KinSource - Tale of the Week

KinSource

Minnesota Tales

The St. Paul Pioneer Press, September 1, 1875, p. 3

A BLOW OUT.

FULL-FLEDGED TORNADO IN SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS.

The Harvester Works Warehouse in Ruins - A Half Dozen Houses and Barns Demolished - Scores of Shade Trees Prostrated - Cattle Killed - Fifteen Thousand Dollars the Estimated Damage.

By persons having occasion to be on the street Monday evening it was frequently remarked, "A brisk shower - indeed, quite a severe storm;" and from the manner in which the rains descended and the floods came, it would seem that our storm was deservedly designated as "quite severe." In comparison, however, with what was experienced in the southern suburbs of Minneapolis, the storm in the centre of town was an exceedingly tame affair, and scarcely worthy of remark. To be sure, we had thunder until we were all deaf, lightning until we were blinded, and soft water until sewer holes were converted into water powers, streets into miniature lakes, and cross-walks into floating rafts; but - hear what they had in the suburbs.

The thunder and lightning and soft water were on a par with what was experienced in town and in addition there was an out and out tornado, which through its path of 600 feet width prostrated everything. The wind storm, which seems to have been a regular whirlwind swooped down from the north west, striking first immediately at the west of Layman's cemetery, with its northernly limit near Lake street. Its movement was rapid, and the destruction entailed was entire.

BARNS ANNIHILATED.

Two barns belonging to a dairy man named Graham, which were located nearly on the line of Lake street, were demolished and two milch cows stabled within were killed. A third barn owned by Mr. Tingley was blown over, but his horses, which were inside, were hurried out before the barn was utterly destroyed, and were but slightly injured. Two other small barns, one owned by Dr. G. E. Rogers, were also moved from their foundations, and will prove wrecks. The loss on barns destroyed will reach $1200, beside the loss of cattle.

MORE SERIOUS - DWELLING HOUSE DEMORALIZED.

Moving down Lake street and overlapping on both sides of the street, the whirl "took in" two partially completed dwelling houses, located on the north side of the street, and owned respectively by J. D. Jennings and R. J. Rhodes. These were converted into kindling wood literally, and fragments of the buildings were hurled immense distances over the prairie. These buildings were far advanced toward completion, the one owned by Mr. Rhodes especially being nearly finished. The building completed would have been worth $4,000 each, and the loss on the two will reach $6,000. While our reporter was on the ground yesterday, Mr. Jennings, proprietor of one of the buildings, arrived with eave-troughs which he proposed to have put on his new building, but the contractor volunteered the opinion that in its present condition the building would be as well without eave-troughs. Mr. J. thought so after he had examined the chips, and with face of woeful appearance he returned to Minneapolis, eave-troughs and all.

Adjoining these buildings was a small structure occupied by Austin Babbitt, as a dwelling. This was turned completely about and removed entire a dozen feet from its foundation. His family was in the house when the storm struck, and an infant occupying its high chair was quite seriously hurt, being thrown against a table.

On the opposite side of Lake street, along the south line of Layman's cemetery, the destruction was very great. As many as a score of the large handsome populars [sic], which form one of the most attractive features of the cemetery, were uprooted and thrown outward toward the street, completely crushing the tasteful fence which bounds the cemetery on the Lake street side.

Passing onward toward the railroad, the storm keeled over the large smoke-stack on Burr, Gilmore & Co's furniture factory, knocked a freight car off the track, then swinging eastward it

STRUCK THE LARGE WAREROOM

of the harvester works, playing "etarnal smash" with the building and contents. The building which is a two story structure 40x2_0 feet in size, was first removed about eight feet off its foundation, in which operation it was severely racked, then a moment later it succumbed and in less time than the narrative requires was

A TOTAL WRECK.

Studding and flooring and roofboards were split into kindling wood, and were hurled rods out upon the prairie, and shingles from the roof, carried by the wind, were driven endwise and actually embedded in the sides of adjoining buildings. A freight train was standing on the switch adjoining the wareroom waiting for the incoming express, when the building fell, and it is safe to report that those train employees were the most startled men in town. As speedily as it could be accomplished brakes were loosed, and the train took the back track for Minneapolis where it arrived and remained until there was assurance that the "blow" had passed over.

LOSSES AT THE WAREHOUSE.

Mr. J. L. Spink places the loss at the warehouse at $3,000. The building, valued at $2,000, and owned by the Minneapolis Harvester Company, is as complete a ruin as can be imagined. Within the building were stored machine material, and about 60 completed machines - harvesters, reapers and mowers. These latter were more or less injured by falling timbers, and will foot up a loss of $1,000.

OTHER LOSSES.

As nearly as could be ascertained, the above statement comprises the more important losses, but in addition to these are various losses through fences destroyed, corn blown down, and the like, which losses cannot be closely estimated. Persons competent to judge place the total loss at from $12,000 to $15,000, and the estimate is probably correct. South Minneapolis justly claims the palm for the champion storm of the season.