high above the
ground, but not so high that its tre
mendous force did tiot get under the
planking of the floor and twist and lift
the big structure from Its foundations,
and this in spite of bolts two and one
half inches which were to hold it to its
masonry. The cyclone simply picked
up the bridge and doubled it like a
jacknife to throw it upon the shore.
This is the only possible theory of the
loss of the valuable city improvement,
for -no straight wind could possibly
have moved it from its moqrings."
The city engineer is in favor ,6f clos
ing the bridge until winter, when it
can be more cheaply replaced; for
while he admitted that it was a valu
able feeder from the Dakota county
trade, it was not by any means such a
public utility as either the Wabasha
or the Robert street bridges.
Light Betrayed Him
Frank Ammon, nineteen years old,
attempted to* get away with a lantern
which had been placed on a grocery
wagon on Seventh street, near Waba
sha, at 1 o'clock yesterday morning,
and wag arrested by Patrolman Night
ingale .after walking a few blocks. He
is charged with petit larceny.
EAST SEVENTH IN
PATH OF STORM
Cyc.one Travels the Street
From Bridge to Ro
sabel
East Seventh street, between Rosa
bel street and the bridge, presented a
picturesque appearance yesterday and
thousands of sightseers thronged the
thoroughfare. The storm's path had
apparently not reached further west
than Rosabel street, having turned at
Fourth and Broadway and again at
Seventh and Broadway. Rosabel street
was on the skirt of the cyclone as it
whirled along and several buildings
suffered along that street.
Most noteworthy was the partial de
struction of the J. H. Schurmeier Car
riage Works. The two buildings in
which the Schurmeier company is lo
cated were riven by the wind and the
top was torn off. The northern struc
ture is so badly cracked that the brick
walls will have to be torn down.
Takes Off Top Story
One of the freaks of the wind was to
take along with the roof the walls of
the entire top story together with
everything on the floor except a wagon
which was left. Both buildings are of
brick and closely adjoin one another.
The damage at this plant alone is esti
mated at $50,000.
A stray gust of the cyclone that
swept across Smith park tore up Wa
couta street, carried off the belfry of
No. 2 engine house and dropped it on
the roof of the chemical house, causing
the roof to break through and nearly
injuring two firemen asleep on the
second floor. No. 2 engine house was
formerly occupied by the old Minne
haha engine company, and is another
old landmark which the storm did not
spare.
Down Seventh street the ruin is
about equal on both sides. Wacouta
street seems to have been the western
limit on Seventh street and from there
down the damage becomes serious until
the bridge is reached.
One of the oddest freaks of the storm
was at the old gas tank of the St.
Paul Gas companjr, Fifth and John
streets. Half the roof of that struc
ture was carried away by the wind
and five large patches were taken from
the walls, leaving it standing with a
honeycombed appearance. The walls
were covered with corrugated iron,
which wag ripped off with as much
ease as if it had been paper.
Up Sixth street the path of the storm
is marked with devastation among the
stores and jobbing houses. Heavy
damage was caused on Sixth street.
The most serious losses occurred at
the Noyes Bros. & Cutler building, the
Konantz Saddlery building and Smith
park.
Several old frame buildings erected
in the early days on Sixth street be
low Broadway were unroofed and oth
erwise damaged, but the structures be
ing old and of small value the loss was
not great.
LOSS AT GOMO PARK
Crowd of 2,000 Passes Night of
Wretchedness
Como park, one of the beauty spots
of the West, presents a desolate ap
pearance after the tornado. Shade
trees and shrubbery that adorned the
park, and also the famous Como drive,
are shattered, blown down and up
rooted. So clean was the sweep of
the hurricane along the boulevard that
it seems almost Jig & desert place in
comparison with its former picturesque
beauty.
When the tornado broke over the
park 2,000 terror-stricken pleasure
seekers rushed frantically for shelter.
The slow approach of the storm and
consequent warning which was given
was alone responsible for preventing
loss of life.
The buildings at Como park escaped
damage, except the band stand, the
roof of which was punctured in many
places by falling limbs from trees.
With the passing of the storm the
crowd which thronged the park pre
sented a spectacle of wretchedness.
Many were drenched by the torrent of
rain. Fallen wires were a menace ev
erywhere, and to add to the confusion,
the park was plunged in darkness.
With the street car service demor
alized, the confused, hysterical crowd
of frightened men and boys and terri
fied, disheveled women and girls were
confronted with the proposition of re
maining in the park all night or -walk
ing home. Most of the 2,000 pleasure
seekers walked.
At Wildwood practically the same
condition prevailed and the road was
lined with hundreds of tired pedes
trians after the storm.
Many Minneapolis people who were
at the parks came to St. Paul and re
mained all night, awaiting the re
sumption of street c#* »«rvteA.
THE ST. PAUL GLOBE. MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 1904
.-:-: -:;■ :-V: ; .:----. -::-V ■:■ ■■■■■■- ■■■ ''■ ■ ■■ ■ ■'£> . ■ ■ ■ -;^J -^^^l! JETjjpiyi^MpMJ^R. ■ f
.- ..-..'. j. ...,■■,- -.-. ■■-• ■ . /■>■ .-.-.. ; -....■ .■ .:■■/ v' -> • "-y-'j. >r^fe' Tl^Eß^K^voS" ... ■ * ■.■ ■ ■ ■■■■.■.•■.■.■■■■■ I
All That Remains of St. Sigfrld's Episcopal Church, Eighth Street, Near Locust
PARK AT PUBLIC
BATHS IS WRECKED
Almost Every Tree on Harriet
Island Blown Down—Build
ings Not Damaged
Harriet island and the public baths
suffered far more from the fury of the
wind than could be learned during the
first hours following the storm. Nearly
every one of the 500 natural trees com
prising the big groves on the island
are either torn up by their roots,
twisted off at their bases or broken off
half way up their trunks.
The damage to the city's buildings
at the baths is not very severe, but in
the destruction of the trees the island
has lost one of Its chief attractions,
and it will take a generation or longer
to replace the beautiful groves which
furnished shade for the. thousands of
visitors on hot days and were a de
light to the eye in perspective from
sightly points along the river.
While the approach of the storm had
been heralded by scattering raindrops
and many people had left the baths for
their homes the first tornado struck
the baths to find some seventy men,
women and children gathered at the
big pavilion as a place of refuge.
Supt. W. F. Bremer at once realized
the gravity of the situation. Trees be
gan to fall about the pavilion, tables
and chairs to fly in all directions,
boards and shingles ripped from the
buildings filled the air and the show
cases on the floor of the pavilion sud
denly took wings.
Seek Safety in Basement
The prospect of death from the fall
ing trees or injury from the flying
debris suggested a refuge in the cellar
beneath the main part of the pavilion,
and the refugees hurried into the base
ment.
Women became hysterical and chil
dren cried in fright, others turned to
the solace of religion and prayers
were offered for the safety of the com-
■ ./ ■ ' . . ■ ■-: ■■. ;-x ; :■■. :. . .."_ : ... .■" ■■ ■■■;■■ - ■■■ ■-■ ■■■-:■ |
P^^^^^^mHßra^^^fv':... .-.'• /' - '■"■ y/'/' '\-jh- ' .■'■: ■'-,'■■: - . : "■■ . 1
J*>'-'v*' ' '■ //t-'/-Z ' </-/''& r, , ■■/ ■ :y-''-:-..- --■-::::::" :"::-::■ ".■:■:-;: . . ' ■
t^yfirJ^^^^S^^^^^S^SL^MßM^M^iMMlßC^K!/^ "/s:, ■■■ ■ - ,""' ■-', ••*,'.'' ■' ■ ■'■■■' •■".-'■■'" '■■'.■'.•'/■ ' -.■■■"'.■ ■'.-'." ■ '"'■'■
Smith Avenue High Bridge Cut Off as With a Knife
pany gathered beneath the frail struc
ture on the exposed little island.
Emil Reichert, a park policeman, w ras
late in reaching the pavilion, and those
inside holding the doors against the
force of the wind compelled him to re
main outside. He dodged the flying
debris, but was almost overcome by
his experience. Reichert says that
showcases, tables and chairs went past
him and that he was sick from fear.
Many of the trees were blown en
tirely from the island and thrown into
the river, while a number of the small
er trees and big branches were raised
bodily over the boys' bathhouse and
into the main channel of the river. The
girls' bathhouse was twisted from its
foundation and partially wrecked, and
a small pavilion at the entrance to the
park was crushed like an egg shell.
Day Nursery Escapes
The escape of the day nursery build
ing, on the extreme west end of the
island, is nothing less than marvelous.
On an exposed point of land, the build
ing rests on piling six feet above the
level of the ground, and offered an im
mense resistance to the wind. With
great elm trees down all about it, some
of these alone prevented from becom
absolutely prostrate by resting against
the nursery, the frame building is prac
tically uninjured. The swings and
other mechanisms for the amusement
of the little tots were demolished.
A party of men, women and babies
took refuge beneath the big dancing
pavilion and were forced to remain
there until the storm was over. That
they escaped injury is almost providen
tial, for the pavilion is* loaded down
with fallen trees and planks from other
buildings. '
The enclosure surrounding the cap
tive deer was blown down during the
storm, and the deer escaped, to be
found on the upper end of the island
Sunday morning and returned to its
captivity.
A crew of men operating a sand
pump dredge for H. E. Clark and en
gaged in construction work on Harriet
Island, had an exciting time. The
dredge was tied to the banks of the
slough between the island and the
West side river banks, but the wind
broke the dredge lines, tore all its
doors off and tore the frames from the
pontoons. The crew finally beached the
craft, and were busy yesterday making
repairs made necessary by the expe
rience of Saturday night.
All the Trees Ruined
"My estimate of the trees destroyed
on Harriet island by the storm," said
Supt. Bremer yesterday, "is that about
all worth having have been broken and
destroyed. I should say that we have
lost fully 500 trees. The park's chief
attraction was its trees, and they in
cluded elm, maple, ash and willows,
but there is scarcely a good tree left.
We are thankful that our employes and
the people who were on the island at
the time of the stornw escaped, but
nothing can repair the damage to the
island's attractiveness In the destruc
tion of nearly all its shade trees.
'There were really three storms in
the 4>ne. The first storm seemed to
come out of the north, the second from
the southeast and the third from the
west. It was the wind from the west,
or that coming down the river, that
appeared to be the most terrific, though
for that matter all were heavy enough.
In the intervals between the storms my
people started to come out of the base
ment, where they had been taken at
the first burst of the storm, but the
time that elapsed from the apparent
passing of one tornado to the other
was so brief that all remained until tKe
storm was finally over."
The general direction in which the
trees on Harriet island t\ia.t were
bowled over by the storm "took in their
falls is to the northeast, indicating
that the heaviest blow w*as from the
southwest. Many are so twisted and
torn, however, as to leave no story of
how they met their fate. Perhaps two
thirds of those destroyed are broken off
ten or fifteen feet above ground, and
this is taken* as an indication! that the
low island, which is but a few feet
above the level of the river'd surface,
saved the buildings from total' destruc
tion and the loss of life that
must have resulted in their collapse.
CAR TRAFFIC STOPS
Street Railway Resumes Busi
ness Under Difficulties
Street car traffic was paralyzed by
the tornado. During Saturday night
not a car was operated and it was not
until yesterday morning that any of
the lines were opened for business.
Trolley and guy wires, as well as poles,
are down all about the city, and the
loss will aggregate over $20,000.
Residents of the districts on the
west side of the river are still (Mon
day morning) without street car serv
ice. This is due to the unsafe condi
tion of the bridges.
Lines upon which service had been
resumed last night were the Grand
avenue. Rondo and Maria, Hamline and
Jackson, Stillwater, Rice street and
both interurban lines.
The street car company has had ev
ery available lineman at work since
the storm repairing damage, and it is
expected by this evening, with the pos
sible exception of the lines running to
the west side of the river, that most of
the city cars will be operated.
"When in doubt as.to how your money
should be invested, read "The Globe's
Paying Want*.'
NATURE OF STORM
TOLD BY EXPERT
"No Doubt of Real Tornado,"
Says Weather Bureau
Man
"There can be no doubt that the
storm which visited St. Paul Saturday
night- was a real tornado of extreme
violence," said P. P. Lyons, who was
in charge of the St. Paul weather bu
reau from 1882 until 1902, and who
made a special study of tornadoes dur
ing that time. "The evidences left by
the disturbance are the same as those
found after the Lake Gervais tornado,
July Jl2, l£9o, the only difference being
that the most recent one encountered
obstructions which it could not over
come, while the other swept every
thing before it.
"The' tornado of Saturday night was
the first which ever touched St. Paul.
There have been heavy wind storms,
but never in the history of the weather
bureau or in the recollection of the
oldest settlers, has there been a sim
ilar occurrence. So free was St. Paul
from violent atmospheric disturbances
that old residents began to think that
no tornado or cyclone could touch the
city on account of its location.
"The storm was of the usual tornado
character, its vortex of destruction was
about 200 feet in width and its motion
was ascending and descending. The
peculiar manner in which some parts
of the city were touched and others
escaped entirely, though apparently in
the path of the storm, is accounted for
by the fact that during part of the
time it was passing over, the city It
spent its fury in the air and at others
it descended to the level.
Path Was Zigzag
"The spaces that were touched indi
cate the bounds of the tornado. It
commenced its destruction at the high
bridge, and then jumped to Wabasha
street, where part of the Tivoli was
swept before it. The the in-
tervening territory was not devastated
was that the vortex while passing it
was high in the air.
"The manner in which the high
bridge was snapped off is accounted for
by the character of the tornado. It
combined gyratory and transitory mo
tion; that is, its force was both ver
tical and horizontal. Had the wind
blown straight at the bridge it would
never have broken the iron work. The
lifting or horizontal movement, known
as the whirlwind, caught the bridge at
the same instant as the direct wind,
and the combination caused the coi-
"After breaking the bridge the vor
tex leaped into the air and descended
again at the Tivoli, jumped again and
descended in the Jobbing district,
jumped again and descended on the
bluff, circled the bluff and descended
in lower town, swept about the busi
ness district, swirled northwest and
caught the House of Good Shepard,
then blew itself into the air and land
ed outside of the city.
"The result of the tornado shows the
fallacy of the popular belief that noth
ing can withstand a storm of that
character. It Is generally believed that
the power of the wind is equal to de
stroying anything that man can erect,
but experience has proved the con
trary and we have a goo<| illustration
Mi city. The big buildings in the
of the city received as great a
as the houses on the outskirts.
1 of them quivered when the
struck them, but they were
strong enough to endure.
"The idea that a tornado is irresist
ible was generally held about twenty
five years ago, but since then there has
been notable improvements in building.
Nowadays buildings are constructed so
strong that even a tornado cannot af
fect them. The safest place in case of
a tornado is in a skyscraper.
"I made investigations of the tor
nadoes at St. Louis and Louisville and
found that the only buildings destroyed
were small frame and brick structures.
The only substantial building in the
path of the Louisville tornado was a
six-story modern structure, and the
only damage resulting to It was from
the breaking of glass. At the St. Louis
tornado nothing but small buildings
were destroyed. The reason that big
buildings cannot be destroyed is that
the tornado cannot envelop them with
the gyratory motion before the transi
tory motion has driven the first ele
ment away.
"If the gyratory motion cannot en
velop an object, that. object is safe,
whether it is a building or bridge, pro
vided it is strong enough to with
stand the pressure of the straight wind.
The Wabasha street bridge was un
doubtedly saved because it has a heavy
brick flooring, which rendered it too
heavy to be instantly lifted, and if the
high bridge had been floored with brick
it might not have been destroyed."
The records of the weather bureau
show that as the storm approached St.
Paul the wind was from the southeast,
that it suddenly swerved to the east,
and continued from that direction for
an hour until the instrument became
so confused by the conflicting currents
of air when it was in the center of the
vortex that it was thrown down. When
it fell it registered a wind from the
northwest.
BEAUTY Of CITY'S
STREETS RUINED
Shade Trees and Lawns in
Residence Districts Suffer
Severe Damage
Summit avenue, the most beautiful
residence street in the West, as well
as all the boulevards and streets in
the Hill district, were reduced to dis
mal appearing wastes by the storm.
Where before lofty elms and maples
shaded the asphalted driveways there
are now bare, shattered trunks and
the streets are piled high with wreck-
age.
Liawns, too, suffered, and the grass
plots that surround many of the hand
some residences are practically ruined
by deep holes which once enclosed the
roots of stately shade trees.
It is safe to say that not one resi
dence in the Hill district escaped with
out damage. In no cases, however, will
the losses to residences be great, aside
from the destruction of trees, which
loss is almost irreparable. Chimneys
were blown from several of the hand
some homes and fences and small
buildings were blown down.
Among the places where the devasta
tion of the tornado was most notice
able were:
The Wilder residence; all trees
blown down in front of house; the Jef
ferson and Fourpaugh residences in
Summit avenue, and the Stohr home in
Portland avenue, chimney pots de
stroyed; lawn at the Stickney residence
in Summit avenue, ruined by uprooted
trees. The lawn at the Cutler resi
dence, 360 Summit avenue, was also
ruined by uprooted trees.
Every cross street from Farrington
to Mackubin street is practically im
passable to carriages, and it was with
difficulty that pedestrians forced their
way through the piles of wreckage in
many places. Other districts where
thoroughfares are practically blockad
ed are between Virginia and Farrington
streets on Dayton avenue and between
Western avenue and Arundel street on
Dayton avenue. In the latter districts
there are few trees left standing, and
in many instances the huge trunks
had to be cut in two and the portions
removed before a passageway could be
opened.
While the greatest loss to trees and
shrubbery was along Summit avenue,
many other streets sustained severe
damage. Among these were Portland,
Holly, Ashland and Dayton avenues,
which suffered in particular, though
practically every residence street in
the city can add its quota to the list
of losses.
Wind Causes Trouble
Steve Brady, eighteen years old, and
Frank Engles, forty years .old, had a
dispute about the cyclone at Seventh
and Olive streets at 2 o'clock yester
day'morning and came to blows."They
were arrested by Patrolman Holland.
STATE FAIR ESCAPES
Secretary Randall Says Dam-
age Is Only $1,500
The state fair grounds, toward which
the eyes of every rural village and town
In Minnesota will be directed next
week, escaped the ravages of the tor
nado with slight loss. The damage
at the fair grounds, according to Sec
retary Randall, will not exceed $1,500.
Thirteen tents to be used for restau
rant purposes during the fair were
badly damaged. All were overturned
and the fifty occupants, men, women
and children, were left-^without shelter.
They were exposed to the drenching
rain in their night clothes, and it was
with difficulty that a stampede of the
terror-stricken wome.n and children
Sas prevented. The unfortunates
issed the night at the home of Sec
retary Randall.
None of the large buildings in the
fair grounds suffered more than inci
dental damage. The small building
used for storing fireworks was demol
ished and the sheet iron with which
the building was protected from fire
was torn from the structure and hurled
through the air for a distance of many
yards.
The ticket office at the Great North
ern entrance was picked up by the tor
nado and dashed with terrific force
against a freight car fifty feet away.
The ticket office was reduce to splin
ters.
The total destruction of the platform
over the grand stand, leaving the mew
search light, which had been placed
there the day before, resting on a sin
gle beam, was a freak of the storm.
The plant of the Union Paving com
pany, which manufactured tile for use
in the fair grounds, was destroyed, in
volving a loss of ?900.
SHELLING ESCAPES :
FURY OF STORM
Northeast Edg? of Reservation
Loses Roofs of Build
ings
Situated on a level plateau and un
protected from the fury of the storni,
the government military buildings at
Fort Snelling miraculously escaped se-.,
vere damage during the storm.
The storm center seemed to follow
the river course, only the edge passing
over the northwest edge of the reser
vation. Trees were uprooted, branches
torn away and hurled against wires,
crashing with them to the ground.
The slate roofing of the south of the
Thirtieth battery quarters was torn
from its fastening and distributed over
a large area. Portions of the roofs of
the quarters of the Tenth battery and
the gun shed were also ripped loose,
exposing the upper floors to the fury
of the torrent of rain that poured down
incessantly for thirty minutes.
Slate Roofs Lifted
Small patches of slate from the roofs
of many of the other quarters were
also torn away, but in the aggregate
not much damage was done.
The principal inconvenience caused
by the storm to the post in general
was the derangement of the telephone
and electric lighting systems. The
great force of the wind carried down
poles and wires everywhere, distribut
ing connections and putting out the
lights throughout the buildings. The
telephone wires torn down were re
paired yesterday morning, and the sys
tem is again in operation. The electric
lighting plant was also in operation
last night, and everything is running
as smoothly as before the storm.
The wind had apparently spent a
portion of its fury by the-time it
reached the fort, and luckily, for oth
erwise the flimsy steel structure of
the bridge connecting the reservation
with the city would surely have gone
down.
-Storm Skirts River Bank
' The storm skirted the right bank of
the river until it struck the high
bridge, after which it shifted across
the river, sweeping the edge of the.
left bank, striking in its course the
Tivoli and Empire theaters, and shoot
ing off to the north across the city,
whence it turned again at right an
gles and proceeded back with redou
bled fury.
The storm apparently traveled high
in passing over the fort, for while
many of the beautiful shade trees
were stripped of a portion of their
foliage, the flowers growing on thti
grounds in front of many of the com
pany quarters were uninjured.
It apparently skipped over the noun
try, now high, now low, for the frame
dwelling and barn of John Koan, n
farmer living on the north edge of
the reservation, were uninjured, while
a few hundred feet behind and in
front trees had been uprooted and
fences blown over.
The Fort Snelling hotel and the Al
lemania saloon, situated on the east
bank of the river at the foot of the
bridge, escaped without injury.
All the soldiers except those on guard
duty were within doors when the storm
broke, taps having been sounded, and
as far as could be ascertained no one
was injured.
FIRE DOES DAMAGE
WHILE FAMILY IS OUT
A lamp left standing too close to the
wall while the members of the family
were absent caused a fire last night
at the residence of Christ Jefferson. 295
Ottawa avenue. The blaze gained
headway before it was discovered by
neighbors who turned in an alarm.
The house, wl ich is a two-story
structure, was badly burned, and the
furniture was damaged. The loss is
estimated at $125, covered by insur
ance.
JUST ONE DAY
Free From the Slugger Brought Out a
Fact
"During the time I was a coffee
drinker," says an lowa woman, "I was
nervous, had spells with my heart,
smothering spells, headache, stomach
trouble, liver and kidney trouble. I
did not know for years what made
me have those spells. I would fre
quently sink away as though my last
hour had come.
"For twenty-seven years I sufferer!
thus and used bottles of medicine
enough to set up a drug store —cap-
sules and pills and everything I heard
of. Spent lots of money, but I was
sick nearly all the time. Sometimes I
was so nervous I could not hold ;i
plate in my hands; and other times I
thought I would surely die sitting at
the table.
"This went on until about two years
ago, when one day I did not use any
coffee and I noticed I was not so nerv
ous and told my husband about it. He
had been telling me that it might be
the coffee, but I said 'No, I have been
drinking coffee all my life and it can
not be.' But after this I thought I
would try and do without it and drink
hot water. I did this for several days,
but got tired of the hot water and went
to drinking coffee, and as soon as I
began coffee again I was nervous
again. This proved that it was the
coffee that caused my troubles.
"We had tried Postum, but had not
made it right and did not like it, bitf
now I decided to give it another trial,
so I read the directions on the package
carefully and made it after these di
rections, and it was simply delicious,
so we quit coffee for good and the re
sults are wonderful. Before, I could
not sleep, but now I go to bed and sleep
sound, am not a bit nervous now, but
work hard and can walk miles. Nerv
ous headaches are gone, my heart does
not bother me any more like it did and
I don't have any of the smothering
epells, and would you believe it? I am
getting fat. We drink Postum now
and nothing else, and even my hus
band's headaches have disappeared:
we both sleep sound and healthy now,
and that's a blessing." Name given
by Postum Co., Battle Creek Mich.
Look for the book, "The Road to
WellviUe." in each package.
World's Fair Exhibit. Space 103, Ag
ricultural Building.
3

xml | txt