i

C o p y r gh t e d 1 90 0 .

P I ON E ER P R E S S Co .

ST P AU L
. .

n
Pri t ers , E lec tro t yp ers
-
an d B in d e rs .
 DE DIC AT I O N .

To th e human e and k in d who deem i t a pleasure t o

share with th e unfortunate n o t boastin g o f charity
, ,

but bestowing with broth erly l ove and t o th e tru e

h earted and tender wh o read between th e li nes su ffer

.

in g u nseen and wound s of th e heart unh eal ed.

 P R E F A C E .

T h is account of th e gri evou s whirlwin d whi ch

swept over th e l ittl e city of N e w Ri c hmon d a nd a d
j acent country Jun e 1 2 1 8 99 i s given as a record of
, , ,

th e event in it s many phases o f detail b ecau se of th e ,

importan ce o ft he results to indivi dual s a ffected by it ,

a nd in th e h o pe that so me b en et may resul t from it s

Su ggesti on s .

T h e sudd en a nd unprecedented loss of life an d

prop erty i n proporti on to th e area s w ept over an d
,

siz e of p op u lati on mak es th e occasion m omento u s t o

,

ou r p eopl e an d mark s a sad tu rnin g point i n th eir

,

lives I t i s to th em a mil eston e set up un exp ectedly

.

i n th e m ids t o f life s j ou rn ey whi ch says : B ehind

you i s th e memory of th e b reaki ng u p o f family ci r

cl es an d th e s w allowin g up of earthly p ossession s ;
,

b efore you a ren ewed stru ggl e for exi sten ce and liveli
h ood always a p robl em i n th e natural sequ ence of
,

life and n o w doubly compli cated by circumstan ces

,

an d environment for whi c h neith er th e hi story nor

traditi on s of thi s locality ca n furni sh instru ctive
precedent I n th e diverse ways of any community
.

mu c h account i s made of exampl e and mod e o i p ro

'

c e du re lik ely t o p revail und er exi stin g conditi on s ;

6 A M O D ER N H ER C U LA N E U M .

but h ere we have to rel ate th e w oes of a p eopl e alto

geth er disj ointed from th e eve n t e n or of th eir way -

and th rown into a state of confu si on a n d dis t ra c tio n

enti rely un ch roni cl ed in th e l egend s of th e o l dest ih
habitant . We have read Of a fai r A cadian village .

wh ose peopl e were driven out from th ei r h omes an d

terried by the soldi e ry of a superior nation and
'
,

made wanderers upon t h e fa c e of th e earth ; but the

sweet caden ce of th e p oet s son g as h e f o llows th e

indivi dual j ou rn eys an d di sapp ointments supposed

t o have res ulted from thi s trying event gives tru er
i nsi ght i nto th e vital con sequ ences of su ch an exodu s
tha n stati sti cs al on e coul d do T h e lives and for .

tunes of indivi dual s make up th e many colored mo

s a i c whi ch pi ctu res th e hi story of communiti es an d
of nati on s I n th e hi stori cal tabl et of N e w Ri ch
.

m o nd of th e ci rcl es which mark th e years of i ts

,

growth w e will not e about th e ftieth I t i s c lo u dv

, .

an d broken H ere i s a great u gly bl ot an d scintil

.
,

latin g from i t a re ash es of re th e blackn ess O f ,

death th e purpl e of horror and angui sh th e green

, ,

o f hi deous fr ight and t h e a s h e n g rey of sorrow B ut

'

.
,

min gl ed with t h e somber hu es are th e pearly whi te

o f sy m pathy and con solati on an d th e golden glow
,

of charity Th en amon g th e b rightening tessellate d

.

shades w e hai l th e blu e of h op e and th e dartin g rose

tints of a n e w ambition Fan cy predi ct s ever widen
.

in g circl es i n subdued but stabl e col orin g t o m a rk '

th e comi n g years Th e snows of wi nter and s u m

.

m er s green will many times com e and go ere th e

scars on ou r fai r littl e city wi ll be heal ed A lthough .

 P R E F A CE .

to outsi ders mu ch of th at whi ch remai ns to suggest

thos e troubled feveri sh an d unnatural month s of
,

exp erience subsequ en t to th e tornado will b e in v is

ibl e it i s n everth el ess j u st a s real as what has been
,

s e en .

We o ffer h eartfelt thanks to th e fri ends wh o

cam e to u s i n ou r tim e of distress an d regarded u s ,

worthy of th e b est th ey call ed thei r o wn ; not as

paupers thou gh we were p oor ind eed but b ein g
, , ,

mad e s o th rou gh n o faul t o f o u r o w n an O p p o rt u n it v

-

w a s thus given oth ers to sh ow what manner of m en

th ey were H un gry and athi rst un cl othed and
.
,

h omel ess th ey foun d u s an d shared with u s not a c

, , ,

cor din g to th ei r abundance but according to the l ov ,

in g kindness in th ei r h earts Th e great throb o fsym.

a t h a n d love whi ch sti rred our si st er State of M i n

p y
n e s o t a enti tl es h er p eopl e to th e nam e of ki nsmen ,

w ei gh ed in t h e bal a nce an d not found wantin g i n

tender and appropriate charity We o ffer grateful .

t ribut e t o all those who ai ded ou r su ffering p eopl e

in th e work of re s c u e f Th e daily p ress fo r th ei r sym ,

path eti c n oti ces o f th e di saster , an d through wh ose

a gen cy we a re mu ch indebt ed fo rassistan ce rend ered .

placed u s und er d eep obli gati ons Th ere were o r .

g a n iz a t io n s c ommuniti es a nd i ndivi duals to whom

,

many thanks are du e an d yet to whom th e exp res

,

si on of them i s un equ al to ou r gratitude Th ei r re .

ward i s th ei r inward pl easure i n obeying th e prompt

ings of thei r o w n kin d h earts .

Th e followin recital s were coll ect ed durin g th e

g
2:

days of what will b e kn o wn as l on g a s thi s generation

8 A M O DER N H E RC U LAN E U M .

of i nhabitant s dwell s h ere as th e cyclon e sum mer ,

at inter v al s of th e work whi ch we al l foun d to do ,

before th e vivi dn ess of th ese event s had faded and .

whi l e w e could but speak from th e fullness of ou r

h earts I t wa s n o t permitted m e t o get the m into
.

shape soon er b ecau se o f th e confu si on an d gen eral

,

lack of co ordi nati on which prevail ed an d to whi ch ,

th e read er w ill pl ease attribu te a suggesti on o f such

conditi on i n th e arrangement o f q uoted experi ences .

H o w ever an att empt has been m ad e t o classi fy som e

,

w hat a ccordin g to l ocati on alon g th e path of th e

storm T h e pen o f a H u go o r th e bru sh of a Titian
.

mi ght n d in th ese scen es facil e Opportunity fo r fam e .

fo r a littl e ad roi t col ori n g will chan ge th e comm on

pla ce to th e i d eal i n th e page of c t i0n B u t o u r only
.

hop e o fapproval li es in stri ct c o n fo rm it v t o facts c o l ,

le c t e d at th e exp ense o fp ersi stent work an d in th e in

,

t e re s t whi ch will b e fel t i n a representation of th e stat e

of mind and matt er whi ch obtained aft er th e cruel lash

of th e tornad o lai d u s lo w T h ere m ay perhaps be
.

som e reason fo r thinkin g t o o that th ere has hereto

, ,

fore been found somethin g not al togeth er seri ou s in

th e cycl ones o fth e \Vest \V e have h eard th e com
.

placen t q u er y : Why d o yo u remai n i n th e cycl one

b elt ? \V e do n o t have su ch destructive storms .

L ook carefully fri en ds at all records Even q ui et

. , .

o ld N e w En glan d has had it s great gal es ; not per

hap s a counterpart o f thi s i n d eadli ness accordin g .

t o surface s w ept but ver y d estru cti v e By l endin g

,
.

you r i n uen ce i n provi di ng a N ati onal Emergency

'

Fun d for su fferers fro m su ch except ional di saster

'

,
 PR EF ACE ,
9

yo u may supply th e fountain from whi ch will o w

bl essings to you w h en overtaken by a lu gub riou s
ash followed by a relap se o f horror .

I n u sin g th e words torn a do an d cyclo n e inte r

chan geably I have fo r authority th e Standard D i c
,

t io n a ry and western parl an ce I t i s qui t e commonly
.

known th at th e n omen cl ature i s n o t stri ctly correct

a s thu s appli ed but th e rotary motion o f su ch storm s
,

as w e h ave exp eri en ced ( and as re a dilv seen o n a c

count o f d en ed limits ) h a s l ed to th e use o f th e w ord
'

whi ch m o s t e v ide n t ly impli es a cycl e or circl e as a

l ocal and specic rath er than a general d esi gnati on
o f th e storm area .

Relyi n g up on th e consi d erat e forbearan c e o f the

immedi at e p ers ons con cern ed as well as o f th e pub
,

li c I send thi s narrative o n its mi ssion M ay it pl ease

, .

you to i gn ore it s faults and read it with attention and

g ood wi ll.
I O A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

C H AP TE R I .

D A R K SH A D O WS FA L L .

A t h
and fan ta s i s
o us e

B g i n t t h n g in t m y m m y
e o ro o e or ,

O f c a l l in g hap
s and b k n in g ha d w d i
es ec o s o s re .

T h e occurrence known h ereabouts as th e Cycl on e

o fJun e 1 2 ,
mi ght b e bri ey stat ed in th i s wi se :
A cycl oni c clou d was formed at about 5 :3 0 p m by . .
,

th e m eetin g of two portion s o f clou d above L ake St .

C roix Turnin g eastward an d th en northeastward

.
,

thi s whi rlwind growing i n siz e and vel ocity d evas

, ,

t a t e d an area about th ree hundr ed to ve hund red

ya rd s i n wi dth and fty or sixty mil es i n l ength i n ,

ic t in g unu sual destru cti on and l oss Of life through

out it s cou rse bu t more parti cul arly at N e w Ri ch
,

m ond at whi ch point its force and rapi di ty w a s great

,

est T hi s I say might i n a way d escrib e th e o c

.
, , , ,

currence . B ut to dismi ss th e matter with su ch

meager i nformation as th e above paragraph contain s
woul d be to treat wi th cruel flippancy an aggregation
o f important events remarkabl e i n th e rapidity o f
thei r happenin g and in th e severity o f th ei r e ffect
upon th e lives Of several hund red s of peopl e .
 D A RK SH A DO WS F A L L . II
Th e meetin g O f th e tw o or more clouds ab ove
L ake St C roi x wa s witn essed by a number O f i ntel
.

lig e n t peopl e whose w ell auth enti cat ed statements

,
-

have fur nished reliabl e i nformation fo r th es e pages .

A n eye witn ess d escrib es th e occurrence as follows :

A top shaped cl ou d came dan cin g al on g u p th e
lake ano t h e r mass o r col umn O f cl ou d cam e from
,

th e vi cinity of S til l wat e r Th ese t w o cl ou ds were

'

m er ged t ogeth er in a fri n n e l or a

col umnar mass spreadin g somewhat at th e top an d
, ,

boilin g or tumbling rapidly within its el f T hu s agi .

t a t e d i t turn ed eastward an d skirti n g th e hill s south

, ,

of H u d so n and hu ggin g th e groun d cl osely i t took ,

a nor th easterly cou rse toward N e w Ri ch mond .

T he f oll owing descripti on of th e formati on proc

ess a s given at my re q u est by D r O E Thomas Of
, , ,
. . .

L akeland i s in t e re s t m g 1n 1t s mi nute d etail s and i s

, ,

stated by hi m t o b e th e consensus Of Opini on O f sev

eral di fferent Observers H e occupi ed a good p osi .

ti on for Observation b ein g o n th e ferry boat back o f

, ,

th e H ud so n waterworks .

I t had b een wa rm th at afternoon and many com ,

plained of th e h eat as Opp ressive SO many scorch

ing da y s have com e and gon e since th at on e mi ght

for get th e past whil e endurin g th e present B ut it .

was u ns easonably warm for a June day A t th e noon

'

hou r and up to th ree or four O cl ock th ere were no

,

i ndi cati on s O f th e com in g storm T h en th e cloud s .

b egan t o gath er in th e west and gradually sprea d ,

over t h e sk y, nally extendi ng to th e horizon all

12 A M O D ER N H ER C U LA N E U M .

around B ut th ere was nothing alar ming in th eir

-

app earan ce at that time A bout h al f past f o ur O clock .

-

it co mmenced to r ai n and rained bri skly fo r ab out ,

twenty minutes H ai l s ton es were mixed w ith the

.

rain but th ey were not large an d th ere we re no t

, ,

many o f th em Wh en th e rai n ceased th e cl ou ds did

.

not b reak away but seemed to indi cate th at th ere

,

was som ethi ng more to fol low T h e sky cl ear ed .

somewhat in th e southwest leaving only a thi n h az e , ,

O f th e col or Of th e e e c y clouds sometimes seen on a

fai r day U pon thi s white space was a singul arly

.

formed cl oud O nce seen it riveted th e attenti on of

.

th e observer an d h e call ed others to look at t h e

,

strange thin g I t ext ended about o n e third th e di s

.
-

tan ce from th e south t o th e west an d w a s ab o u t f ,

teen d egrees from th e horizon L owerin g and dark .

.

i t ha d a well dened margi n at th e b ase but with the ,

u pper part l ess di stin ct as i t had som e oth er dark ,

cl ou ds fo r a background I t was moving ra pidly t o

'

.
,

ward th e east an d probably t oward th e north th ough

, ,

thi s moti on was n o t apparen t to u s B ut what a p .

p e a re d th e most p eculiar were two protub erances or ,

inverted cones whi ch hun g from i ts eastern end

,
It .

i s di fcul t to descri b e th em bu t imagin e t wo cones ,

su sp ended base upward say six fee t across th e base

, ,

and four feet from base to ap ex ; also imagi ne th em

to b e suspended about three hundred or f our hundred
feet away and th ey woul d ll about t h e s a m e space
'

o f cl oud su rfa ce i e woul d subtend th e same a ngl e

,
. .
,
.

T hat looks very mu ch like a cyclone sai d o n e of a ,

"

group standin g n ea r m e Very much indeed re .
, ,

 D AR K SH A D O WS FA LL . 1 3

marked a p erson wh o had j ust j oined th e group a ,

stranger temp orarily stopping i n town

, I had both .

l egs broken at Grinnell I owa an d I have had e x p e , ,

ri en ce SO w e were n o t s u rp ris e d to see th e west

.

ward con e sudd enly l ength en out t o thre e or fou r

times its ori gin al l ength and stay in that positi on six ,

or eight secon ds th en sudd enly draw back whil e th e

, ,

rest O fth e cl oud seemed i n viol ent commoti on This .

was repeated th ree or fou r times whil e th e whol e fo r ,

mati on was movin g rapi dly t oward th e east Thi s .

was ab out two mil es south o f th e village o f L akeland

a nd o n e hal f mil e west of L ak e St
-

C roix . .

Th e cl ou d format ion did n o t ext en d to th e earth
until it reach ed th e lak e and not for som e tim e after , ,

for th e wat er c oul d pl ainly b e seen ri sin g from th e

surface before th e cl ou ds reach ed i t from above thus ,

showin g t h a t t h e re may b e great di sturban ces on th e

.

gro un d whil e th e cycl one i s s t ill in th e air Th e a p .

p e ara n c e of th e water ri si n g i n th e air was p erfectly

white lik e a h eavy spray or steam or lik e a stream of
, ,

water proj ected from a nozzl e at great p ressur e I t .

sp read out as it rose an d in a v ery short t im e p e r

, , _

haps hal f a minut e th e c lo u d re a c h e d and envelop ed

,

it a n d all w as blac k to th e su rface o f th e water

,
At .

this ti me th e p oint of cl ou d restin g upon th e water

seemed to b e about two hundred feet across i n shape ,

li k e a h al f op e n ed fan and moved ra pidlv tow a rd th e

-

no rth directly up th e lake C ont in u i n g th u s for

,
.

about on e mil e i t su ddenly tu rned to th e ea st passin g

, ,

u p th e bank a nd l eav in g a track O f b roken and

,

tw isted trees I t seemed to u s to go about du e east

.
1
4 A M O DER N H E RC ULAN E U M .

for a distance we could not estim ate and th en turning ,

north agai n passed behind th e bl u ffs ea st of L ake St .

C roix and th e city of H u dson an d w e coul d see by , ,

the dimini shing an gl e th at i t was al so movin g east

,

ward I t continued on its frightful j ourney un til i t

.

was lost to v iew on th e north eastern horizon A s i t .

went from u s we coul d see th at i t in creased i n volume

and v i ol ence O ccasion a lly it would b oun d fr om
.

th e groun d and conti nu e its fearful whirlin g in th e air ,

whil e great masses Of black vapor l eft b ehind woul d , ,

j ump from th e groun d and j oin th e mass above .

M r H arry K H u ntoon a wel l k nown resident O f

. .
,
-

H u dson had a very i ntimate ac q uaintance with th e

,

ed ge of th e cl oud after it passed th e bank s of Lake St .

C roix . Th e t reatm ent whi ch h e and hi s compani on s

received h ad somethi ng o f th e l udi crous in i t si nce i t ,

did n ot result in seri ou s harm t o any O fth e party an d ,

th ei r own j ocose mann er o f relati n g th e escapade l e d

t o con si derabl e fun at th ei r expen se M r H u n t o o n s

. .

account b egin s from a point o fv iew furth er down th e

lak e than that Of D r Th omas an d to th e south of th e
.
,

cl oud formati on an d i s d awn i n part from hi s per

,
r

sonal Ob serv ati ons and i n part from sto n es of oth ers
S ifted t o correctness The statements corres pond
. ,

except i n th e omi ssi on O f detail s wi th what has been ,

given and t ra c e s t h e p rogress O f th e cl ou d for som e

,

di stan ce b eyond th e blu ffs to th e east O f L ak e St .

C roix .

A t abou t p m th e resi dents of A fton
. .
,

Wa sh in gton county M inn esota wh o b ei n g a ppre

, , ,

h e n s iv e of d a nger from a storm stood watching the ,

 DARK SH ADO WS F ALL . 1 5

skies s a w t w o large dark cl ouds comin g towards each

,

othe r with terric sp eed T h ey m et and united at

, .

a poin t commonly kn own as C atsh B ar j ust below ,

St M ary s P oint an d i mmediately b egan to revolve

.

and assum e th e app earan ce of a h u ge black balloon

.

spinni n g l ike a top an d gath eri n g force and momen

,

tum with whi ch to accompli sh i ts awful m 1s s ro n Th e .

hu ge mass O f d estru ctiven ess th en started di agonally

across th e lak e in a n orth ea sterl y course b e in g
.
, ,

plai nl y vi sibl e from H u d son wh ose p eop le th ou g ht ,

th ei r city doom ed ; bu t fortunatel y for th em it l eft th e

l ak e ab o u t two an d o n e hal f mil es b el ow th e city and

,

travel ed th rou g h th e farmi ng country .

A s i t l eft th e lak e it ascended th e hill and crossed .

th e Whi tten farm ab out h al f way b etween P rescott

road an d th e county fai r buil di n g s I ts rst vi ctims .

were th ree t ra v el in g me n I E L o b de ll an d A R . . .
-

. .

V u llm e r O f S t P aul an d H arry K H untoon O f H u d

. .

son an d a driver C h arli e L eavitt wh o were on th ei r

, , ,

way from River Fall s to H u dson an d were cau gh t ,

by th e st orm n ear th e C ath ol i c cem eter y Th e two .

s eated surrey in whi ch th ey rod e was overturn ed and ,

th e Occu pant s d ragged u nd er it into a el d o f grain .

A lth ough th e carriage was a tot al wreck an d th e ,

men minu s h ats vali ses etc th ey were not seri ou sly
, ,
.
,

inj ured th ough mu ch su rprised an d i nt errupted in

.

th ei r conversati on ( I t i s related by someone wh ose
.

nam e i s n ot given that whil e th e party were huntin g

th em selves up after th ei r i gh t th rou gh th e grain
.

el ds on e of th em W h il e gropi n g for hi s spectacl es

, , ,

found a pi ec e of i ce ab out h al f as large as hi s h ead .

 1 6 A M O D E R N H E R CULA N E U M .

Holdin g i t up to th e oth ers who Stood watching th e

cloud as i t ed across th e country h e excl aimed : M y ,

stars boys ! Just look at that hail stone
,
T hat s .

n o t hail man ; th at s a ch unk Of i ce th ey explain ed

.
, ,

It i s sai d that th e farmer wh o own ed th e el d found

a ni ce mess of sh n ext day whi ch was not call ed for ) .

From this p oi nt th e storm passed near Frank M at
t e s o n s farm tearin g down som e smal l bui ldin gs and

, ,

them proceeded to destroy ab out six th o usand dollars .

worth O fbuil din gs on th e H arry M att eson farm M r . .

M atteson an d family s a w th e storm comin g and took ,

refuge in th e cellar thus escapin g any i n j u ry From

, .
.

M r Matteson s place o n fo r n early fou r mil es th e

.

, ,

storm di d comparatively l ittl e dama ge , except to bl ow -

down a large barn bel ongi n g t o M r E dwa rd D a ilv :

and unroof th e Grav es barn Th en crossin g th e rail

.

road j ust north O f B urkhardt s station d estroyed a

barn b elongin g t o Juliu s B eers and d emoli sh ed all

th e buil din gs o n th e H e ffron farm killin g th e owner , ,

M rs Kate H effron From thi s point i t followed the

. .

vall ey O fth e Willow river to B oardman .

D u rin g th e passa ge o f th e cycl on e cl ou d from

M atteson s t o D ai ly s pla ce 1t was observed by M rs

.

Geor ge M artin to whom we a re in de b t e d fo r h er

,

i m pressi ons graphi call y portrayed :

,

Th e cyclon e cloud ( o r cloud s ; for th e cl oud s on
each sid e were even more wonderful as th ey w er e ,

twi stin g and turnin g in every direction someti m es a p ,

pea rin g to touch th e earth and l ookin g like stea m ,

mingl ed with smok e from a great re ) was a v e rv

 DA R K S H A D O W S F ALL . 1 7

large dark cloud wi th a point When I rst noti ced

,
.

it i t was south of u s and app eared to be going a litt le

,

north of east My vi ew was a si de vi ew and I wa s

.
,

very tha n kful I di d n ot have t o look i t i n th e face .

Th ere was no seri ou s damage don e n earer t o us than

three quarters of a mil e distant I t app eared to b e
-

about ei ghty rod s from u s thou gh I know i t wa s ,

farth er away t h an i t l ook ed Th e funnel shap ed clou d .

-

itsel f di d n ot to u ch th e earth whil e I watch ed it b ut ,

appeared to rise and fall still leavin g quit e a space b e,

tween it and th e grou nd .

A fter passin g our h ouse t h e cou rse O f th e cloud
app eared to b e directly north east and i t travel ed ,

rapi dly Th e rst building d emoli shed east of u s w a s

.

th e E dward D aily barn .

Th e roof O f a barn wa s carri ed over an abruptl y

ste ep hill that rises un exp ectedly from th e l evel sur
face o fth e p ra 1r i e th e el evation not s erving to d eect
,

the whi rlwin d from its course L ike some wild mon .

st e r i t swept on utterin g a sull en growl as it de v oured

,

wh atever lay l n its path A ccordin g t o M r Edward

H yd e W
. .

,
h o witnessed th e man euver It wa s j oined .

j ust b e ldw B o ardman by a l arger and blacker cloud

-

but without th e p oint comi n g from th e di rection o f

,

Stillw ater and from this p oint o n to b eyond N e w

,

Ri chmon d it seemed as i f all the d emons O f h el l were

turned loose to do th ei r worst Th ere was a rolling .

boilin g ma ss o fclouds ll ed with constant lightning

, .

Th e reinforcin g clou d whi ch cam e from th e west o r

northwest was al so W in d l ad en and destructive M r . .

Fred Wolf i n th e town O f Grant Washington county

, , ,
I 8 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

M innesota had his barn twi sted and S ix h orses killed

,
-

and every other buil din g On th e place bl own to in

ders with th e exception o f hi s h ouse which was so
, ,

badly damaged as to b e practi cally a wreck A smok e .

h ou se where consi derabl e m eat was i n process Of cur

,

ing was carri ed compl etely out O f si ght no v esti ge

. ,

o f its cont e nts ever bein g found .

T h e tw o barn s granari es chi cken h ouse etc on

, , . .
,

th e T ozer fa rm at C arnelian L ak e were bl own t o

, ,

pi eces and scattered o v er th e farm B uildings were

,
.

also d estroyed o n t h e farm of T h omas Wood a mil e ,

t o th e northeast Of th e T ozer farm .

John Schnei der a farmer livi n g i n th e vicinity o f

,

L ake Elmo was returnin g from H udson an d w a s

, ,

n earing hi s home j u st as the storm c a me d own H e .

declared that h e s a w a buil ding sai ling th rough th e

ai r ; and not only that but it was o n re making a , ,

rather s tartlin g pyrot echni c di spla y as it passed across ,

th e lu ri d h eavens .

Rev D r D egnan from hi s home i n N e w Ri ch

. .
,

mond watch e d th e app r o achin g clouds H e says

, .

I t seemed t o m e that th e b i g funnel S hap ed cl oud -

w a s strugglin g with t h e terribl e northwest wi nd T he .

struggl e l asted but a minute or t w o Th e vort ex Of .

th e funnel sucked up all th e cl ouds that came near i t .

T hu s au gmented i n p ower with greate r rapidity ,

.

and with added terror in app earance and sou n d now ,

l eapin g al oft a nd again dartin g down to earth to

s n a t c h it s prey with resistl ess fu r
, y th e m onster c o n
t in u e d O n i ts w ay Groves o f trees were cau ght from
.

th e earth and hurl ed far o u t o n th e p rai ri e brid ges ,

 DARK SH ADO WS F ALL . 1 9

were carri ed away water was su ck e d up from lakes

,

an d millponds even t o th e d regs o f mud an d dwell .

ings barn s and granari es were l evel ed to th e ground

, .

lea v in g m en a n d b e st s alike exposed to th e drenching

a

rai n whi ch f o llow ed .

B esi des th e whol esal e d estru ction o f live stock

"

buil din gs wagon s a n d machi nery were brok en up and

, ,

most o f th e fragm ents carri ed away from t h e farms

al on g th e lin e O f th e O mah a Rail road track i t b ein g .

a coin cide n t fa ct that that rail road run s in a n orth

easterly direction for several mil es and that th e storm .

travel ed for some distance parall el with it .

T h e L acey D organ B eeb e A rthur Spencer R o b

. . , ,

i nson H u rd Toal O de tt an d oth er farm s were su c

, , ,

c e s s iv e ly vi sited by th e twi stin g cl oud th e p eopl e .

ru shin g t o th ei r cella rs o r n o t h avin g su fci ent warn

,

in g were overtaken and inj u red o r kill ed A t th e .

Garrett L acey farm all th e buildin gs were swept away

so cl ean that th ere w a s n o t enou gh stu ff l eft to build

a re wi th . T h e A rthu r Sp en cer and th e P at D o r
gan pl aces fared th e same A t th e S S B eeb e farm . . .

th e dwellin g h ou se alon e was l eft minu s roof win , ,

dows and doors I n xin g i t up a gam i t had to be

.

n ewly plastered lik e s o many oth er buil dings that

,

were l eft standin g in p art th e Ol d plaster all comi ng

,

off fro m t h e twi sting an d subse q u ent wettin g At .

th e H erbert Robinson H i ram T oal an d N apol eon,

O de t t places th e d a maged dwellin g h ouses al on e were

left barn s and granari es were destroyed I n B oard
, .

man al so th e small gri st mil l was unroofed and

th e en gin e house torn away T h e d epot o f the.
20 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

O mah a R a il road wa s enti rely d e stroy ed A t the .

B u rrowes plac e alth ough th e buildings were left

,

standing in a damaged condi ti on th e mons ter reached ,

out a cl utching han d and gath ered up a grove of fruit

trees to scatter al ong its ro u te Th e Granvill e H u rd .

homestead wa s th e scene of a terribl e experi en ce A .

youn g man by th e nam e of N e it ge had driven from

N e w Ri chmond with a young woman hi s intended ,

brid e Th ey came into th e yard at ab out th e sam e time

.

with M r W Wears wh o was accompani ed by a son

. .
.

and a dau ghter M r Wears fre q u entl y passed th e

. .

h ouse H e n oti ced that th e cellar bulkh ead was open

.
.

and al so th e win d o ws O f th e h ouse and thou gh t i t a .

littl e stran ge a s M rs H u rd an aged l ady wa s always

, .
, ,

very parti cular to cl ose everythin g up wh en a storm

wa s comin g Th e trees obscured th e vi ew so that sh e
.

ha d not noti ced th e cl ouds Sh e came out and ask ed .

all into th e h ouse B essi e Wears went i n wi th h er

.

and sat d own in th e sittin g room Th e boy n ot . .

wi shi n g to go i n without h i s fath er remain ed with

.
.

him Whil e h e unhitch ed th e h o rses from th e wagon

an d put th em in th e barn with out removing th ei r har
n ess Then M r Wears and hi s son had j u st tim e to
. .

j ump into th e cellar wh en everything was l evel ed to

th e ground A rock wei ghin g seventy v e pounds
.

bounded from th e cellar wall past M r Wea rs cutting . .

of f hi s trousers l eg b el o w th e kn ee and not tou chin g

him H e di d n ot n oti ce at th e tim e that hi s b o y wa s
.

cut u pon hi s h ead S eein g him al ive h e hasten ed

.

o u t to look after th e oth ers Wh en j umping for .

t
h e cellar M r Wear s had shouted to M r N e it ge :
. .
 DA R K S H ADO W S FALL . 21

You had better get i n som ewhere B ut M r .

.

N e it ge had repli ed : I guess we l l b e al l ri ght

h ere a n d remained se ated i n th e buggy very near

,

th e h ouse M r Wears on coming up from th e cell ar

. .
, ,

s a w th e youn g woman u nhurt bu t cryin g that M r ,

.

N e it ge had di sapp eared Th ere wa s nothin g to b e

.

seen of th e h orse or bu ggy M r N e it ge wa s di s . .

covered und er a pil e of d ebri s dead Th e young ,

.

woman related that h e had j u mpe d from th e bu ggy ,

and h el d ou t hi s a rm s t o assi st h er in ali gh tin g A t .

that very i n stant a sti ck was th rust through hi s h ead

from th e ba ck protrudin g at th e mouth They f ell
,
.

to th e ground togeth er and w ere pu sh ed al on g with ,

a ma ss of sti cks and oth er thin gs from whi ch sh e had ,

extri cat ed h erself M r Wears coul d see nothin g of. .

hi s dau ghter no r M rs H u rd i n th e ruin s of th e h ouse

-

. ,

and was stil l maki n g a dazed search for th em wh en

n ei ghbo rs Th e aged l ady th e youn g gi rl ,

j u st enterin g w omanhood and th e y o un g man look ,

in g forward t o hi s weddin g day had all been call ed to

th ei r la st accoun t U ndi scriminating i n its rage the
.
,

cl ou d swept on M r Wear s h orses were found d ead
. .

about forty rods to the southea st o n e having a colla r ,

only l eft 0 11 and th e oth er bare of harness It is .

th ou gh t th e h orses m ust have b een carri ed in a ci rcl e ,

a s th ey were wrapp ed aroun d with t el egraph wi res

from th e lin e to th e north .

M r Wm M c Sh a n e a resid ent of N e w Ri chmond

. .
, ,

wa s drivin g toward home wh en h e saw th e storm com

in g up H e was a ccompani ed by on e of hi s da u gh
.

*S eeB B .w a nt
u rro s

cco u .
22 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

ters an d hast en ed t o t h e T oal p la c e fo r sh elter

,
.

Reachin g th ere h e drove th e h orse and bug gy into

o n e of th e barns and h e a n d h is daughter went into
,

th e hou se M rs T oal an d her daughter an d M iss

.

D oty a seamstress were th ere I n a fe w moments

, ,
.

M i ss T oal looked o u t a t t h e storm an d retu rnin g

spok e q u 1e tly t o M r M c Sh a n e n o t wi shing to al arm .
.

her moth er n eedl essly and a sked hi m to look out ,

and see what h e th ou ght about th e approaching cl oud .

Stepping o u t upon th e p orch th ey s a w a gran d but -

awful spectacl e This was about th e instant that the

.

wind lad en cl oud from th e northwest ru sh ed into th e

-

whi rling funnel T h ere w a s a confused m ountain O f

.

cl ou d tumbli ng viol ently within itsel f droppi ng to th e .

groun d and li fting a gai n with a churnin g motion .

Realizin g that th ey woul d i n all p robability be directly

i n i ts cours e th ey rush ed to th e cellar T h e ladi es
,
.

supposin g that M r T o a l was o u t o n th e road coming

.

from B ass L ake M r M c Sh a n e went upstairs agai n

,
.
,

and look ed o u t at th e doo r H e noti ced th en t hat .

t h e clou d ha d th e funnel shap e ; at l east that h e -

coul d see that th e clou d bore somewhat th e shap e

o f a funn el which had th e previou s mom ent been
,

obscured by th e intervenin g mass of clou d n ow

forming a part Of it T h e base o r tail w a s n o w el on
.

gated an d S l ender and furiously lashing th e ground

,
.

I t was probably at about thi s mome n t that M rs R G . . .

Wears w hil e busi ed with th e preparati on s fo r supper

, ,

noti ced th e early darknes s an d th e roarin g o f th e t o r ~

nado still som e l ittl e di stance away from h er place .

Sh e called her littl e s o n and sai d D i ckey I wi sh ,
:

,
2
4 A M O DER N H E R CULAN E U M .

S o compl etely w ere these cov ered with a mass of

broken timber that i t was usel ess to try to un cover
th em I t wa s a foregone conclu si on that th e h orse
.

wa s dead .T he team and wagon whi ch M r T oal had .

l eft standin g i n th e yard were found about forty rod s

away across th e rai lroad tra c k th e h orses stripped
, ,

o f harness and separated from th e wagon bu t still ,

al ive A large tree fell u pon th e h ouse from th e south

. ,

bre akin g t h e roof .

M i ss D oty had b een a t w o rk upon a black silk

'

dress but on a c count of th e darkn ess had drawn near

,

th e window and still b eing unabl e to see to s e w went

,

t o th e kitch en for an iron to do som e p ressing S ee .

in g th er e wa s n o re sh e sai d to M rs Toal th at sh e
,
.

had thou ght sh e would do som e pressing to pu t i n ,

h er time b efore supp er M rs Toal repli ed to her

. . ,

sayin g sh e had not buil t th e re for preparin g supp er ,

as sh e feared th ere was a storm c oming up and she ,

didn t like to be about th e stove wh en th ere was light

ning M iss D oty w ent back to her work and decided

.
,

that sh e mi ght do som e cutting out but j ust th en ,

M i ss T oal cam e i n an d sai d al l must go to th e cellar .

M i ss D oty l ooked at her watch sh e says and found

, ,

th e tim e t o be ve minutes to six .

Whil e i n th e cellar M i ss D oty tri ed to c o m fort

li ttl e D ot M c Sh a n e by sayin g : Y o u can see out

th rou gh th e cellar window th at there i s n o wind .

Th ere seem s to b e nothin g sti rrin g M r M c Sh a n e

. .

remarked : We shall see som ething sti rring pretty
quick . Then i n ab out a hal f a minut e M i ss D oty
noti ced that th e trees were b ent to th e ground and
 D AR K S H A DO WS F ALL . 25

twi sti ng about T here was a shower of something

.

w e t and sharp and sh e th rew h er ap ron over her

,

head thinking it wa s hail T h en a big crash cam e

, .

as some thin g hit th e dinin g room door overh ead and ,

threw i t across th e room i n a h eap with tabl e and ,

chai rs whi ch were h eard movin g across th e oor

, .

Sh e took h er ap ron from her h ead an d s aw that th e ,

sh o w er whi ch sh e h ad tak en for hail w a s a shower o f

di rt an d m u d Sh e di stin ctly rememb ers th e rst
.

crash th en all oth er soun d s were l ost in th e gen eral

,

noi se Th ey a fterwards watch ed th e clou d rollin g

.
,

lik e a cart wh eel across th e p rai ri e
, .

A h ost of di fculti es confronted all wh o wi sh ed to

get from thi s l ocality to N e w Ri chmond I t w a s soon .

evid ent th at mu ch damage had b een don e C omin g .

up from th e cell ar lookin g about to see that all were

,

th ere an d takin g a hasty inventory o f th e ruins i n

,
.

sight were mutual exp eri en ces of th e many but j u st

, ,

a s i mportant t o each individu al as though his were

th e only case .

When th e storm wa s app roa ching ten h ead o f

h orses on th e B u rrows plac e had b een seen goin g

t oward th e barnyard After i t had passed M r M c . .

Shane o n hi s way to get a h orse and ri g to come hom e

,

with s aw th e s o l e survivor of th e t en limpi n g toward

,

h om e on th ree l egs the fou rt h on e brok en and dan

,

gl in g Th e oth ers were found i n a h eap several rod s

.

away i n a small ravin e eith er dead o r dyi n g A mong

, ,
.

th em was a h orse b el ongin g to John M errih ew who ,

worked hal f th e nigh t tryin g t o get him out o f th e

barb ed wire whi c h was wrapped around him Finally .
26 A M OD E RN H E R CULAN E U M .

the horse had t o be killed because so badly in

j u red Secu rin g a cart and th e Ol d family carriage
.

horse from M rs B urrows wh o b egged him n ot to

.
,

kill t h e horse in his a nxi et y fa t h er and daughter s et

,

o u t i n th e pou rin g rain and h eavy wind t o l earn the

fat e of th e fami ly at h om e Th e rai n an d win d bad

.
,

as th ey were h eld only a secondary place in mind but

, ,

th e ann oyan ce of b eing repeatedly forced from th e

road an d h ors e and bu ggy becomin g mixed up with
-

wi re and fall en trees served th e pu rpose o f obl igin g

considerati on of present di fculti es T h e H urd pla ce .

lay besi de th e way raz ed to th e ground and th e nu

, ,
-

m e ro u s trees i n th e yard twist ed and brok en i n fan

t a s t ic shap es whil e a cross t h e el d to th e south east
,

coul d oth er broken trees b e seen marking th e path of

destru cti on N ear G lo v e rda le all looked undi s
.

t u rb e d . P erhap s N e w Ri chmon d had escap ed ! B ut

ascendin g th e hil l east of th e Ru ssell pla ce brough t ,

th e res t o vi ew Furth er along was th e place wh ere

.

th e Taft buil din gs h ad stood N o w th ere was n oth.

ing on eith er sid e o f th e road an d a gen eral atness ,

w a s about th e only impression mad e by th e landscape .

I s i t to b e won dered that thi s man was overtaken mo

m e n t a rily by a sensation similar to that w hi ch he
mi ght have experi enced at b ein g swun g o u t over a
chasm with only th e sky a b o v e a n d d eep darkn ess
,
'

be eath H e had o n e littl e dau ghter by hi s side

n ?
,

but a tumul t Of un certai n conj ectures arose

wi thin hi m as to th e fate O f th e remainder of hi s
family There seemed small h op e O f th eir b ein g u n
.

hu rt H e s a w some m en hatl ess and coatl ess run

.
, ,
 DARK S H AD O W S F ALL . 27

ning toward th e center o f town as if fo r dear life

, .

A nxi ou s to l earn something denite i f po s sibl e h e

. ,

shouted H o w i s it with N ew Ri chmond again an d
,
?

ag a i n ; but th e m en ran on n ot an swerin g a word

, .

T hei r actions seemed so extravagant an d th e su r ,

roundin gs so wei rd that a st ran gely excited feelin g

,

t o ok possessi on O f M r M c Sh an e as h e pi cked hi s way

.

alon g streets that mornin g s o familiar n o w so o b

, ,

s c u re d an d disordered .A n d as h e met or fell i n with

oth er m en h e foun d that thi s feelin g had taken pos
session o f all S ome app eared almost b esi d e th em
.

selves ; p erhap s n o t with fear of anythi n g to come ,

but with h o rror at what had tran spi red A n swers .

were irrel evant and unsati sfa ctory as all were stu dy
,

i ng up o n th e wh ereabouts of t h ei r o w n family or
fri ends.
28 M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

C H APT E R I I .

ON E B E AU T I F U L ,
AW F U L S U M M E R D AY .

Oh b e a u t if ul awf u l s u mm r da y !
, e

Wha t ha s t t h o u g iv e n wha t t a k e n awa y ? ,

L if e and d a t h an d l V and ha t e ,
e O e

H o m s mad happ y o d e s l a te
e e r o ,

H e a ts m a d s a d r g a y
r e o .

Lo n
gfe llow .

A nd I l o o k e d and b h l d a wh i l w ind
, e o r a a
g re t
l
c ou d and a
, re inf l d in g it s l f
o e .

H a ec ub id ic t a c avu m c o nv s a c u s p id m o n t e m
,
er e .

I m p u lit i l a t u s ;
n v e n t i lu t g m i e fa c t o
ac ve a n

I na da t a p e t a u u n t t t e a s t u b in e p u a t
o ,
r e rr r er n .

O n th e day whi ch brought its downfall N e w Ri ch

mond wa s a place of pretty h omes prosperou s busi ,

n ess and happy p eopl e Situated o n both sid es o f

,
.

t h e pi ctures q u e Will ow river at th e j un cti on o f th e

Wi sconsi n C entral an d n orthwestern bran ch of
th e O mah a Rail road su rrounded by an undulatin g .

prai ri e country dotted with fruitful far m s t h e pla c e

. .

 ON E BE AU T I F UL A WF UL S U MM E R
, ,
DAY . 29

wa s n oti ceably attractive Reposing among its .

groves of o a k mapl e an d e lm wh e n the rising su n

, ,

gilded its roofs an d steep les and brought out i ri des

cent sparkles upon th e d ewy grass i t looked th e pi c ,

ture of an i deal western city T hough still some .

w h a t i n emb ry o it was rapi dly takin g o n metro politan

imp rov ements an d m ann ers N o dou bt many coun .

try bo y s and girl s too soon awaken ed from th eir,

mornin g nap to begin th e labor o f th e day thought ,

th ey woul d wil lin gly l eave th e fragrance of cl over and

growin g grain with its accompanyi ng toil and u n
,

certainty and try th e nei ghborlin ess and rest whi ch

,

th e c lu stering chimn eys of t h e town n o t spouting ,

smoke too early se emed t o indi cate P erhaps th ey

,
.

looked forward with impati en ce to th e drive a n d good

time th ere l ong set down on th e day s p rogram N o
,

.

d o ubt th e drowsy passengers o n th e morning trains ,

rai sin g th e windows and spyi ng th e n eat outskirts

and th e hi gh an d l evel site made th e mental i f not , ,

au dibl e com ment Thi s is on e o f th e pretti est places
, ,

alon g th e lin e a n d th eir inclinations w ere to l eave

,

th e c lose atmosph ere of th e car and stroll al ong the

pl easant shady Streets B eautiful trees lled with
,
.
,

an unu sual number o f n es ting bi rds gently waved ,

th eir foliage banners a s if waving a wel come t o coun,

try fri en ds wh o were e xp ected that day C l ean lawns .

and yards wel l k ept te s tied t o th e recent spring clean

in g in th e doin g Of whi ch every h o useholder ha d ex
,

h ib it ed a commen dabl e spirit o f rival ry i n trying t o

out do hi s n ei ghbor Stately row s o f painted pol es
-
.

supp orted th e wi res whi ch b rou gh t t h e water power -

3 0 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

gen erat ed el ectri c current from Somerset ei ght miles .

a w a y t o set th e w ater w orks pump hummin g at th e

.

c it v station and th e N e w Ri chmond Roll er M il l s to

,

gr i ndin g it s famou s our B u sin ess hou ses opening. .

up fo r th e da y w ore an air o f p ro s p e rit v and exp ect

.

an c y for th e b ri sk trade in vi e w M il k and bakers .

carts w ent o n th ei r earl y round s and mark et m en .

and grocers d elivered an u nu sual numb er o f suppli es .

T h e hou sekeep ers l o o ki n g w ell t o th e w ays o f th ei r

househ ol d s had sent i n earl y t el eph one orders t o

"

suppl y th e Sunday d epl eted refri gerators T his w a s

.

M onda y t o o an d according t o th e custom o f N e w

. .

En gland from w h ence man y o f u s came it w a s w ash

. ,

da y . M a ds asti r w hil e th e bi rds w ere still singin g

.

th ei r mornin g songs had mad e g reat progress o n th e

.

'

da y s labor S n o w v lin en spread t o dry lith e and

. .

graceful w orkers ba re arms and blo w in g tresses are

. .

themes t o d eli ght th e arti st an d t ru e art l over but .

t o o often unnoti ced b ecause commonplac e ! D O n Ot

th e fre q u entl y repeated th e eve ry day scenes o fh ome

. .

li fe mak e th e sweetest recoll ection s o f after years ?

T h e gath ering t ogeth er o f fri end s in some favorite

nook of th e ol d h omestead t o read some fascinatin g
sto r y t o sin g or to froli c furnish es a fun d o fre m in is
.
, .

cences w h en ever w e retu rn th ere S ome familiar ar .

t ic le o f furnitu re w ill recall scores of good times and

start man y pl easant sto ri es .

A S w ell settl ed and p eaceful a s a n y place Of it s

siz e w a s N e w R ic lnn On d it s inhabitants numb erin g ,

a
bout twent y h y e h undred w ere composed largel y o f .

peopl e removed hither from eastern states o f all na ,

3 2 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

th e several chur c h es and th e white haired sunny faced -

pri est t oil ed for th e salvati on o f soul s more m indful ,

o f th e sin s o f omi ssi on than commi ssi on among thi s

p eopl e som ewhat tol erant of th ei r o w n shortcomi n gs

, ,

as often happ en s wh ere th ere are fe w really great mat

t ers t o a rou se to acti on T h e lad y o f l ei su re woul d
.

sometimes retail gossi p th ou gh th e faith ful fe w di d

,

w hat ever th e hand s foun d t o d o .

S ocial di sti ncti on s a s t o wealth or lin eage were n ot

s o cl osely drawn a s to interfere with gen eral good

comrad eship Th e w orl d l ook ed ros y an d th ere we re

.
,

n o forebo di n g s o f di sast er
-

T h ou gh th e place w a s
.

not i n all respects ph enomenal i t wa s i n truth fa ir an d .

dear to many Th e country el ds stret ch n ear and

. .

wal ks and drives k eep town peopl e in tou ch with th e

country fol k wh ose simpl er and th erefore more per
. .

fe c t i deal s o f li fe an d livin g a re refreshin g and re n

.

in g .

Th e y oun g th e O ld th e grave an d th e gav were

. ,

alike gla d o f th e return o f summer after th e some .

what tedi ou s w int er an d sprin g an d aware h o w .

q ui ckl y i t w oul d pass were plannin g h ow t o make

th e m ost of it O nly Th ursda y l ast th e chil dren were
.

re lea sed from sch ool Fond parent s li stened with a p

.

proval t o th e creditabl e exerci ses of graduati on and ,

were proud of th e sons and dau ghters wh o were fast

makin g i nto resp ectabl e h elpful citizen s A l read y
,
.

h untin g shin g an d campin g w ere tal ked o f for

,
.

h ow ever pl easant th e h ome may b e th ere i s an el e ,

m ent o f th e savage i n us still an d pathl ess woo d and .

prai rie an d th e mu si c of th e far o ff stream attract us

,
-
 ON E B E AU T I F UL A W F UL S U M M ER
, D AY .
33

when th e summ er days come an d nature unfol ds h er

beauty T hose who were not c ounted in with th e
.

outing parti es w ere busily putting th ei r heads to .

geth er to mak e thin gs a s liv e ly as p ossibl e at home .

L ik e most places of its siz e t his p ossessed a share of

well t o do and so me W
,

- -

,
h o were t ermed wealthy but ,

of th e very p oor w e may say non e at al l sin ce th e ,

produ ctiven ess Of th e surroundi n g country places th e

p ri ce Of food produ cts Wit hin th e reach of all wh o are
abl e t o work an d cases o f d estituti on i n th e matter of

fu el an d cl othin g have always been sp eedily provid ed

fo r. M ost of th e p eopl e th en w ere n either ri ch n or . ,

p oor bein g upon that middl e an d most comfortabl e

,

round i n th e ladder of fortun e whi ch enabl ed th em to

l ook with social tol erati on up on th ose wh o occupi ed
t h e places lately va cat ed by th emselves and t o cast ,

an u nenvyin g glance upward toward those who a l

ways han g with p recari ou s an d wo rri som e footing t o
th e topmost rounds .

We can imagine thes e citizens on thi s pl easant ,

summ er morni n g complacently l ookin g forward to

,

th e w ork of th e day an d sitti n g d own to thei r whol e

,

some break fasts with th eir famili es abou t th em feel .

ing wel l establi sh ed i n bu s in es s an d very well sati sed

with th e w orl d A nd O f cou rse basin g all plans fo r
.
, ,

th e futu re upon th e past each was n o doubt countin g ,

hi s o w n parti cular basket of eggs wi th hopeful s p e c u

lati on T hei r famili es t o o th e prid e o f e v ery well
.
, .

balanced man entered largely i nt o thei r thoughts

,
.

T h e b ri gh t son s wh o w ere to mak e places fo r th em

sel v es in th e wo rl d and were perhaps givin g e v i dence
,
34 A M O D E RN H E R CULAN E U M .

of ability th at w o ul d soon attra ct attenti on of peopl e

-

Outsi d e of th e family ; th e lovely daughters taking on ,

th e graces of womanhood and ch eerin g li fe s pathway ,

with h elpful han ds and gentle ministrati ons ; the

younger children p la v fu l and inexperi enced in hard
,

ships an d d eli ghti n g with th eir pranks ; and th e ten

,

der i nfa nts wh ose ki sses soft a s rose l ea v es sooth th e

, , .

care full day all c laimed a sha re o f th e parent s

-

th ou ghts a s h e l ook ed for w

,

ard t o th e futu re P er .

h aps to o a d ea r o ld grandparent who had a warm

, , ,

corn er and li al l ove fo r hi s portion i n declinin g years ,

was appeal ed to for th e W ord of wi sdom drawn fro m

experi ence Each member o ft h e h o u s e h o ld hi s like s
'

.
.

and dislikes hi s p eculiariti es hi s cap rices hi s h obbies

, , , ,

even h owever u ninteresting to th e rest must all re

, ,

c e iv e c o n s ide ra t l o n m th e management of th e home .

F o r only by th e c o Op e ra t io n of i ndivi dual s i s th e great

scien ce of h om e making brought to p erfecti on Each
-
.

went forth t o hi s daily task al l unsu spectin g of th e

tragi c happ enings whi ch a fe w h ours would b ring .

Rej oi ci ng i n th e ch eerful promises o f t h e mornin g in ,

th e en cou ragin g c ompanion ship o f friend s a n d dea r -

ones each bade t h e oth e r good d a y wi th n o caus e
"
"

, ,

fo r appreh ension t o ma r th e outl ook D ay by day .

fo r n ea ly hal f a c e n t u ry th e lines of life had run out

'

as smoothly as coul d be ex p e c t e d in thi s j ostling, '

hu stlin g world and n othin g ha d s u ggested th e prob

,

ability of a hopel ess ta ngl e T h e d iversit y o f duty .

and pl easure With only su ch misha ps as a re th e com

,

m o n l ot o f mortal s had ma rk ed t h e passin g years,

.

A n d in l ookin g b a c k it s eem s that th e happy mo

'
36 A M OD ER N H ER CULAN E U M .

lightnin g drove p eopl e indoors ; T hi s shower wa s

foll owed by a fall of hail that cam e down rath er slu g ,

g is h ly than oth erwi se Th en after a S hort cal m the

.

gath ering darkness th rew a shad e Of gloom o v er th e

city T hi s w a s about th e time wh en m en were di
.

re c t in g their step s toward h ome an d th e evenin g

meal Many p eopl e were on th e streets and all al ong
.
,

by th e sid ewalks were h orses and vehi cl es that woul d

soon be s t a rt m g h ome C lou ds were seen to roll to
.

geth er i n th e southwest and after th e maneuvers that ,

have b een d escribed th e f u nn el shap ed mass of black
n ess took up its d eadly l in e of march a cross th e prai
ri es bearin g d own wi th steady aim upon N e w Ri ch
,

mond an d portendin g as certain overth row as di d

.

th e rain of re and brimst on e to th e an ci ent citi es of

the plain T h ere were scenes of wil d confusi o n and
.

t error P eopl e ran through th e streets eein g to

.
,

places of shelter S ome shouted \V e are doom ed !
.

A cyclone i s comin g ! Flee t o your cellars ! Th e

funn el shaped cl ou d w a s movin g at greater linear

-

vel ocity than at any pre v iou s m oment and ragged .

arms dark and h orribl e i n th ei r gyrations rea ch ed

. .

do w n from eith er si de With a noi se as dreadful as

.

i f all th e caves of FE O lu s bel ch ed forth conte ndi ng

winds steadily grindin g twi stin g t u rn in g h u rlin g
.
, . . _
.

howl in g i t moved u pon th e ill fated city Th e farm

,
-

dwellin gs j ust outsi d e upon th e D ou g la s Ri ed pla ce

. .

were taken u p an d brou ght t o our v ery doors T h e .

buildings o n th e J R H enderson place w ere twi sted

. .

about and o n e ti pped partl y over th e hill M r C ul . .

 ON E B E A U T I F U L A W F UL
, SU MMER DAY .
37

len who li v ed there was in the yard h oldi ng t o a

, ,

tree an d th e bri cks from th e chi m ney cam e down on

,

him through th e bran ch es having b een th rown south ,

ward ; and a h erd of seventeen ne bred H ol stein

cattl e prop erty of M S B ell whi ch had been seen
,
. .
,

but a sh ort tim e previ ously contentedly grazin g

in the pasture were hurl ed eig h ty rods to the south
eastward an d piled i n a dea d h eap B y th e strong .

u pward draft th e pretty home O f M rs D ayton was .

carri ed u p i nt o the ai r di fferent person s s a w it

, ,

a nd then ed fo r th eir lives M oth ers gath ered .

th ei r littl e ones togeth er with a prayer for th eir de

,

l iverance ; fri ends were l ocked in each oth er s em

brace ; nurses an d compani on s sh owed d evoti on to

th ei r di sabled on es ev en u nto death ; men s ou ght to
,

shi el d th e weak er on es b ut were utterly powerl ess

,

an d puny i n th e face of su ch fu ry A few som e of .

,

th em wom en had th e presen ce o f min d to run to

,

ward the west T h e noise in creased and th e darkness

.

became d eeper and denser O n e after anoth er each .

buil din g w a s wren ch ed and twi sted lifted from its ,

foundati on cru sh ed an d scattered by a resi stless and

,

venomou s force T h e roar w a s s o d eafenin g that to

.

on e directly un der th e vortex into whose c apaci ou s ,

m a w a mi ghty stream of ai r and obj ects rush ed ,

th e cra ckin g and crashi n g O f buildin gs th e bangin g ,

o ftin roofs th e fal ling th ud o fmasonry and the b o m

, ,

b a rdm e n t o f th e earth with timbers trees iron m a . ,

s

chinery an d every movabl e Obj ect were not distin ,

g uis h a b le but were l ost i n th e greater roar o f th e

,
38 A M O D E R N H E RC U LAN E U M .

el ements I t i s stat ed by som e wh o witnessed th e

.
-

destru ction from a safe di stance th at to t h e m th e a d

,

dit io n a l noi se wh en th e ci ty w a s going down Wa s

audibl e and w a s like rapi d detonations o f thunder or
, ,

th e crackin g of many ri es in battl e h eard i n th e ,

mi dst O f th e d eeper constant roarin g

, .

T hese were mom ents fraugh t with rapi d vivi d ,

an d fri ghtful experi en ce m oment s that can com e

but seldom i n th e lives of m en an d women an d l et rea

s o n remai n Th e brevity o f th e ti me al on e was its
.

savin g feature N O mind would b ear su ch strai n for

.

a l ong peri od an d remain Secure in th e p ossession of

its facul ti es .

A gloomy bla ckn ess of cl ou d swep t over us mi n

gled with i n stant ashes o f li ght A chillin g da m
,

. p
n ess stru ck u s ; showers of sand an d debri s fell about
u s ; many received th eir death bl ow ; many felt th e
grinding of their bones th e crushing o f th eir esh
, ,

an d th e great wei ght o f fragments b eams trees or , ,

animal s hurled up on th em ; som e fel t th eir dear on es

snatched from th eir embra ce by th e howling d emon
i n hi s mad dance o f death ; some felt th e hand or
ch eek Of th e l oved o n e b ecome col d again st th eir o w n .

T h en the din passed o n and a fe w moments o fsil enc e

,

ensu ed as intense as that whi ch brood s over the

,
u n

inhabited prai ries A weird un canny li ght green and

.
, ,

hideou s 1 t seemed t o u s fel l upon a scene o f desola

, ,

tion P eopl e crouchin g in cellars from whi ch th e

.

buildings had b een lifted and carried away s lo w lv

awakened t o th e fact that th ey still lived D azed and .

 ON E BE A U TI F UL , A WF U L S U M M E R DA Y .

39

bewil dered th ey gaz ed upon the confused h eap s o f

,

ruins n ot u nd erstandin g th e sudd en tran s ition fro m

,

a happy comfortabl e day to thi s night of sorro w and

,

inde s cri babl e horror O n to th e northeast swept th e

.

death d ealin g clou d takin g up volumes o f water

-

from th e mill pond and scatte rin g fragments o f o u r

homes far int o th e adj oinin g country A fte r th e .

space o f deathl y sil en ce foll owing th e deafeni ng noi se

o f th e tornado peopl e awok e from th eir st u p or and ,

those that were abl e climbed o u t of the cellars and

places o f refu ge thei r faces blacken ed an d hai r eyes
, ,

and clothin g ll ed with slimy mud and many st ream ,

ing with bl ood They lo o k e d a b o u t th em and saw

.
'

th ei r homes an d places o f bu siness a mass o f spli n

t e re d ruin s ; acres o f ground on ce occupi ed b y busi
n ess and resi dence bl ocks n o w presented a confusi on

of timbers trees b roken m achin ery and d ead an d

, ,

dying a m m a ls F o r th e wi dth o f ab out half a mil e

.
,

extendin g th e greatest l ength o f th e city n o t a build ,

in g was l eft stan din g VVO O d ston e iron and bri ck

.
, ,

h a d all been served th e sam e no form o f building ,

mate rial appearing t o have any p o wer o f resi stan ce

whatever M ai n street had been lined with s u b s t a n
.

tial bri ck b ui ldin gs o f whi ch n o t o n e remained a n d

, ,

frame buil din gs were taken up and oated o ff like

castl es of straw th en dash ed to th e ground carrying
'

, .

with th em al l th e i nmates wh o were above th e sills

and l eavi n g oth ers stunned and wounded in th e cel
lars A ll arti cl es of hou sehol d goods were broken
.

up o r swept away and th e fragments ung into a

,

lthy and chaoti c mixtu re T he iron brid ge o n th e .

4 0 A M OD E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

mai n street spannin g Wi llow ri v er had b een t ossed

'

, ,

in a broken an d twisted h eap o n th e bank to th e

south east l eavin g n o connecti on between th e north
,

an d south portion of town except th e railroad ,

bri dges Sti ll furth er on more t o th e east w ard th e

.
. .

M eth odi st chu rch was un g a cross th e street i n a

n orthwesterl y di recti on : th e city p ower st ation ,

above whi ch were th e council and re m e n s room s

and th e city library was crumbl ed t o t h e ground

.

oor th e wat er t ower carri ed o ff and rows o f p retty

, ,

cotta ges o n N o rth A rch and N orth Green streets

t w i sted both north east an d northwest and south by
.

crossin g whi rl s an d th ei r di si ntegrated p or tions with

, ,

hun dred s o f feet of l umber from th e mi ll yard w ere

dropp ed i nto th e river o r st rewn o v er th e elds for
mil es .T h e clou d crossed th e stream wid e spread -

like a great black wall a s seen from th e rear

,
.
 TH E R O LL CALL .
4 1

C H APT E R I I I .

TH E RO L L C A L L .

Ha kr t o th e hu r rie d qu n f d pa i
e s t io o es r

Wh e re is m y c h il d ?

E h c n w s
o a s er . V hV
e r e ?
-

B yr on
h n ig h t i n ig h
.

A b id e w it h m w h
e e s

F or w it h o u t T h ee I da ret die no .

K e ble .

Th e rst thought o f everyon e was naturally fo r , ,

th e m embers Of hi s o w n famil y A re we all h ere ? .

was th e rst eager q uesti on an d happy indeed w as ,

th e h ou seh ol der wh o coul d l ook fo r an answer in

th e faces O f th ose m ost d ear to hi m and coul d feel ,

th e warm gr a sp of th ei r hands A p rayer of thanks .

gi vin g see med t o ri se sp ontan eou sly to th e lips wh en

any w ere di scovered alive i n th e midst of su ch d e
vastati on Everyth ing else s a ve human li fe seemed
.

at that tim e paltry an d worthl ess P eopl e hurried to .

a n d fro askin g : H ave you seen my s o n H ave
?

you seen my dau ghter ? D o yo u know where

fath er i s ? O r o n e from th e bu siness street hastened

toward h om e aski n g o f th ose h e met : I s my h ome
42 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

? D O you know anythi ng about my wi fe or

gon e

?
moth er but rarely receiving coh erent answer Who .

can say h o w many too sought for th e on e not yet , ,

hi s o w n with th e q u esti on h e longed to ask fading

,

upon his li ps wh en h e learn ed th e horribl e fate of hi s

b el oved P al e an d silent with th e heart full of bit
.
,

t er sorrow th ese sou ght and gri eved through th e ex

,

citin g h ou r
I t was soon realiz ed that th ere must b e scores
perhap s hund reds o f p e o ple/b u rie d und er th ose
,

ragged h eaps that w ere but a fe w moment s ago dwell

i n gs and bu sin ess places th ronged with l i ght h earte d

.

p eopl e o u t for a h oli day Slowl y an d for th e most .

,

pa rt sil ently a fe w crawl ed o u t to th e surfa ce S om e

. ,
.

were in si gh t wh o were unabl e to extri cate th em

s elves ; many we re cov ered so d eeply that th ey could
n o t se e o u t coul d n ot h ear n o r mak e th emsel v es
,

h eard T o thos e th us i mpri son ed and yet retai ni ng

.

c onsci ousness su fci ent to realiz e th e situation the

experi en ce was o n e that will never b e forgotten ; and
b esi des bodily i nj uri es th e e ffects of th e n ervou s .

strain o f th ose sl owly passin g moments o r h ours wil l

n ever b e e ffaced Fi res brok e o u t i n se v eral places
.

amon g th e rui ns almost at th e moment th e buil di ngs

fell cau sing a th ri ll o f fri ght and terror wh en w e
,

th ough t Of th e livin g treasures buri ed there T he .

smell o f smoke an d th e sound o f crackling flames

d rawing n earer add ed th e last extrem e o f ex q ui site
t orture t o th e mind s o f those pini oned and su fferin g
vi ctims A fe w by e fforts al most sup erhuman suc
.
, ,
44 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

buri ed and dyin g could be seen in th e pil es of rock

,

and timb ers over th e W S Williams basement . . In .

th e B ank o f N e w Ri chmond buil din g were found M r .

Wm H u gh es ci ty cl erk cau ght i n th e stairway and

. . . .

th ough b ru 1s e d and bl eedin g th ought n o t of him self , ,

but o f hi s littl e s o n \Villi e w h o had been snatch ed .

from hi s prot ectin g arm s b y th e resi stl ess force M r . .

H awkins and s o n were al so i n thi s bui ldin g : and M r .

M c Co y cashi er was soon dragged out from th e rear

, ,

o f th e B ixby store M r H agan an d oth er inmat es o f

. .

hi s buildin g were soon discovered Thi s buil ding had .

been a large fram e contai nin g an entertainment hall

.

in th e rear and stores and sh op s in th e front T h e oor .

was l eft but partiti on s and c o li t e n t s went O ff with th e

,

roof M r A rth u r T h ompson wh o had worked at

. .
.

o n e o f t h e sh op s cam e o u t serenely even hi s hai r

, ,

ni cely part ed and lin en a s imma cul ate a s i f h e had

j u st stepped out O f th e prove rbial band box H e .

h ad gon e to th e ba sement in good sea son B ut M r . .

H agan and hi s s o n had l in gered t o o l on g observin g

th e cl oud and di d n ot escap e th e yi n g ma ss o f tim
,

bers i n th ei r tardy i ght b el ow M r H agan recei v ed . .

painful brui ses .

I n th e D e n n e e n M c C a rt y and A lliance stores

,

th ere ha d been a numb er o f p eopl e M r M c C a rt y . .

and hi s s o n had been almost ba f ed in th ei r e fforts t o

op en th e cellar d oor s o strong was th e d raught that
,

had al ready set in wh en th e y tri ed to go down T h ey .

felt as i f th ey w ere doom ed but nall y go t d o w n .

,

w al ked th rou gh th e cellar and o u t th e hatch w ay .

T he storm had passed l eveling th e building t o th e

,
 THE R O LL CALL .
45

ground M r A D en n e e n had dodged under his

. . .

counter and wh en th e store was d emoli sh ed wa s hit

in su ch a Wa y that h e was b ent doubl e until th e
wei ght s coul d b e li fted from him H i s brui ses were .

o n th e head an d ba ck .

W S Wi lliams and hi s wi fe wh o had taken ref

. .
.
,

u ge in th e basement of th ei r doubl e stone store made ,

th ei r w a y out with great di fculty ov er th e pil es of

rock an d b ri ck and went t o th e ruin s o f D r Epl ey s
,
.

O fce H ere th ey foun d th ei r dau ght er wh o had ,

b e en saved with th e doctor s fami ly i n th e cellar u n

der th e d ini ng room that pa rt of th e hou se not going

-

d own T h ey were glad t o n d that Mi ss Williams

.

had not attempted t o reach h ome as sh e woul d no

,
.

doubt have b een cau ght o n th e way B ut thinking .

o f th e cl erks and others wh om th ey knew to b e i n th e

basement with th em th ey were greatly di stressed at

,

th e small n umb er seen sti rrin g M r and M rs Will . . .

iams and M i ss S cott ha d stood a gainst th e south wall .

M r Williams h a d not th ought it n ecessary to go to

. .

th e basement at rst as h e sai d th e buil din g was a

,

ver y stron g o n e and woul d withstand a good deal O f

,

a storm but yi el d ed to th e u rgent requ est o f M i ss

.

S cott that h e seek safety b el ow M r William s li mbs . .

being partially paralyzed M rs Williams and M i ss . .

S cott assi st ed him .

T h e bl ocks of dwel lin gs i n th e southwest part o f

town were al l gone except on th e extreme west B e .

ginnin g with th e bu sin ess places wh ere i t w a s sup ,

posed th e greatest number o f peopl e were search ,

4 6 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

was immediately made whil e th e fri end s of di fferent ,

famili es were searchi ng the ruined dwellings T h e .

Farmers H ot el O mah a D ep ot M erchants H otel

. ,

.

A T obin s impl ement stor e and th e Rosebrook resi

.

~

den c e o n th e south o f th e W S William s corner

. .
.

were all l evel ed as w ell a s ab out fty bu sin ess buil d

.

in gs on th e n orth as far as th e river Th e q u esti ons .

arose at on ce : H o w many inmat es di d th ese buil d
in gs contain ? Wh ere are th ey n ow I t was esti
mated that th ere must have b een a th ousand p eopl e in
th ese buil dings an d al ong th e street lyi n g b etween
th em and i t wa s feared that many had b een swept into
.

th e river I t was soon ascertai n ed that M r T obin and

. .

hi s cl erk s had l eft th e store and had run toward th e

east th e cl erks to th e barn on th e Wm Stout place
, . .

M i ss M i n ni e D oty bookkeep er Cl osed h er books and

, ,

p ut th em in th e safe M r T obin s aw houses yin g up . . ,

?
an d cal l ed : Mi nni e come ! A ren t yo u coming

M i ss D oty cl osed th e door o f th e safe an d turned th e

combination th en ran with M r T obin t o D r Epl e y s

. .
.

pl ace dia gonally a cross th e street goin g into th e

. ,

cellar wi th th e family M r Tobin ran to th e north . .

sid e o f th e h ou se and l et himsel f down i nto an o ld

ci stern h ol din g o n t o th e pipe proj ecti n g a foot o r
,

tw o inwards until th e darkn ess cl eared away M r . .

T obin had not known previ ously o f th e exi stence o f

this ci st ern but as soon a s h e s a w it decid ed at once
,

th at it woul d suit hi s pu rpose T here was no time t o .

deli berate an d h e kn ew it from previ ous experi ence

,

i n Kan sas but h e says h e fel t as i f h e coul dn t go in

,

 TH E R O LL CALL .

47

si d e of a h ou se H angin g here b etween th e confusion

.

of th e el ements above an d water beneath h e tri ed t o ,

look up and see what was passi ng but i t was im po s ,

si bl e to see anythi ng Th e ai r was sim ply whirling .

,

sti ing darkn ess .

T here were a number under th e Farmers H otel

on e d ead and several se ri ou sly hurt O ne lady re .

la t e s h o w sh e was m th e dinin g room wh en Su ddenl y

t h e C hairs a n d tabl es e w at h er and covered her i n

su ch a w a y th at sh e was n o t m u c h h urt alth ou gh u n .

able to get o u t Th e chai rs ha d c l u stered aroun d h er

.

'

and p re ve n t e d o t h e r thin gs from hitti ng her T his .

lady s h u sband was j ust outsid e wh en th e storm

s tru ck bu t was foun d two bl ock s away

,
.

T h e R o s e b ro o k s resid en ce h ad been throw n t o

th e north or northwest M r R o s e b ro o k s w a s found . .

d ead an d M rs R o s eb rOO k s n early so M iss es Jose

,
. .

phi ne a n d C o ra w ere inj ured th e latt er fatally bein g , ,

fou nd lyi ng o n th e terrace t oward th e north h ead

. ,

dow nward .

O f a larg e ol d fashioned hou se occupi ed by th e

,

L e wi s family , n othin g re main ed but th e cellar stairs .

Sitti ng i n t h e yard o n a brok en tree n ear th e li feless

'

, ,

form O f h er littl e broth er was M i nni e th e onl y , ,

da ughter h e r a rm han gin g limp a t h er sid e M rs

,
r

. .

L ewi s was li terally pinn ed down by th e b roken e n d o f

a ti mber M r L ewi s had been th row n into th e ruins of
. .

th e H agan buil din g T h e cellarway of the L ewis

.

h ou se wa s a trap door and seldom u sed Mi nni e sai d

-

,
.

that several thin gs had to be m o v e d o ff th e door and '

,
4 8 A M O D E R N H E R CULA N E U M .

then th ey coul d not Op en it som ethin g seemed t o

h ol d it down A part of th em start ed to go out
.

doors and into th e cellar by th e hat chway on th e

north sid e o f th e h ouse N on e of th em su cceeded .
,

h o wever Th e H agan buildi n g in th e ruin s of whi ch

.
.

M r L ewi s wa s found w a s n orth O f thi s h ou se M r

. . . .

L ewi s bla cksmith sh op havin g stood b etween H e

.

had apparently b een bl own th ro u gh or with th e sh op .

H e w as i n a bad condition with hi s h ead cut and .

brui ses all over hi s body .

M r H i cks w a s o n e of th e rst on es seen an d th e

.
,

word was q ui ckly passed that h e w a s fatally inj ured .

M r O J Wi lliams and M r C onstan ce comin g out

. . . . .

at th e ba ck end of th e O J Willia m s store removed . .

.

him from th e p ositi on in whi ch h e had been thro wn *

.

O n seein g M r H i cks M r Fink was greatl y o v ercom e

. . .

ex claimin g O h my poor n ei gh bor ! an d staggered
. .

a s i f h e had been stru ck M r Fink s dau ghters I da . .

.

and A gn es had been W , ith him i n th e store an d had .

gon e to th e basem ent wi th him Th ey mu st have .

remain ed th e re several minut es as it w a s rainin g .

wh en th ey came ou t and th e second wind w a s fan

ning u p th e res M i ss I da says h er fath er spok e i n
.

German A l thou gh a l on g resi d en ce in thi s country

.

had ren dered th e u se of E n gli sh habitual to him h e ,

n o w li fted up hi s voice t o th e God o f hi s Fath erl and

in many expression s o f d espai r Seein g M r H i cks . . .

o n e of th e youn g ladi es cri ed excitedl y : Wh o i s

it ? Wh o i s i t ? Feebly h e repli ed H i cks Mr , .

S e a c co u n t o f M
*
e C o n s t an c e r
. .
50 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

store n othin g coul d be seen A mon g th ese was M r .

.

John P atton o n e o f th e propri etors The M c N a lly

, .

b rothers who had occupi ed room s i n th e secon d

,

story as a la w O fce were seen lyin g in th e street to ,

ward th e n orth covered with bri ck ex cepti ng h ead

, ,
-

an d sh oulders M r E J T hompson emerged from

. . . .

bi ll owy h eaps o f ruin s a solitary gure a gainst th e ,

sky hi s h ead ill umi ned by th e stran ge l i gh t that fol

,

l owed th e passage o f th e cl ou d remindin g on e o f th e ,

pi ctu res o f th e tran slati on o f Enoch portrayed in

H oly Writ I ndeed h e sai d th at i t seemed t o him
.
.

a s i f h e had b een t ranslated to anoth er world s o im ,

possibl e di d it s e e m t h a t thi s coul d be th e sam e street

'

that h e beh el d j ust before h e had pl unged under his

counter T o th e M c N allys wh o coul d see no oth er
.
,

movabl e obj ect s from wh ere th ey lay h e appeared like ,

a ri sin g savior c o m in g t o th ei r deliveran ce .

A cross th e street amon g th e bri cks from h er t w o ,

story store w a s M rs B ell e A ldri ch an d n ear by wa s

,
.
,

Mr H H Smith o f th e rm o f Smith
. . .
,
O aks w h o .

h ad a law o f ce i n th e upp er story T h ey were sat .

u ra t e d wit h k erosene from a bu rsted tank an d th e ,

l eapin g ames thrust red tongu es m enacin gly toward

th em whil e th ey stru ggl ed t o get away M rs A l . .

dric h with h eroi c determi nati on tri ed to extri cate

, ,

h ersel f tearin g o ff sl eeves and skirts whi ch coul d not

,

be pull ed free M en came and h elp ed h er o ut L i ke

. .

P erseph on e returnin g from H ad es sh e ed t o h er .

fri ends away from that h orribl e pl ace M r Smith . .

*
w a s unabl e t o get out but soon recei v ed assi stance ,
.

*
S e e a o u n t f H H S m it h
cc o . . .
 TH E R O LL CALL .

51

A t th e north end o f M ain street abo v e th e shred s .

o f th e N i c o ll et h ou se an d above all th e surrounding ,

rubbi sh standi ng on a h eavy board that proj ected

,
-

diagonal ly into space stood littl e A li ce M c Kin n o n . ,

dau ghter o f th e proprietor A fe w traveling men .

and oth ers w h o were in th e basement came up and

, ,

s poke t o th e wond ering chil d Where i s papa ? .

Where i s mamma ? T h ey are in there s h e sai d . .

pointin g down D own i n a h ol e .

M r E A Glover hol di ng hi s littl e son b y th e

. . .
,
.

hand mi ght h ave b een seen comin g al on g the oor

,

of hi s store unhurt and t h a n k fu l

,
z
M rs B ro c k b a n k
,
.
><
.

an d her three children M r B i gel ow a photograph er ,

.
, ,

M r M artin a barber M r L egard a tail or an d many

.
, ,
.
, ,

oth ers coul d not b e seen T h ey mu st all b e in th ere

, .

s o mewhere Th e rui n s o fth e p o s t o f c e di d n ot S ho w

.

M r W T L ambdin Where was h e

. . .
? Wh ere were
.

th e dozens o f oth ers wh o must have b een at thei r

pla ces ? Wh ere was U ncl e Wi ll iam B ixby wh ose

,

gu re ha d l ong been fa m ili ar to o u r streets ? Wh ere

were M i ss L ambdi n an d M i ss B utl er whose fri ends ,

were anxi ously seeking th em ? Sh o u ld we ever see

th em again ?

S everal occupants O f th e Gi ll en building were

found d ead or dyin g a n d after some search a porti on,

o f th e youn gest child of M rs Sh e a dy O h what . . .

h orrors to relate i n black and white ! M rs Sh ea dy .

wa s kill ed with h er th ree chil dren ; but i n j u st such way

cam e su ch exp eri en ces t o moth ers w h o were wil d ,

=
S a c u n t f E A Gl v
ee c o o . . o er .
52 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

eyed and t earl ess and seemin gly bereft O ffeel ing O n e
, .

of th e children was picked u p and carried to the

chu rch where S h e was afterward s f ound by an un cl e
, .

Sh e could no t op en h er eyes an d mad e but feebl e re

,

spou se t o i n q uiri es and soon expired H er littl e body

. .

coul d n ot withstand th e rou gh treatment it had re

c e iv e d from th e tornado . T h e Gill en family lived u p

stai rs in a brick buildin g and M rs Sh e a dyan d chil
,
.

dren were vi siting there ;

It woul d take l on g t o enumerate all w h o were th e
subj ects o f anxious i n q uiry O n all th e streets
.
,

through out thei r l en gth and breadth m any sought ,

for those n earest t o them i n kin or fri endship T h e .

instances related are but typ es o f a vari ed numb e r .

A fe w m oments after th e darkn ess C l eared away a

threatenin g wind cl ou d roll ed up from th e northwest ,

cau sin g a small pani c and anoth er i ght to cellars

among th e t error stri cken peopl e T h ey cri ed I ts
.

comin g back . Sti cks an d fragment s were bl own
about an d p eopl e were tak en o ff t h ei r feet T hi s
, .

wind brought w ith it th e h eavi est downpou r o f rain

that has ever v i sited thi s secti on o f country O nly for .

a fe w m oment s di d th e wret ch ed peopl e d esi st from

their wanderin gs T h ere w a s work fo r th em t o d o
.
,

and th ey stoi cally smoth ered th eir o w n feelings o r ,

perhaps th ey di d n ot thi nk o fthem an d k ept at work

, .

T hou gh fo r an h ou r and a q uarter th e rain never

ceased an d th e w i nd bl e w a gal e th ere w a s th e same
.

search and earnest in q ui ry i n th e resi dence porti on .

A s o n e after anoth er reports came i n it w a s pro v ed ,

 TH E R O LL CALL .

53

that pal e death with e qual strides had spared neither

th e h omes o f wealth nor th e humbl e roofs o f the
poor N O partial hand had cull ed th e ch eri sh ed [ o res
.

and pen a tes whi ch every hou sehol d contains e n ,

d eared by a thou sand memori es o f sentiment an d

l ov e B u t th e loss o f hom e received at th e tim e littl e
.

consideration compared with th e greater q u estions o f

life an d d eath M en were l ookin g u p th e memb ers o f
.

th eir family and gettin g track o f those wh o had been

th ei r n ei ghbors Wom en w ere l o oking fo r h usbands
.

and children scarcely aware o f thei r surroundi ngs s o

, ,

i ntent were th eir mind s u pon th e o n e most important

t o th em H ow s my b oy
.
m y

boy ? T ell m e of
him and n o oth er
, .

T h e t em p eratu re had fal l en s e v eral de g rees and .

peo pl e wh o had been thinly clad because of th e h eat

Of th e aft e rnoon becam e C hill ed through ; th e rain

came down as i f th e oo d gates o f th e h eavens were
Op ened yet women were seen to kn e el in th e streets
, ,

i n a sea O f mud and o ffer thanks to A lmi ghty G o d

,

wh en a m emb er of th ei r family wa s found Sti ll th e .

res bu rn ed and crept al on g from h eap to h eap ever ,

ndin g somethin g t o feed on underneath an d send ,

in g u p bri ght torch es o f ame s as if to furni sh li ght to

th e workers an d castin g un canny shadows whi ch as
, , ,

th ey moved with th e i ckerin g of th e ames ma de ,

o n e fancy that th ere Were S pirit s hoveri n g about It .

seemed ind eed as i f a spell h un g over u s an d a s if ,

stran ge apparition s mi gh t appear to us from th e dark

and i rregular recesses w h ere n o w and then a si gn of
stru gglin g life was seen Fri ghtened children were .
54 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

cryin g and occasionall y some one b ecam e hysteri c al

, ,

an d ran wil dly about H ors es strugglin g from th eir .

entan gl ement s stood tremblin g and gl oomily waitin g,

t o be l ed away A n d a s th e awful l oss o f human life

.

was realiz ed th e sound of weepin g an d lamentation

,

was mingl ed with th e groan s an d p rayers o f th e dy

in g S eeking S h elter 0 11 th e l eeward sid e o f wrecked
.

buil din gs givin g su ch protecti on as th ey were a ble

,

t o the inj ured eagerly group s of th e surviving women

,

waited and li stened fo r n ews from oth er parts o f th e

city N O wond er th ey stared at ea c h oth er al mos t
.

insan ely an d were unabl e to S p eak their sorrow as

,

o n e aft er an oth er th e stori es were t ol d .

O f w ell known famili es i t seemed that t hat of

-

M r S N H awkin s su ffered m ost severely i n its sad

. . .

d epl etion T w o b eauti ful dau ghters a littl e s o n an d

.
,

thei r sweet and gentl e moth er w ere tak en i n a most

dreadful way ii anythin g coul d b e most dreadful

,

wh ere all w a s so bad T h e M c G ra t h an d Earl y .

famili es in th e southw estern and th e L egard and En g

S trom famil i es i n th e n orth eastern part had l ost sev

eral m emb ers each M r W S Gould w a s fatall y . . . .

inj ured an d th e aged moth er o f M rs Goul d could

, . .

n o t b e found M r P owell M r L anphear M rs

. .
, . . .

B ro c k b a n k and family M r T h oma s M artin ; M rs ,

. .

H awkin s Walter H awki ns L e s ter Wall en M i ss Kate

, , ,

M c Kin n o n A rchi e H ol l enbeck M r Goh ee n and M r

, ,
. .

P atri ck Ea rly coul d n o t be accounted fo r du ri ng the

rst ex citin g h ours N on e of th e Stack fam ily w ere .

spared oi
fath er m oth er a n d chil d n o t o n e w a s
, , ,
 THE R O LL CALL .

55

l eft to giv e a word of in formation I t w a s known .

that th ey had cel ebrated a wedding anniversary that

day an d that th eir fri en ds had brou g h t gifts t o them
,

with th ei r congratulations A las ! h o w n early do

.

pleasure and pain tou ch each other i n thi s world .

From life to death ; an d th en i f we beli eve th e div ine ,

tea chin gs w e may say from death t o life for w e mi ght

, ,

almost fan cy that th e we epi ng o f frien ds is h eard

min gl i n g with th e son gs o fth e red eemed on th e other
S hore ,so q ui ckly do th ey som etim es pass from one
si d e t o th e oth er To each according to hi s relations
.
,

with th e mi ssing cam e messages full of sadness and

,

un certainty Each wa s everyb ody s fri end an d there

.
,

was a ti e o f hon est unassumin g sympathy between

,

all T h ere was n o n eed o f sayin g i t b ecause it was

. .

read i n th e g lan ce in th e touch of th e han d that all

, ,

sorrowed with th e sorrowin g or rej oi ced with th ose

wh o rej oi ced i n d eliverance O h ! our h earts w ere .

h eavy and ou r h eads w e re c ra z e d before th e long

'

roll cal l was end ed and yet th ere w a s a deep feelin g

,

of thankfulness pervadin g th e sol emn atmosph ere

thankful n ess that any had escap ed P eopl e wh o had .

b een but casu a l a c q uai ntan ces n o w hail ed each oth er

with a q ui et pl easu re as o n e who meets a familiar
,

face i n a strange land and th e salutation I am glad

, ,

to see yo u a liv e b ecam e common P a ssi ng and re
,
.

passin g each oth er th e same q uesti ons were asked

,

over an d over again often m ore than on ce of th e

,

sam e indivi dual a s th e mind o f each search er seemed

,

so much ab sorb ed i n t h e o n e obj ect o f hi s o w n par

56 A M O DE R N H ER CULAN E U M .

soli citude that h e noted not e v e n th e di ffer

t ic u la r
ence in th e personal appea rance of others Each one .

w a s addressed as perhap s another S O ii rc e of inform a

ti on p erhap s one who could furni sh a forl orn h op e
,

to the search er . N o on e coul d comfort him self with

th e thou ght that hi s search woul d be reward ed when
he came to th e place wh ere S h elter woul d most nat
u ra lly h a v e been sought . These places too were , ,

gon e and all was blank uncertai n and confu sing

, ,
.
 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

th e bark wa s stripp ed from broken stumps l eaving ,

th em gray and ghostly an d bearin g gre at cl ods o f ,

earth th e roots Of many were upturned t o th e sky

,
.

T h e darkn ess w hi ch had obscured o u r vi sion m a y be

likened t o a curtain l et fa ll between t h e a cts o f life s '

fretful drama hi din g from u s forever the scenes Of

.

th e past Th en a n e w and puzzl in g envi ronment

.

unsu ggest ed by anythin g gon e before i s shifted to ,

o u r vi ew A l l th e perceptive faculti es seemed t o

.

ha v e b een l eft gropin g fo r a landmark It w a s im .

p ossibl e t o thin k O f l ocation s coh erentl y o r to ,

ima gin e w h ere th e i nhabitant s had b een thrown and ,

a s th ey sl owly appeared t h e y seemed unreal and

st range T h e eyes sought l ong fo r a familiar obj ect
. .

I n st ead o fhouses were meani ngl e ss mounds o frefuse .

no one distingui shabl e from anoth er : i nstead o f

st reets were stretch es o f ground co v ered d eeply with
pi eces o f everything animate an d inanimate whi ch
, .

once had b een a u seful part Of th e li fe a nd bel on gings

o f th e stri cken city : i nstead o fth e fri en ds w e kn ew so

w ell w ere wretchedly bedraggl ed w e t an d w ound ed

. .

refu gees w h om w e scarcel y recogni zed s o chan ged

. .

w ere th e y .

Supp ose A s h ouse t o b e di scover e d o n re We are

.

st artl ed b y th e alarm and w i th oth ers hasten to th e

.

place . see th e remen rushin g by with clang

and clamor and streams o f w ater soon shoot into
.

th e mid st o f th e am es P erhaps th ey do n o t su fce

.

t o s t a y th e w ork o f d estructi on N o w the p ul se run s

.

hi gh and th e excit ement Seems t o h a v e a toni c ih

 R E SC U E AN D RE LI E F .

59

uen ce that cau ses m en t o do and dare i n sa v ing life

an d property B ut wh en nothin g more can b e done
.
,

w e stan d an d watch th e progress o f th e re we .

even fall to di scu ssing l oss an d i n suran ce and before ,

th e fram e work totters fo r i ts nal sl ump by some ,

proces s known only t o crowds i n small pla ces the ,

nan cial condition o f th e family i s all gured o u t .

I t i s t o o bad in deed fo r a family t o l ose th e home

, ,
!

A n oth er may b e built wi th th e proceed s o f in surance

but it i s n ot th e o ld h om e endeared by i ts many littl e
,

treasures an d fri endly nooks part y t o past e x p e ri

,

en c es .

I n some su ch way w e condo le with th e burned -

o u t family B ut if not only A s but B s an d C s

.

h omes have b een burn ed th e matter b ecomes a more

,

seriou s o n e an d th e t hree homel ess famili es are th e

,

obj ect s o f mu ch sympathy and intere st S evere as .

su ch an o ccurren ce woul d b e t o a small comm u ni ty ,

i t woul d n o t b e so unu sual as t o i nterfere with the

natu ral play o fth e symp a thi es o r th e ordinary routin e
,

o fevery day a f
-

fairs outsid e of th e famili es i mmediately

con cern ed I f even on e i nmat e o f th ese h omes
.

burn ed h ad been overtaken and unabl e to escape ,

h o w saddened woul d all th e community h a v e been

and h o w k eenly would th e h orror o f su ch a taking o ff -

have been felt !

A hundred times multi pli ed thi s sad e v ent w ould .

n o t represent th e horror an d an g ui sh o f th e p eopl e o f

N e w Ri chmond at thi s awful tim e H ere were more .

than o n e hundred h omes d estroyed ; more than o n e

hundred peopl e snatch ed from li fe i n o n e dreadful
60 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

m oment ; two o r th ree times as many wounded ;

many in an utterly h el pl ess condition ; many dazed
and wanderin g ; many to b e extricat ed many whose
wh ereabouts were u nknown for ho urs B esi des this .
,

th e enti re bu siness porti on w a s l ai d at an unknown .

number of n on residents an d stran g ers en g ul fed in its

debri s and scarcely a h ou se l eft enti re outsid e th e vor

,

tex o fth e whi rl W h ere d estruction had b een compl ete

, .

Th e expressi on of faces seemed t o settl e i nto a sort of

s are a look o f inqui ry and yet of uncertainty a s of
t .

o n e searching fo r something which h e woul d hardly

know i f h e found i t T hen wh en th e cri es for h elp

.

arose each abl e b odi ed o n e foun d himsel f confronted

with su ch h ercul ean ta sks that th e situati on w a s a p

pallin g D urin g th e tumultuou s oncomin g O f th e
.

clou d th e i n stin ct o f sel f preservati on ha d been

-

arou sed When I say sel f preservati on I d o not

.
-

mean th e a n im a l sel f but th e hu m a n self whi ch i s in

, ,

compl ete without th e beloved ones O f th e family and

th e tru e h earted fri end Even th e stranger w ithin
-

th e gates i s part an d parcel of th e human sel f Wh en .

th ese many human se lves went ab out ou r streets that

ni ght th ey w ere not M r This or M r That or M rs
,
. .
, .

or M i ss Som eon e T h ey were S imply human selves

.
,

th rown i n touch with each other by a cru el destiny ,

actuated by a common impul se a n d a im in g at a com ,

mon obj ect to do whatever could b e d on e to seek

and save th e su fferin g .

L ord h el p u s ! was th e p rayer on every hand ,

and there was a d esp eration i n th e prayer ari sin g as ,

it di d from th e convi ction that th ere were not enou gh

 R ES C UE AN D RE LI E F . 61

peopl e alive to take care of th e dead and inj ured .

A nd not exp ecting that h elp would come as di d th e

h eavenly manna to th e I sraeliti sh chil dren i n th e w il
d erness o f Sin or as did th e water from H o re b s rock
,

by a special mi racl e each felt a great task p erson

.

ally allott ed to him for an i ndenite l ength of t im e .

I t w a s n ot known what th e fate of H u dson had b een ,

th ough it seem ed q uit e probabl e that sh e had not

been spare d an d j ust what had b een th e case i t was
,

i mpossibl e to a scertai n S om e hop e was inspired by

.

th e consi derati on o f th e reports that th e cloud s had

met n ea r B oardman and th e supposition th erefore
,

gain ed groun d at rst that H u dson had escap ed .

T hen thi s was contradi cted and it was reported that

,

H udson wa s certainly all gon e a s someon e wh o had ,

watch ed th e storm from its beginnin g w as sure that ,

wh en h e rst s a w it it had j u st l eft H u dson and

, ,

it was a murd erou s looki ng thi ng H e had probably .

rst seen it after i t had ski rted th e hill s south o f H u d

son . A t a ny rate th ere seem ed no doubt b ut
,

that th e additional reinforcem ents that stru ck i n

near B oa rdman had greatly accel erated and in creased
th e furiou s d emon strati on fo r th e b enet o f N e w
Ri chmon d I t was th ought that Star P rai ri e and
.

Jewett Mill s were su fciently asi d e from th e north

east lin e to be secure T hi s coul d easily b e deter
.

mi ned as th e distan ce was not great A ll tel eph oni c

, .

and tel egraphi c communi cati on had b een cut o ff b e

tween thi s and surroundin g places so n othing could ,

b e learned denit ely in regard to th e extent Of dam

age fo r several h ours .
62 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

I t must n o t b e imagined that th e survivin g peopl e

w ere t o o badly dazed t o be abl e t o work for alth ough .

th e minds o f many w ere fo r a t i m e confused th ey ,

seemed t o b e very littl e con sci ou s o f th e body unl ess

it had su stain ed some di sablin g i nj ury A great .

many went t o work at on ce i n a sort o f m echani cal ,

e v en t rance like way using th e mu scl es t o an almost

-

.
,

in credibl e extent and endurin g as th e hours went o n

.

far beyon d a ccu stomed endu ran ce B ut so ab sol ut e .

an d general w a s th e bl ottin g o u t o f ever y c o n v e n

ie n c e and o f every plac e where th ey coul d b e o b
,

t a in e d an d n o t only that bu t o fso man y o fth e peopl e

,
,

w h o woul d un der ordinary ci rcumstances h ave been

o n hand t o render assi stan ce that outsi de h elp w a s ,

a n ecessit y Th ere wa s abundant and urgent o pp o r

.

t u n it y fo r every e ffort put forth by those al ready h ere ,

and fo r su ch systemati c assistance as afterward s

came .

M en went t o work immediat ely cl earing a w ay ,

d ebri s fo r some poor soul crying fo r assi stance o r

kno w n t o b e covered i n th e ruin s H al f crazed w ith .

pain som e kept callin g fo r h elp a n d impati ently

. .

urged o n th e workers ; but th e great er numb er onl y

call ed o u t occasi onally t o mak e known th ei r w h ere
,

abouts There was often mu ch di f culty in lo c a t

.

in g th e vi ctims o n account o f th e d epth o f th e mass

,

of bri ck ston e broken plaster l umber etc and sev

, , , ,
.
,

eral di fferent pla ces w oul d b e dug into th us l osing ,

time in th e search perhap s givin g additi onal pai n

,

t o th e impri son ed ones B ut w ith such haste a s w a s

.

possibl e th e labor w en t o n A s fast as th e i nj ured

,
.
 RESCUE AN D RE LI E F .
63

coul d b e taken o u t th ey were placed o n doors shut ,

ters o r o th er improvi sed litters an d carri ed t o the

,
!
,

church es o r s choo lh ou se o r oth er place o f shel ter

, .

A s a rul e n o questi ons were asked o f hou seh olders

,

wh en carrying p eopl e in I t was taken fo r granted

.

that anyone w h o wa s fortunat e enou gh t o h ave a roof

over hi s h ead wa s willin g to share i t wi th l ess fo rt u
nate fellow beings I t i s quite probabl e that some
.

who were taken ou t di ed from exposure th e dark ,

ness an d general confu sion rend erin g it impossibl e

to secure m eans fo r making th em comfortabl e whil e ,

th e rai n poured rel entl essly up on thei r scantily clad -

bodi es N i ght settl ed down early into pitchy dark

.

n ess su ch a ni g ht o f wand erin g and searchin g o f

, ,

waitin g and watchin g !

T he el ectri c li ght plan t wa s demoli sh ed an d g reat ,

di fculty was experi en ced i n getting lanterns H eap s .

o f rubbish ll ed th e streets pitfall s an d dark hol es

,

gou ged i n th e earth imp eded progress Singly o r i n .

group s th e search ers groped th ei r way li ghted ,

m ostly by th e am es that eagerly devoured th e relics

o f o u r h omes ,
th e evi dences o f h uman life T he .

city water works plant was demoli shed hydrants and

,

pump s twi sted o ff and well s l l ed up N O o n e kn ew

,
.

wh ere t o l ook fo r pai l s and th e river banks were lined

,

with a p romi scuou s pil e o f d ebris making it di f cult ,

to get water th ere .

B ut everything avail abl e was q ui ckly put into

u se L in es o f m en pulled at th e ropes that rai sed some
.

h eavy timb er o r p ortion o f a wall and silhou etted , ,

agai nst th e sky th ey mad e an impressive pi cture

, ,
64 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

whi ch will l on g remain in ou r mi nd s as w e look back ,

in contemplation of th eir h eroi c work We s a w th e .

m en surgin g t o and fro keeping time to th e weird ,

refrai n O f H e a v o ! H ea v o ! throu gh th e desperate
- -

and solemn hours of th e nigh t and kn ew that under ,

n eath th at whi ch th ey were tryi n g to move th ere w a s

some one wh ose fri end s were waiting h opin g o r de ,

s p a irin g ; some on e wh ose fate woul d soon be known .

A s soon as relatives an d fri ends were l ocated as ,

far a s p ossibl e every man with but fe w excepti ons

, , ,

turned to th e general work of rescue H our after .

h our th ey toil ed eagerly d esperately wh ere th e res

, , ,

were bu rning th rowin g scrap s O f timb er bri ck or

, ,

ston e or scrapin g away wi th th e n gers th e pil es of

,

plast er and n er di rt C arefully carefully th ere ; .
, .

y o u know n ot what comes next ! To un earth su ch
sights and to witn ess th e gri ef of waitin g women
, ,

tri ed th e strongest h eart B ravery on el ds of battl e .

i s a matter of bu siness N erves an d muscl es are k eyed .

to th e p oint of tension n ecessary to mak e bl ood and

carnage th e obj ect d esired Win or di e ! i s th e .

watchwor d and p ersonal feelings are largely laid

,

asi de T h e W ives moth ers and sisters are not th ere

.
,

to wake th e tender sid e of man s nature B ut on thi s

.

sad ni ght women wild with appreh ension or hop el ess

, ,

gri ef roamed th e streets an d wait ed eagerly for those

, ,

multiform graves to give up their d ear ones M aim ed .

and mutilated forms scarcely recognizable were u n . ,

covered on e by on e S ome staggered t o th ei r feet .

,

only to fall a gain overcome by th e su fferin g of th e

,

body or by th e S h ock t o th e mi nd Some walked .

o u t l ooked arou nd a f
.
e w mom ents and although as , ,
 R E S CU E AN D RE LI E F .
65

woul d b e supposed n earl y all were w ounded an d

,

b rui sed i n several pl aces th ey woul d manage t o get

,

som ewh ere and with out h elp even i f th ey su ccumbed

, ,

t o th ei r pain a s soon as th ey reach ed a resting place .

Many were col d i n d eath and some by th e pitil ess re

,

were b ereft o f Cl oth in g an d p erha p s o f all sem

,

bl an ce o f th ei r former app earance H o w c a n we s a y .

wh at soul inhabited thi s p eri shabl e cl ay ? Th ere i s

p erh ap s a rin g a wat ch o r s om e trinket lyin g n ear
, ,
.

Thi s i s wi st full y exam i n ed in th e h op e o festabli shing

,

i dentity .
P erhap s i t i s n ot possibl e t o determ i n e .

Th ere were several su ch i nstan ces C i rcum stantial .

eviden ce s in som e cases w ere th e only ones .

What wond er t hat after th e strai n was in some d e

,

gree l essen ed m en an d b oys Wh o h ad worked steadil y

.

as l on g as stren g th hel d o u t fou g h t d esperately with

th e recoll ecti on o fever y ima ginabl e attitud e o fto rture
indelibly xed upon th e min d ! Wh at wonder that
th ey tossed o n sl eepl ess pill ows fo r many dreary
ni ght s !
O n e doctor h avin g ascertained that his o w n
,

family were uninj u red with ou t giving a singl e

,

th o u ght a s to what th ey sh oul d eat o r dri nk o r , .

wh erewith al th ey S h oul d b e cl oth ed o n th e morrow ,

deeming it su fci ent cau se fo r thank fulness that th ey

coul d all u se th eir feet an d th eir ton gu es l eft th e ruins ,

o f hi s buil din gs an d started out to s ee wh at h e could

do fo r oth ers D octors becom e accustomed t o har

.

'

rowin g si ghts tak en i ndividually B ut to see th e b e

, .

l oved city whi ch h ad b een th e obj ect of s o man y

h ours of labor s o many ambitiou s plans su ch earnest
, ,

h opes th e dearest pla ce on earth t o him razed t o
, ,

5
66 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

th e ground ; t o see th ose wh o h ad b een fellows and

compani on s in t h e u p s a n d downs of business of
' '

pl easure and o f fri end shi p fo r twenty years so sorely

,

needin g ai d whi ch coul d n o t b e p roperly rendered

and fo r Whi ch they woul d naturally l ook to him made ,

him h ear t si ck T o s ee th e bl eedi ng faces shattered

limb s and ragged wound s and to real i z e t h e im p o s s i ,

b ilit y of e ven g o ing t h ro u gh the form of th e duti es

'

whi ch Wo ul d d evolve u pon h i m was overwhel min g .

.

T h ere w a s n o t o n e dru g store of th e four of whi ch a

ti m ber o r b ri ck w a s l eft i n p lace an d o f as many d oc ,

t ors o fces n o t o n e remai n ed entire T wo w ere u t

.

t e rly demoli sh ed an d t w o thou gh l eft standing i n

, ,

part contain ed nothin g but dir t an d j umbl ed frag

,

ments T o n d even a cl ean b ed upon whi ch to place

.

o ne hal f th e i nj u red was not to b e exp ected

-

t o say ,

nothing of m edi cal and Surgi cal applian ces .

Togeth er with M r S S B eebe wh o was sayi n g . . .

, ,

M y poor B ertha i s b uri ed o v er th ere h e stopp ed to ,

h el p tak e a pi ece of sid ewal k o ff of M r P atri ck C all a .

han who had a compound fracture of th e l eft l eg and

,

th e right le g disl oca ted from th e hip and h el p to ,

carry h im t o a place of sh elter M r B eeb e di d not

. .

know at that tim e wh eth er O r n o t h is dau ghter was

alive but Sh e wa s afterward s found c o n siderably

, ,

brui sed i n th e ruins of P atton
, C arey s building .

C omi ng a second tim e t o a span o f h orses di s ,

embowel ed and struggling the docto r l ooked around ,

for some h eavy Obj ect with whi ch to put an e n d to

th ei r mi sery A s i f th rown th ere for th e purpose he
.

,

foun d a bla cksmith s sl edge with a n e w handl e u m , ,
 RESCUE AN D RE LI E F . 67

broken H e examined i t parti cularly t o make sure

.
,

that th e i nstrument was in good condition and ,

u sed it with th e d esi red result Goi n g th e l ength o f .

Main street th e doctor saw D H M i ni er standing u p . .

on th e ruin s o f M rs B ro c k b a n k s store H i s eyes

. .

l o o ked wild an d h e sh owed hi s i ntense excitement

, ,

but h e spok e sanely eno u gh wh en h e sai d M rs .

B ro ck b a nk and h er chil dren are i n h ere Get some .

on e to h el p di g th em out T h e doctor tri ed to get
.

me n
to g o th ere an d work spoke t o sev eral about
it but fel t th at hi s o w n work sh o ul d b e conn ed t o
.

doin g for th e wound ed ; and yet t h e th ou gh t o f this

poor family caused him t o ret urn th ere t o see th e
work un der way D emand s be g an to be mad e upon
.

him p r ofessi onally an d d ej ect ed at th e outl ook h e

.
. .

n o w l eft thi s street with th e i dea that h e woul d f o rm u

l ate so me plan for th e care o f th e wounded H e

' .

went toward hi s shattered o ffi ce ful l of th e one i dea ,

that a place mu st b e foun d t o put th e i nj ured under

c o v e r at l east
,
A s h e w ent alon g h e s a w a lap rob e
.
-

which seemed s o familia r in appearan ce that h e pi cked

it up dragged i t a littl e ways and th en d ropp ed it
, , ,

thinkin g : Why do I give any attention to a thing
li ke thi s ? T here i s no barn to put it in anyway ,
.

H e says that h e actu ally di d n o t noti ce for thirty six -

hou rs after thi s any other arti cl e lyin g about with a n y

de n it e n e s s O n e woul d suppose that o u t of t he a c
.

cumulations o f h ome barn and O fce wh ere h e had

, ,

dwel t continuou sly for t w o decad es t h ere woul d hav e .

app eared to him th e suggesti on of several familiar ar

.

t ic le s ; but hi s mind w a s absorbed wh olly with th e in

j ured and the di fculti es whi ch stood i n th e w a y of

,
68 A M O DE R N H E R CULAN E U M .

properly mini sterin g to th em Thi s th ought seemed .

to stand out and eclip se hi s vi ew as to al l el se .

Some m en cam e al on g carryin g on e wh om th ey

had pi cked up but were at a loss wh ere to pu t him
'

, .

What shall w e do with him d octor ? th ey asked , .

L ooking about h e noti ced that th e C ongregati onal

,

chu rch was still standin g Tak e th e inj ured to th e

C ongre g ati onal church h e said Will that b e all
,

?
ri ght th ey asked Yes said th e doctor
. You
. .

g e t in th ere som e w a y an d w e wi ll put th em th ere

. .

We mu st h ave som e place an d that seems to be th e ,

best we can do .

So th e C on g re g ati onal ch urch was tu rned into a

h ospital fo r a tim e Rev M r A dam s was on hand
. . .

from rst to last rendering every possibl e aid ; mov

,

i ng seats carrying p eopl e an d p reparin g a s comfort

, ,

abl e a restin g place as conveni en ces o r rather th e , , ,

l ack of them permitted A t rst some dead had been

,
.

brough t to th e C ongregati onal church so th ere were ,

inj u red lyin g al on g th e ai sl es u nti l th e seats were

taken up and j u st b esid e th em were dead or dyi ng
,
.

L ater th e d ead were removed into th e prayer roo m ,

and it was th e n th ou ght best to have other b odi es

recovered tak en to th e C ath o li c C h urch and kept ,

there to be i dentied an d prepared fo r burial though ,

n o set plan was exactly followed .

T h e C atholi c chu rc h was th e only on e o f th e ve

ch urch es on th e south side of th e river l eft entire .

T hi s was the rendezvous to whi ch many ocked for

shelter and h ere later th ere w er e th ron gs of peopl e
,

searching amon g that array of blackened an d di storted

form s tryin g often i n vain t o nd on e familiar fea
, , ,
 R E SCU E AN D RE LI E F .
69

tu re H ere Fath er D egna n wa s ever active and a lert

.

t o assi st and advi se and p erform th e sacred rites o f

,

hi s o fce
.

A s th e C ongregati onal C h urch l led up th e ,

sch oolh ou se wa s opened t o receive th e inj ured and ,

from thi s tim e th rou ghout th e enti re summer vaca

ti on thi s bui ldin g was i n u se rst as a hospital and , ,

a fterward s as a reli ef st o rehou se and di stributin g sta

L a m bdi n and M r M ert Frizz ell to H udson with in

. .
, ,

s t ru c t io n s to brin g doctors and medi cal suppli es an d

applian ces makin g a li st of most necessary arti cl es

, .

M e s sengers were al so sent to Stillwater T hen with

'
.

th e sol e o b j e c t in vi ew to stop th e bl eedin g of wounds

an d t o try to save li fe D r Epley m ad e a h ou se to
, .

h ouse tou r givin g attenti on only to severe and dan

,

ro u s inj uri es not takin g th e tim e to attend to those

g e ,

of a l ess seriou s natu re H e rummaged about i n th e

.

lthy chaos of hi s o fce and fou nd a gri p with a fe w

,

bandages i n it an Esmarch s tourniquet a pai r of sci s

,

sors an d a fe w anti septi c tabl ets T hi s was all that h e .

coul d nd T here wasn t a s t o re wh ere h e coul d get

.

f

cl oth for ban dages in li eu of hi s o w n asepti c o nes

, ,

whi ch were ruin ed o r covered u p H e felt that in .

,

th e course whi ch h e had marked Ou t for himself a l ,

though it mi ght n ot in all cases prove sati sfac tory t o

th e parti es vi sited hi s e fforts woul d b e produ ctive of
,

good to a greater numb er and h e adhered to it 10 , ,

catin g th e nature and d egree o fall i nj uri es di scovered ,

and makin g not e o f th e m with a vi ew to sendi ng a

su rgeon equal to su ch ca ses when he arrived T h e .
 7 0 A M ODERN H E R C U LA N E U NI .

oth er physi cian s of th e place D octors Knap p e .

Keon and VVa de w ere each w orkin g unti rin gly bu t

, ,

i t was impossibl e t o formulate any plans i n con cert .

T h e general di sj oi ntedness woul d i n evitably overtake

every e ffort unl ess a course once marked out w a s
,

stri ctly adhered t o H e mu st set a mark and aim at

.
.

i t steadily who wa s not distracted from hi s way that

,

night O h come with me d octor ! M y hu sban d
.
,
-

has hi s head and hi s back hurt O h do come ! .

,

Wh ere is h e ? O h we have hi m home n o w , .

H o w did h e get th e re ? O h h e mana ged to walk , ,

th ou gh I don t kn o w h o w h e ever di d it

Well .
,

you must try to do fo r hi m yoursel f until I can com e

o r send some o n e O h doctor ; Mi nni e wants you
.
,

to see h er arm I t i s broken and S h e i s crying for

.
,

y o u . T el l her I will come a s soon as I can Where .

i s Sh e A t B C B lancher s D octor w on t


? .
. .
,

you go to Justi n H i ck s ? Yes I will B ut before ,
.

h e can get th ere hi s l ong ti me fri end has passed away -

T h e sympathi es o fth e man a t ti mes al most get the u p

p er hand O f th e professi onalism of th e do ctor and h e ,

l on gs fo r a qui et spot where he can give vent to hi s

pent u p feelin gs B ut o n every hand t h e re is work
-

.
,

work ; and Of so many di fferent kinds although all ,

point to th e sam e desired obj ect rescu e and reli ef

-

D oes h e h ear a call by th e w a y : Won t you h elp

me n d my boy ? D oes h e see a man stoli dly toiling

in th e ruin s o fa h ome an d sayi ng : I have not found .

my child H e may be i n thi s pil e ?

. U n swerving
d elity t o hi s purpose prevents hi s tu rning a si de T h e .

h ands may not answer t o th e call although th e h eart s ,

impul s e i s to d o so .
7 2 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

and noted th e nature of ser iou s inj uri es an d th en ,

passed o n to oth ers .

A t th e hou se of Evan Kaye w ere a number of p eo

pl e o n e or two badly i nj ured A t M rs A ll en s and
,
. .

E A Glover s th ere were foun d n o esh wounds at

. .

that tim e th ou gh M r an d M rs D awl ey and others

,

. .

came i n afterwards A t William D ensmore s wa s .

P atri ck N ewell badly inj u red A t A W B osworth s

, . . .

wa s M r Gould who seemed to b e literally broken to

.
,

pieces but nally a fra ctu re o f th e skull an d of an

,

arm w ere d enitely lo c ated M rs Goul d wa s al so .

th ere hurt abou t th e h ea d M rs P atton with h er

, . .
,

child was there anxiou sly awaiting som e n ews of her

, ,

husband M any lon g hours passed before h e wa s u m~

.

covered from th e ruins .

Somewh ere o n hi s round s th e doctor was tak en i n

han d by M P M c N a lly wh o sai d : D o e I want
. .

, ,

you to go to VV a ls h e s t o see T om I t mad e n o dif

.

feren ce wh eth er t h e do ctor had oth er pl ans or not

j u st at that parti cula r ti me fo r D o c i s a small man ,

an d M i l es a large o n e with a stron g grip which , ,

h e used o n th e doctor s arm t o further hi s purpose

.

A rrivin g at M r Wa ls h e s a numb er of p eopl e w ere

.

seen lying ab out w ith di fferent d egrees of i nj uri es .

T homas M c N a lly sat o n a l oun ge his h ead dropped

.

o n hi s b reast an d covered wi th blood,

H i s fa ce wa s .

woun ded about th e nose and eyes H e had al so a .

severe woun d i n th e left breast Th e do c tor placed .

hi s ear a gainst th e man s chest and li sten ed to th e

h eart Th e conditi on s h e found th ere made him q uail

. .

H e coul d feel th e h eart b eat again st hi s face with noth

 RE S C UE AN D RE L I E F .
73

in g but th e skin b etween and h e could h ear at every .

b eat th e swashin g o f blood C allin g fo r a sh eet th e .

doctor made a wi d e bandage to support th e ch est ,

an d l eft word for thi s pati ent to have what h e wanted ,

as h e could n o t possi bly last l on g .

A t M rs B arrett s resid en ce were several badl y

.

i nj ured a H opkin s b o y and a man named S teven s

,

( inj ure d on th e h ead ) a man with a broken

,
ankl e ,

an d Joh n B arrett i n a seriou s condition M rs L ewi s

,
. .

l ay o n th e oor comatose a pi ece of t w o b y four im

, ,
- -

pal ed in h er ch est an d with a fractured skull from

, .

whi ch th e sub stan c e of th e brain ooz ed out

She .

soon passed away A t B C B lan ch er s lay thi s

. . .

woman s only dau ghter h er arm brok en crushed and

, ,

twi st ed and a Circu s man with a fra ctured skull H ere

,
.
,

as i n oth er pla ces th ere w ere min o r i nj uri es but note

, ,

was mad e o f th e worst only .

A t Thomas H u gh es and oth er places were women

prostrated by sh ock and at B F P owell s th e Rose

,
. .

brooks family exceptin g M r R o s e b ro o k s

,
M rs . . .

R o s e b ro o k s l ay in th e front ro o m sti ll feebly breath ,

i ng. M i ss Joseph in e wa s t ryin g t o bear h er o w n

bruises with out compl aint i n vi ew o f th e greater a f ,

ic t io n of h er si st er M i ss C ora ex pressed hersel f

.

thankful th at h er parents did n o t lin ge r t o su ffer as ,

S h e fel t sh e h ersel f mi ght do but bore h er m ortal in ,

j uri es with fortitu de .

A t W T La m b din s hou se th ere were a number

. .

of th e inj ured M r L ambdin h ad but lately been

. .

extri cated from th e ruins c onsiderably battered up ; ,

but n either h e n or hi s family th ought a s much of hi s

74 A M OD ER N H E R C U LAN E U M .

i nj uri es a s th ey woul d if th ei r mind s had been reli eved

O f th e wei gh t o f anxiety for th e bel oved el dest da u gh

ter . Where i s sh e ? O h wh ere i s Vinni e ? wa s
,

th eir agoniz ed cry

A t th e h ou se of Joh n H agan lay o ld M r Earl ey .

l ongin g an d pra yi n g t o be tak en out of hi s mi sery

an d at T imothy D onohu e s a numb er of peop l e

shocki n gly mutilated .O n e youn g woman had an

indescribabl e wound of th e s cal p and an arm broken,

many ti m es a n d t orn an d one ( a child ) had a com

,

p oun d fra cture o fth e l eg th e b on e s p rotrudin g

, .

A l l th e places m enti on ed an d several others were

,

vi sited by o n e doctor b efore th e H ud son contingent

a rrived .

I have d etail ed i n p art t h e wor k o f on e physi cian ,

simply for th e pu rp os e of givin g an i dea of what th ere

was to do I shoul d h ave b een pleased to have g iven
.

as exact i nformati on regardin g th e work O foth er phy

s ic ia n s that ni ght but h ave b een unabl e t o secure it
,

What I have stated was tol d me in fra gments by par

ti e s oth er than th e physi cian himself except in th e ,

cas e of M r Thomas M c N a lly I am happy t o state

. .

that M r M c N a lly mad e a marvelou s recovery

. .
 CO ME AN D H E LP US .

75

!
CH A P TE R v

COME AN D H EL P Us !

Am I no t man and a b ro t h er ?

A bou t fteen minutes after th e storm having got ,

o u t of th e Kaye d ru g store M r Walter B eebe says

,
.

that h e wa s asked i f hi s t e a m w a s all right H e sup

.
.

posed th ey were T h en fo r God s sake sai d hi s

.
. ,

qu esti one r go som ewh e re and tel egraph for h el p
,
.

Wh ere shall I go ? asked M r B eeb e A nywh ere
. .

wh ere you can t el egraph Wa s th e rej oind er S o M r

,
. .

B eeb e hitch ed u p hi s t eam and makin g hi s way over

,

fall en t rees and a mixture o f thin gs in the yard h e .

s a w that th e road l eadin g directly south appeared th e

freest from o b stru cti on and j ud ged from th e axi s o f

,

th e storm th at Robert s woul d be th e most readi ly a c

cessibl e of any o fth e n ei ghboring pla ces S o h e drove .

di rectly to th e tel e graph stati on at Roberts and from .

th ere sent o u t th e m essa ges whi ch rst i n formed th e

eastern part o f o u r state of what had tak en place a n d .

thu s via M a rs h e ld and St evens P oint th ey received

. ,

th e n ews whi ch le d t o sendin g th e rst reli ef train o n

th e Wi scon si n C entral Railroad .

76 A M O DE RN H E R CULAN E U M .

M essrs L ambdi n an d Frissel l rea ch ed H u dson

.

about ten o cl ock drivin g by w a y of B ass lake on a c

, ,

count O f th e L ewi s brid ge havin g been carri ed away .

Su ch a d rive as th ei rs woul d of itself mak e a thrilli ng

tal e Th ey braved di scomforts and dan gers the more
.

di str actin g b ecau se th e exact condition s could not b e

ascertain ed beforehan d Fal l en tre es wash outs s w o l
.
, ,

l en streams t orrents of rain hamperin g wind and

, ,

stygian darkness with every nerve strained to it s u t

,

t e rm o s t by th e h orror o f th e situation mad e a com ,

bination callin g for cou rage and d etermination B ut .

th ey were equal t o th e task an d wh en th ey drove u p ,

to th e si dewal k in front o f th e drug store wh ere D r .

Kin g wa s standin g ( h avin g return ed from Matteson s

pl ace but a short tim e b efore ) th ei r appearan ce a s , ,

th ey presented th emselve s to him pal e and trembli ng ,

with excitement and fati gu e showed plai nly that th e y ,

had fou ght a great battl e with Odd s that were agai nst
th em .

A bout thi s tim e al so arri ved M r Byron B u r

, ,
.

rows o f B oardman wh o had braved th e p eril s of th e

,

tri p alon e H e says : We were j u st ready to si t
.

d own to supper wh en my broth er l ooked o u t and

sai d : Ju st l ook at th ose cl oud s ! T hat s a c y cl on e

.

We watch ed it for a minute o r two and seein g tha t i t ,

was comin g strai ght fo r u s w e al l started for th e cel ,

lar I n about t wo o r th ree minutes from the ti me

.

we went i nto th e cellar th e storm ha d passed l eavin g ,

th e h ou se still stan ding though badly damaged ,

.

When we came out an d l ooked around we s a w that ,

Spen cer s pl ace j ust above u s wa s al l swept away

, , ,
 C O M E AND HE LP US .

77

and th ought o f course th ey were all hurt or kill ed

, , .

M y broth er and I ea ch took a h orse an d hurri ed up

th ere and foun d that th e family of six had m ira c u
,

lo u s ly escaped T h e H u rd place j ust abo v e Spe h

.
,

cer s had been d estroyed s o we rod e up there I

, , .

reach ed the re rst and a sked Wil liam Wears who , ,

was standi n g i n th e yard i f anyone wa s h urt there ,

and h e said M y G o d ! th ere s a man d ead under
:

that pil e o f stu ff an d my l ittl e gi rl i s gone I don t , .

kn ow wh ere I j ump ed o ff th e h orse an d l ook ed

.

under th e pil e o fwood an d trees an d s a w a man with ,

his h ead all ma sh ed and cut I started t o p u ll th e

wood O ff h im wh en l ookin g around I s aw M r

~
, , , .

Wears li ttl e boy standing th ere wi th hi s head cu t and

b l eedin g s o I sai d : ,I had b etter go t o N e w Ri ch
mond fo r a doctor -

S o I j ump ed o n th e ho rs e again .

,

an d start ed f o r N e w Ri chm o n d A bout this tim e i t .

commen ced to rain an d blow so h ard that I coul d

~

hardly si t on th e h orse s ba ck Wh en I go t to N e w
.

Ri c hmond I found th e city in ruin s T he rst p erson .

I s a w wa s M r T Rowe I asked him if any o f hi s . . .

p eopl e were h urt an d h e sai d : My wife li es th ere ,

d ead .
H e sai d I coul d b e of n o assi stan ce t o him so

.

I went to th e cellar o f M r P hillips as I s aw som e .

,

wo m en goin g in th at direction Wh en I got th ere l .

found t w o women an d a man th ere The man s h ea d

.

wa s hurt b ut not badly ,

and th e t w o women were ,

very m u ch fri ghten ed thou gh n o t hurt

. Th ey ,
.

wanted m e to tak e th em o u t o f th e cella r and into t h e .

h ouse . T hey didn t seem to know tha t th ei r house a s

,
78 A M DE O R N H E R CULAN E U M .

w ell a s all th e h ou ses around them had been d e ,

stroyed A s th ey were not hurt an d were i n a safe

.
,

plac e I got th em som e blankets an d th en w ent t o

, ,

see if I coul d h el p el sewhere .

I went to th e h om e o f A R Kibb e whi ch was . .
,

l eft standin g th ough i n bad shap e I wa s j ust goin g

,
.

away wh e n someon e com men ced calli ng for h elp from

th e cella r of M r C asey s h ouse whi ch had stood O p .

Ki bb e s T r th re e men n d m ys e lf ran

p o s it e . w o o a

o v e r th ere an d asked wh o it was and i f th ey wer e

, ,

h u rt Th ey sai d th ey were not h urt an d th ei r names

.
,

were M rs C ull en an d M rs C asey A coupl e of m en

. . .

sai d th ey woul d h elp t h em o u t of th e cellar an d for ,

th e rest of u s to go an d h elp oth ers wh o mi ght need

assi stan ce A youn g man by th e nam e of Early said
.

h e di dn t kn ow wh ere hi s moth er w a s but th ou ght

perhap s sh e was at th e h ome of Grant B oardman ,

which i s only a short di stance from Early s We

.

w ent to B oardman s a nd th e rst person I s a w was

my aunt M rs A W B rown Sh e sai d h er h usband

,
. . . .

had gon e down town j ust a fe w minu tes b efore th e

storm and had not com e back since Sh e wanted
,
.

m e to go and see if I c o ul d nd him so I started down ,

town ; When I got there a horribl e si ght met my

eyes M en women an d children were th ere Some
.
,
.

were l ookin g for fri end s who might b e hu rt ; oth ers

wer e carryin g th ose wh o were hurt and not abl e to
walk t o pla ces o fsafety H orses were lyin g all about .
,

many h orribly mangl ed D r Epl ey was d oin g all . .

h e coul d for th ose wh o were hurt .

80 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

wh ere I had l eft my ow n h orse got on his back and , ,

started fo r B oardman as fast as th e h ors e coul d go .

Wh en I got there I f o un d that th e d epot had been

d estroyed by th e cyclon e I got anoth er horse as .
,

mi ne was compl etely pl ayed out and started for B urk ~

,

hardt about seven mil es from B oardman A bout

, .

t w o mil es bel ow B oardman th e road was ob stru cted

by fall en trees an d wi res but by j umpin g th e h ors e
,

over some an d l eading h im aroun d o th ers of th e trees

an d wi res I go t t o th e L ew i s b rid g e only to n d that
'

th e cycl one had swept i t away I ti ed th e h orse . ,

crawl ed o u t on a tree th at h ad fall en over into th e

river g o t h ol d of o n e of th e span s o f th e b rid g e an d
,
,

crossed han d over hand t o th e oth er si d e I th en

, ,
.

ran to th e L ewi s h ou se t o se e if I coul d get a horse ,

th ere ; but th ei r h orses had b een hu rt so I coul d get ,

non e Th ey sai d M rs H e ffron was th ere dead Sh e

. .
,
.

was th e c ycl on e s rst vi ctim and w a s kill ed at h er

h om e a sh ort di stance from L ewi s I ran to Tobin s
.
,

about a hal f mil e from L ewi s wh ere I found S cott

,

Tobin with a h orse hitch ed up I tol d him I want ed

, .

to g e t t o B ur k ha rdt a s qui ck as po ssibl e and h e ,

sai d h e woul d take m e .

Wh en w e got to B u rkhard t th e op erator was n o t
at th e d epot s o we had to l ook him u p \V e found
. .

him after about an h ou r s search at th e h om e o fJuliu s

.

B eers ab out a mile from th e d epot B eers barn w a s

. .

d estroyed by th e storm Wh en the op e rator tri e d th e

.

wires h e found that all were down but o n e to St P aul . .

I had him send a m essage to that City asking that a ,

CO TT ON W O OD S H AD E T R E E S D E N U D E D O F B A RK .

R E S C U E W O RK .
 C OME AN D H E LP US .
81

special t rai n with all th e m edi cal ai d and medi cal sup
plies possibl e be sent to N e w Ri ch mond immediately ,

and for th e trai n t o stop at H ud son t o get more h elp

th ere Th e message wa s s ent to St P aul at
.
.

I a sked i f th ere was anyone who woul d give me
a horse or tak e m e to H udson A gentleman by th e
, .

nam e of M c D e rm o tt sai d h e woul d hitch up and take

m e down Whil e h e was hitching up hi s wi fe got
.

m e a dry coat an d shi rt Th e cl oth es I had on were

.

soaked as I h ad been o u t in all th e rain sinc e th e c y

,

cl one and I had b egun to get p retty wel l chi ll ed

,
.

Wh en M r M c D e rm o t t and I g o t to H udson we
.

went to John son s l ivery barn Th e rst p erson I

.

s a w th ere was Will Th omp son wh o had j u st h eard of

,

th e terribl e storm at N e w Ri chmond n ews O f th e ,

storm h avin g been telegraph ed ba ck to H u dson from

St P aul W ill L ambdin an d M ert Frissell g o t to
. .

H u dson j u st about th e same tim e I di d T h e y h a d

driven down comin g around by B ass lak e S everal

, .

ri g s were got ready at on ce to take doctors an d m edi

cines t O N e w Ri chmond I return ed w ith th e teams
'

. .

Wh en w e g o t to my h om e I stopped and my fath er ,

went on to N e w Ri chmon d in my place .

We will n o w return to M essrs L amb din and Fri s .

th ey tol d th e story of th e d estru ction of

B rie y
N e w Ri chmon d ; of th e death an d su fferin g and -

homel essn ess of th e p eopl e ; o f th e nee d of medi cal

and su rgi cal su ppli es and appliances and physicians ,
.

N on e kn e w bette r than th e doct o rs what th e ri de had

82 A M OD E R N H E RC UL A N E U M
.
.

been for th ese youn g m en for th e re b ell s had rung

,

at H ud son to call togeth er reli ef fo r th e peopl e of

H u dson P rai ri e and several t eams had b een out i n th e
. .

country but ndin g no i nj ured had retu rned with an

,

unc omfortabl e recol lecti on of th e bu cketful s ( som e

e v en d ecla red barrel fu ls ) o f water that were dash ed
in to th e carriages wh en goin g th rough th e co ul ee
.

D octors an d dru g g i sts b e gan active preparati ons

for th e j o u rn ey by t eam as i t was re p orted im p o s
.

sibl e to make th e t rip by rail on account of washouts .

al on g th e lin e Five carria g es h ead ed by O ti s Kin g

.
.

o n h orseback ca rryin g a bull s eye l antern set forth

-

. .

into th e ni g ht a nd darkn ess H av in g a g oo d h orse .

und er him and a si ster at N e w Ri chmond from wh o m

. .

h e had not h eard d enitely si nce th e tornado i t wi ll .

not b e d oubted wh en I say that O ti s sh owed th e s p irit

o f a man wh o dared wh en ever and wh erever to dare

w a s to traverse th e way before hi m wh eth er a mudd y .

road or a brawlin g stream u p to th e saddl e s g irth ,

!

n o w standing wit h li g ht turn ed on th e dan g erou s spot

s

u ntil th e cava lcad e l e d past th en pushin g ah ead on . .

the lookout for th e n ext washout or obstructin g tree .

A ll were impati ent for th e j ourn ey s end wi shing yet

, ,

d reading to prove th e startlin g re p orts whi ch had

,

been brou g ht to th em T h e redd en ed sky gui ded

.

th em ab ove but splashing mud vari ed only i n places

, ,

by bein g more deep than th e g eneral d eepness re ,

t a rde d th eir wh eel s an d vexed th eir spirits .

Reachin g Web ster s C orner th e y were obliged to

l ea v e th e carria ges and proceed on foot on a ccount of ,

th e impassabil ity of th e streets I n th e word s of o n e .

o f th e party : P u shin g o u r wa y through scenes of

 COME AN D H E LP US .
83

amazin g ruin an d d estru ction to th e ch urch es and

schoolh ou ses w e j oi n ed th e work o f reli ef T h e ex
, .

p e rie n c e s of thi s ni ght were so sh ockin g th e si ghts ,

that greeted u s so sad that I am sure many o f o u r

,

littl e party will carry th e rememb rance o f th em

th rou gh life . These physi ci a ns were among the rst
to repor t fo r duty from o u t of town preceded perhaps .

only by D r M elby o f Rob erts and D r B oothb y o f

. .

H ammond D r M el by was h ere at six O clock D r

. .

. .

B oothby had l earn ed o fth e di saster by tel egram from

Robert s and had hasten ed hith er as rapi dly as p o s
,

sibl e by team D r Watson al so drove from Rob erts

. .
,

an d w as p robably th e rst physi cian from out o ftown

to reach N e w Ri chmon d A consultation was h eld at
.

th e C on g regational ch u rch i n rega rd t o th e di sposi.

tion o f th e inj u red gath ered th ere T h ey were lyin g .

about for th e most part upon th e oor S ome mat .

tresses and b eddin g h ad b een sent i n b y M r John E . .

Gl over from h i s country h om e at G lo v e rda le and

, ,

som e al so from th e county asylum ; but littl e b esid e s

thi s was p rocurabl e D r John son s plan to p ut th e
. .

chu rch i n shape fo r a h ospital woul d under ordi .

nary C i rcum stances h ave b een an excellent o n e B ut .

th ere w ere obj ecti o n s u rged by th e doctor wh o had in ,

hi s rounds seen th e awful ma g nitude o f th e calamity

, ,

and th e extrem ely di rty con di ti on o f everythin g o n ,

account o f the lthy mud whi ch h ad been plastered ,

upon every surface an d forced into every crevi ce H e .

beli eved that any buil din g whi ch had stood s o near th e
lin e of d est ru cti on or even partially in it woul d b e
, ,

unsanitary to th e la st degree T hi s th e reli ef party .

had n ot seen having gon e directly to th e church

,
.
84 A MODERN H E R C U LA N E U M .

Th e wounds were i n every conceivabl e part of the

body bein g most compl ex and ch aracteristi c havin g
, ,

b een made by mi ssil es o f every siz e and d escripti on ,

from hu ge timbers an d rocks to i nnitesimal grains

of san d h u rl ed with s uch force as to be driven into
p olish ed gl ass Th ey were i n almost every ca se
.

brui sed and lacerated and driven full of foreign sub

,

stances an d lth of every kind maki n g th em u n a v o id ,

ably compli cat e d and suppu ratin g I t was thi s fea .

ture that cau sed th e deci si on that so large a number

o f inj u red coul d n ot receive proper care outsid e th e

wards o f a wel l appointed hospital -

What th en , ,

sh oul d be don e ? I t was tak en for granted that th e

h ospital s of St P aul woul d b e op en for u s i n this
.

emergen cy even before th e invitation cam e u rging

,

u s t o sen d our inj ured th ere M a ttresses and cots .

coul d not b e obtained i n N e w Ri chmond Th ere .

were n eith er material s nor workmen mor any buil d

'

in g wh ere su ch arti cl es coul d b e made D r Joh nson . .

,

having h a d some exp eri en ce in railroad wrecks su g ,

gested that someon e sh ould go to th e proper rail road

o fcial s and secu re cots and mattresses from them
, .

Th en th e qu esti on arose What numb er shal l we

!

ask for ? D r Johnson thou gh t f ty a nd D r Epl ey
.
,
.

th ou gh t twi ce as many Th en they decid ed to send

.

for seventy v e and more if n ecessary A n d th e n ext

-

, ,
.

qu estion : Who will go ? found as qui ck a solution
M r O W M ash er agreed to und ertak e th e commis
. . .

si on in resp onse t o th e do ctors requ est and h e wa s

,

als o furni sh ed with a list of n ecessary appliances to be

obtain ed from N oyes B ros C utl er . .
86 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

I t wa s hop ed th at thi s train woul d ru n back to St .

P aul for reli ef B ut it was a re g ular passenger train

.
,

and continu ed on its w ay after a delay of an hour or ,

tw o to cl ear th e track carryin g information gathered ,

up to points east and South M r Kuhn agent of th e . .

,

C hi cago S t P aul M inneap oli s and O maha Rail road

,
.
, ,

boarded this trai n to go to Jewett Mill s or a s far as ,

necessary t o sen d dispatch es M r Kuhn s d epot b e . .

ing gon e it s e e m e d that h e coul d b etter b e spared

,

j ust then th an M r C ummer agent of th e Wi sconsin .

,

C entral Th e t el egraph lin e was availabl e at Jew ett

.

M ill s and th e dispatch es were s ent c ontainin g su ch

, ,

brief d etail s of di sast er as i t h ad b een p ossibl e to

l earn L ater D ivi sion Sup erintend ent H orn of the
.

Wi sconsi n C entral sent th e foll owin g t el egram t o ,

M ilwauk ee

Steven s P oint Wi s Ju n e 1 2 I t comm en ced to . .
, ,

rain on S t P aul division about

. thi s evenin g and ,

th e wires went down west of J ewett M ill s about :3 0

p m A t 8 :4 5 w e got a m essage from Roberts on

. .
,

th e O maha vi a Ma rs h e ld that a cycl on e had stru ck

, ,

N e w Ri chmond ab out 7 23 0 killing and wounding

*
,

from 2 5 0 to 5 0 0 p eopl e We h ave started a spec i al .

o u t from Ervin e l eavi ng at I O O clo ck with surgeon s

, , .

an d to pi ck up what oth er surgeon s th ey can b etwee n

th ere and N e w Ri chmond ; also sent secti on m en from
Jewett M ill s with what h el p th ey can carry o n th ei r
cars I wil l l eave h ere o n a special a s soon a s I can
.

get a crew out and will tak e al l ass i stan ce I can get
,

in th e way of su rgeons A m tryin g to get St P aul . .

to start a sp ecial from th ere .

* N o te t h e e rro r in t i m e .
 CO M E AN D H E LP US .
87

A later message contai n ed th e i nformation that

D r Epl e y had h a d both l egs broken an d that D r
.
, .

Wad e was kill ed T hu s i t app eared that w e had been

.

d eprived of th e servi ces o f t w o of our physicians at

a time wh en th ei r servi ces were greatly needed T hi s .

p roved i ncorrect but gain ed consi derabl e currency

,

before i t w a s contradi cted I have not been abl e to

.

nd ou t h o w th e mistak e occurred N eith er of th ese .

doctors sustai n ed any inj uri es b ut were abl e to attend ,

to th e many duti es d evolving upon th em D r Wade . .

was o u t of t own at th e tim e of th e disaster driving ,

i n sh ortly afterwards D r Epl ey w a s at his place of

. .

resi den ce i n th e cellar with his family and started out

, ,

imm ediately to care for th e i nj ured So th ere w a s n o .

foundati on whatever for th e rep ort T hi s i s h o w .

,

ever t h e only in stan ce whi ch has c o m e to my noti ce

,

wh ere th e rumor was worse than th e real it y T he .

special from Ervin e took M r Kuhn ba ck to N e w .

Ri ch mond arrivi n g at hal fpast one and brought th e

, ,

rst relay of su rgeons an d n urses from Eau C laire .

C hipp ewa Falls an d Gl enwood A noth er special a r

'

rived o thi s lin e at hal f past two bringin g additi onal

n
,

h el pers A bout thi s tim e al so M r Ku hn went down

.
, ,
.

to th e pla ce Wh ere hi s d epot had been to meet a sp e ,

c ia l trai n from St P aul havin g o n board surgeon s

.
,

and nurses i n charge of D r Knox B acon reporter s ; .

,

and others interested i n N e w Ri chmond s fate a n d

p e opl e and su ch suppli es as coul d b e hastily coll ected

,
.

Gen eral Superintend ent J C Stuart was in charge . . .

h avi n g j u st com e i n from a round trip to M ankato
88 A MO D E R N H E R CULA N E U M .

wh en th e sp ecial was bein g mad e up T h e passengers .

l eft th e train on th e west sid e of th e wash out b etwee n ,

H ud son an d N orth Wi sconsin Jun cti on crossed t h e ,

ditch on a plank an d took a train whi ch was on the

,

main lin e at th e j un ction unabl e to proc eed furth er ,

west and whi ch brou gh t th e passengers th rou gh t o

,

N e w Ri chmond .

M r M osh er l eft th e church exp ectin g to take a

.
,

train on th e Wi scon si n C entral but a s h e n eared the ,

O mah a track h e s a w t h e h eadli ght of an en g in e com

in g toward s him an d waited until i t stopp ed
,
He -

s aw M r Stuart get o f
. f went to him and spoke wit h , ,

hi m about th e p roposed tri p for ai d M r Stuart . .

wrote a l etter whi ch was addressed to any c o n du c t e r

o n th e line t ellin g th em to carry M r M o sh er on any
, .

trai n to an d from St P aul a s needed M r M osher .

, . .

got o ff a t H ud son and tel egraphed M ayor Ki efer,

and C hi ef of P olice Goss of St P aul that N e w Rich .

.

mond had been blown down and th e ruins were burn

in g and asked that re en gi nes and a detachment O f
,

p oli cemen be sent H e al so tel egraph ed N oyes B ros

. .

81 C utl er t o open th ei r stores H e arrived at St P au l . .

at v e O cl ock i n th e mornin g going rst t o th e places

whi ch h e expecte d to nd open N ot ndi n g th em .

open with vigorous rap s and ki ck s h e waked the

,

ech oes al on g th e streets of th e city u ntil h e arou sed a

poli ceman H e th en drove t o th e resi dence of M r
. .

N O Y C S and aroused a youn g man a n eph ew of M r

, ,
.

N oyes M r N oyes w a s th en awakened an d togeth er

. .
,

with anoth er gentl eman th ey went to th e store and ,

9 0 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

them to do A noth er tou r wa s al so n ecessary to in

.

form an d p repare and i n many cases t o ur g e upon

, ,

pati ent s th e advi sabili ty O f th ei r going or being ,

taken to t h e h o s p it a ls i n th e n ear citi es out of th e

,
'

confu si on and un w h ol esomen ess whi ch p revaile d

h ere S om e sh ed t ears at th e th ou gh t o f goin g t o a
.

strange place ; some obj ected o n ac count of th e sup

posed exp ense knowin g th ey ha d l ost all th ei r p rop
e rt y. O ne little girl w a s h eard to say : B ut mam ,

ma ; yo u know I haven t a si ngl e thing to wear except

th ese dirty cl oth es that I h ave had on all th e time .

E verythin g el se went o ff with th e house B orrowed .

garments h ere and there were p ut to u se and som e d e ,

gree o f tness secu red but most of th ese poor ,

cr eatu res were Obli ged to keep on th e sam e torn , ,

soil ed an d soaked garm ents whi ch th ey had worn th e

n ight b efore O n e poor lady ( M rs M c Clu re ) w a s
. .

n o t di scovered unti l som e time i n th e forenoon of

T u esday an d had been subj ected both to th e rai n and

,

th e sun ( whi ch sh on e at interval s ) and b ein g unabl e ,

to move coul d d o n othin g but wai t for th e rescu ers

,

t o get to h er .

Th e m aj ority o f thos e abl e to und erstan d were

nally convinced that th e plan to rem ove th e i nj ured
to th e ci ty h ospital s was th e b est un der th e circum ,

stan c es th ough it was a sad goin g away for all and

, ,

th ere wa s stil l mu ch uncertainty as t o th e fate of many

relat e d t o th em T h ey were h owever spared th e
.
. ,

harrowing si ght s that woul d oth erwi se have co m e

somewhat to th eir noti ce T h e stori es of our e x p e.

rie n c e s came so natu rally to ou r lip s that i t w a s w o n

 CO ME A N D HE LP -

US .

91

der ed at an d in deed we wond er at it ourselves i n

,

looking back .B ut w e seemed not t o b e tal king

about ou rselves but of som e h orribl e panorama which
,

we had seen .
92 A M ODE R N HE R CU LAN E U M .

C HAPTE R VI .

T H E D AY S AF TER TH E T O R NA D O .

C o nf u s io n now ha t h m ad e h is m a s te rp ie c e .

S h a k es pea re .

F ew p eopl e i n N ew Ri chmon d had sl ept durin g

M onday ni ght an d many w ere weary with toil fright
, ,

an d anxi e t y Th en a s th e m ornin g d awned th e

.
, ,

great h avoc of th e ni gh t b efore showed more plainly .

I t wa s n o dream to vani sh wh en th e ligh t cam e on .

There l ay t h e gray h eap s st ret ching o u t d rearily b e

,

fore u s H ere res were stil l burnin g and sp reading

.
,

i n places notwith standin g th e abundan ce of rai n

,

whi ch had fall en ; th ere men were stil l workin g still ,

wea rily timin g th e haul on th e rop es with H eave o i ,
-

H eave o ! anxiou sly wat ch ed by th ose whose only
-

kn owl ed ge o f th e fat e of som e l oved on e w a s

summ ed up in th e o n e w ord M i ssing A l ong th e .

ri m o f th e totally d estroyed porti o n were th e hulks .

of buildings plainly marki n g th e l imi t o f th e d eadly

wh eel s i n th ei r course al l showin g th e sam e gray
, ,

muddy col or and O fferin g an u ninvitin g sh elter

, ,

promisin g but littl e more comfort than th e soggy s k y

94 A MOD E RN H E R CULAN E U M .

ports of th e water tan k pol es fty feet lon g li fted

, ,

from a d epth of seven feet i n th e ground and entire ,

trees torn up by th e roots and tossed aside O cca .

s io n a l j agged b roken and barkl ess stump s Haunted

,

s tri ps o f q uil ts or garments o r bore wad s of tin roof ,

i n g l odged th ere in th ei r i ght th rou gh th e ai r

,
.

C l oser ex ami nati on reveal ed numb erl ess bits of iron

and wood and m ore marvel ous yet bits of grass and
, , ,

straw thrust i n to woode n surfaces with su ch force as

to be inextri cabl e A sul ph urous odor still ll ed th e
'

ai r Th e gray h orizon unreli eved by th e outlines

.
,

o f vari ou s o b j ects whi ch w e w ere wont to see j oi ned ,

th e g ray of th e land scape

Blank an d stran ge one
.

,

fel t like sayin g Even th e faces of th e peopl e wearin g

.
,

still th e strained expressi on of th e ni ght before l ooked ,

gray a n d unnatu ral and of th em too o n e fel t lik e

, , ,

saying : B lank and strange T o those also whose .

,

famili es had been so rudely taken from th em wh ose ,

homes had b een brok en up an d whose business pros ,

p e c t s had b een ruined life wore a somber

, hu e , and the

outlook was blank and strange .

E arly in the morning a numb er of w ell dressed

strangers wh o had com e i n durin g th e ni ght were

, .

strollin g about th ei r a ppearance i n marked contrast

,

t o that of th e di sh evel ed soiled and ra gged in h a b i

,

tants wh o had not th e wherewith to make th emselves

,

p resentabl e L ater i n th e day th e number of these

.

strangers increased to hundreds A stream o fwagon s .

began to arrive early from th e surroundin g country .

A lady w h o cam e from Hamm on d states that th e

 TH E DA Y S A F T E R TH E T O R NADO 95

p rocessi on extend ed as far ah ead o f h er as sh e coul d

see . T h e occupants o f th ese wagons were ful l of
anxi ety and conj ectu re fo r the fri end s o f whose h o s
p it a lit y th ey had recently partak en S ome of th em .

had b ee n arou sed from th ei r slumb ers by white faced -

messen gers wh o brou ght th e n ew s that n ei ghbors

,

were amon g th e mi ssing C omin g to th e di sorderly

.

mass of material s strewn about th ey coul d hardly b e ,

li eve th at thi s w a s th e s it e o f th e p rosp erou s littl e city

of yest erday Women sto od up in th ei r carri ages to
;

search for h omes whi ch ha d been familiar to th em ,

and some fell ba ck screamin g o r faintin g at th e si ghts

th ey saw I f th ey m et an acquaintan ce with a thank
.

fu l cry o f greetin g th e y spok e a s i f to one re

,

tu rned from th e oth er worl d T h e wonder expressed

.

was that a n v h ad su rvived i n th e m ids t o f such de

stru cti on T h en th e most natu ral q u esti ons ensued
.
!

\Vere any of your family inj ured ? A las ! Yes ,

was to o often th e reply I n a moment in th e
.
,

twinklin g of an eye all was chan ged We were
,

seated aroun d o u r tabl e a happy u nbroken family

, , ,

or were only waitin g for th e b el ated ones to compl ete

th e ci rcl e wh en alarm ed b y th e noise w e had but
, , ,

time to get b el ow wh en da rkn ess came and i t seemed

as i f all ou r past lives had vani shed j u st as a pu ff of
steam m elts away mysteriously and i s gone When , .

again restored t o th e li gh t o f day i t s eem ed as i f we ,

s a w a n e w h eaven a n d a n e w earth and that all w e ,

once knew had pa ssed a w ay Your h ome wa s d e
.
"

stroyed .

Yes I t w a s th e result o f years o f labor
.
.
9 6 A MO D E RN H E R CULAN E U M .

S ome thin gs money can replace but oth ers no money ,

can restore T h es e are th e pi ctures of my chil dre n

.

when th ey were small and th ose of my ol d friends ,

n o w gon e Th ey cannot b e replaced Th e pi cture

. .

gall ery i s d estroyed so I cannot h ope that th e plates

,

are preserved B u sin es s i s gone an d i t does not seem

.
,

probabl e that th e place will ever b e b uil t up again .

My rst impul s e was to run away from here It .

seem ed as if th e place would always l ook desolat e .

B ut I cou l d not go I kn ew n o oth er place wh ere I

.

coul d mak e a livin g N o w I don t want to go Th ere

.

.

a re s o many ol d fri end s i n troubl e I t woul d n o t b e .

ri ght to l eave th em S o I am picking u p tryin g to

nd out what I have Th ere was l ittl e tim e for re
.

pinin g I f one had nothin g to do for himsel f h e

.
,

could see s o methin g to do for others all about him .

Th e early S t P aul t rains brought besid es th e re

.
,

engines h o s e c a rt s and crews poli cemen and suppli es

, ,

asked for a quanti ty of dry goods and be dding from

,

th e Jobb ers U nion ; al so groceries food supplies and

hardware I t made my tears fl ow freely enough wh en

.

I read many week s afterward i n th e columns of a

, ,

pap er publish ed th e mornin g followin g th e disaster ,

h o w th ese m erchants an d j obb ers had load ed carts

with everythin g th eir h o uses a fford ed an d pil ed sup ,

pli es into th e waitin g cabooses whil e p eopl e with ,

anxi ous and grief stri cken faces repeated to each

-

oth er '

I s it for ou r W is c o n s in n ei ghb ors Th ev .

are i n great troubl e O nce ind eed we can say we
.
, , ,

b elonged to th e great army of th e poor alth ough ,

C OND S T R E E T P R I N C I PAL B U S I N E S S S T R E E T DU R I N G
TH E SU MMER
O F 899
1 .
 TH E DA Y S A F T E R TH E T O R NADO .

97

wh en th es e fri end s came to us and wept for u s we

di d not exactly realiz e it Whil e th ey i n th e midst o f
.
,

th ei r pl enty op en ed a supply house to whi ch came ,

men women an d children each addin g a share whi ch

, , ,

was sorted an d cl eaned an d repai red for N e w Ri ch

mon d tornado su fferers w e were sittin g h ere in o u r
,

r u ins h orri ed an d d ej ected Th ey cam e a nd cl oth ed

,
.

u s an d bad e u s l ook u p again an d h ope

,

Th ere cam e al so o n th e early train a numb er o f

p ubli c and rail road o f cial s C hi ef o f P ol i ce Goss D r
, ,
.

J. W M c
. D o n a ld surgeon Wi
,
sconsi n C entral Rail
road oth er physi cian s an d nurs es from M inneapoli s
, ,

and those i nterest ed p eopl e wh o were abl e to secu re

passage O win g to th e crow ds whi ch seem ed d eter
.

min ed t o vi si t th e ruin ed city i t had seemed im portant ,

to th e railroad o f cial s to guard agai nst too great a

' '

numb er o fc u rio u s an d ad ve ntu rou s si gh tseers Some .

ladi es o ffered t h ei r servi ces as nurses in ord er to get

a chan ce t o l ook a fter relatives .

A caboos e was attach ed at H u dson contai ning a

numb er of fri end s b ent o n errands of mercy an d reli ef .

E vi dences of th e d estru ctive force o f th e storm were

vi sibl e alon g th e tr ack fr o m H u dson a cros s t h e p rai
,

ri e an d were commented up on with interest by th e

,

p assen ger s I n pla c es c oul d b e s een lin es of trees

.
,

bent a n d twist ed o r up root ed buil din gs d emoli sh ed . .

d ead hor s es an d wrecked machin ery B ut wh en th e

'

t rain pull ed int o th e south ern limi t o f N e w Ri chmond

a sil en ce fell up on all ; t h en i n subdu ed tones q u es
, ,

ti on s n o w a nd th en were asked : Wh at place was

that Wh ere i s M ai n street ? Th ere was s o littl e
 98 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

left t o indicat e familiar localiti es th at all felt lost and

ll ed with dismay .

A fter mattresses an d cots had been di stri buted littl e

compani es o ffriends w ere seen carryin g th ei r u n fo rt u
nat e on e s to th e cars an d tu rnin g th em over to th e
,

care of o u r g ood n ei ghb orin g s t ate Th ere were

m a n y path eti c partings but to th ose who were abl e

.

t o understand th e conditi on o f thin gs i t was re a s s u r

i n g to know that fri ends a n d sympath eti c strangers .

w ere willin g an d ready t o l ook ou t for them an d pro

v ide them with a mu ch n eeded resting place where ,

there wa s n o lack of conveni ences to ai d th em i n th ei r

re c o v e rv F o r those wh o were too painfully h urt to
.

noti ce every m e a n s o b t a in a b le were u sed to make

,

th em c o m rt a b le T he rst train carri ed thi rty tw o

.
-

inj u red : th e s econd o n e th e same day carri ed eight

and o n su cceedin g days o t h ers to th e numb er o f sev

e n t y were carri ed eith er t o th e h o S it a ls of St

p P aul .

and M inn eapoli s or t o Stillwater H u dson an d oth er ,

near places Th ese w ere n ot on e h al f th e inj ured

.
.

M any remained h ere t o mak e a sl ow recovery or t o

yi el d t o th ei r i ne v itab le fate T h e l esser inj u red w ere
.

at work abou t th e streets many with bandaged head s , ,

hand s etc A s th e hospital train s pull ed i nto the

,
.

U ni on D epot a t St P aul th ey were m et by a q ui et

.

yet eager crowd M any were expectin g fri end s and

.
-

relatives .
C ity o fcial s physi cians and th e whol e
,

corps o f j anito rs from th e city and county buildin gs

were o n hand t o render all possi bl e assi stance P atrol .

wa gon s and ambulances were in readin ess and hospi

,
 I 00 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

they noti c ed that some of th em wer e p eopl e they

had n ever seen b efore There was littl e to be found .

to ai d i n re establi shin g a home Th ey s aw a fe w a r .

t ic le s ; some were familiar others were not What , .

can b e don e with th em any way ? Th ey are badl y ,

damaged an d so soiled w e coul d n ot tak e th em t o

,

o u r fri en d s h ou se wh ere w e are stoppin g one was

,

h eard to say I t was but a fruitl ess and half h earted

.
-

task Th e app earance of everythi n g was si ck enin g

.
.

A n d yet h ou r after h ou r p eopl e were seen swarmin g

, .

over th e rui ns peeri n g an d pi cking S ome were th e

.
.

ri g h tfu l own ers ; som e were n ot . .

Whil e th e doctors were occupi ed with th e care of

th e inj u red adoptin g t e m po ra rv m easures for th ose
,

wh o were t o b e tak en away an d g ivin g systemati c ,

atten t i on t o al l as fa st as possibl e oth er citiz ens were

-

di scu ssin g ways an d m ean s of s ecurin g and dis trib u t

in g reli ef A l ocal committee was named by a fe w
.

citizen s i n an i nformal m eetin g A ssemblyman .

M osh er w as mad e chairman of a l ocal nan ce com

m it t e e furth er con si sti ng of M essrs M S B ell B J
, . . .
,
. .

P ri ce o f H u dson an d T Wears mayor A ll money

,
.
,
.

contributi ons were to b e deposi ted i n th e Fi rst N a

t io n a l B ank of H ud son b oth bank s i n thi s place h av ,

in g been d estroyed Thi s committee ch ose such as .

,

s is t a n t s a s seemed to b e necessary .

C on gressman John J Jenkin s of th e Tenth di s .

tri et wh o had come u p from C hipp ewa Fall s sent

, ,

th e foll owin g tel egram :

N e w Ri chmond Wi s Jun e I 3 To Gov S co , . .

eld M adi son Wis : N e w Ri chmond practi call y

, ,
 TH E DA Y S A FT E R TH E T O R NADO .
10 1

w ip ed ou t by storm E very b usiness buil ding and

.

con tents over half O f th e dwel lin g houses and c o n

,

tents total loss ; many oth er dwellin g h ou ses and c o n

tent s badly i nj u red ; I OO wou nd ed ; 4 0 de a d b odi es ;
many missin g ; ruins burnin g ; local peopl e making
h eroi c e fforts an d givin g freely what littl e th ey have
,

l eft Th ey can b e sh eltered sh ort tim e b ut with fe w

.
,

excepti ons h ave n o f o o d or clothin g ; not an arti cl e

o f goods wares or merchandise l eft
,
By n o on th ere .

wil l not b e a mouthful to eat M ust have immediat e .

reli ef Will requi re ai d for som e tim e N ot a co fn

. .

o r arti cl e to bury th e d ead P ra c ti cal ly d estituti on

.

prevai l s Will yo u not ify th e publi c an d ask that

.
,

som e ai d b e forward ed as soon as p o sibl es ?

J O H N J J E N KI N S . .

L ater th e followin g by A ssemblyman O W

, ,
. .

M osh er wa s s e n t
,
'

H udson Wis June 1 3 G OV Sc o e ld Madi
,

,
. .
,

son \Vi s : L ast eveni ng th e enti re bu siness porti on

, .

of N e w Ri chmon d was d estroyed by a cyclone We .

have ab solut ely n ot a store or business hou se of a n y

kind standin g exce pt th e grai n el evator an d one steel
,

h o t e l o n th e north sid e o f town Th e water tower .

i s bl own d own th e p ower hous e fo r el ectri c li ght and

,

water works station l evel ed t o th e ground P robably

-

1 00 people are kill e d an d many more are seriously in

-

j ured O u r m erchan ts stocks Of good s are all d e

.

stroy ed and th e most of th em nancial ly ruined ; im

,

m ediat e n ecessiti es are suppli ed but th ere i s a need ,

for a contribution of mon ey to aid many wh o have

102 A M O DE R N H E R CULAN E U M .

l ost th ei r all P ersonally my family are uninj ured

.
, ,

and I ha v e a roof but h u n dre ds a re wrecked

, .

O W M OSH ER . . .

C ook ed food had b een sent up from H u dson earl y

in th e mornin g an d L A B aker ca shi er o f th e M an
, . .
,

uf a c t u re rs B ank h avin g turn ed hi s resi denc e over t o

.

th e reli ef comm i tt ee fo r th eir u se a s h eadquarters a ,

commi ssary d epartment wa s set up under th e abl e ,

mana gem ent o f M r F D H ardin g of H u d son w h o

. . .
, ,

with hi s assistants di sp ensed co ffee and sandwi ch es

,

t o th e h ungry crowd w hi ch gath ered about N o w .

some b egan t o reali z e what th ey ha d not th ou ght much

o f b efore ; nam ely that th ey h ad n o h ome n o place
, ,

wh ere th ey coul d go an d get a m eal except th rou gh

charity whi ch from thi s tim e forth fo r many week s
, , , ,

furni s h ed th e only ray of li ght to ill umine th eir pass

a ge Over a tossin g sea o f troubl es Suppli es o f food .

an d cl othin g began at once t o com e in from man y

n ei gh borin g places and many t el egram s were re
,

c e iv e d saying ,
D ra w on u s for c ertain sums , .

T h e ea rli est contributi on s w ere from th e places

nearest a s woul d n atu rally be expect ed I n H ud son
,
.

business o fal l kinds w a s suspend ed except th e gettin g ,

together o f every imaginabl e n ecessit y fo r th e su ffer

in g n ei gh b ors at N e w Ri ch m ond L a di es a c c o m .

p a n ie d th e men w h o cam e i n th e forenoon ready to ,

do anything and everythin g that coul d a fford com

fort and reli ef River Fall s al so sent del egati on s of
.
, ,

ladi es wh o w ere acquai nted an d wh o like th e H ud

, , ,

s o n fri end s,
di stribut ed n ecessary arti cl es of ever y
1 04 A M O D E R N H E R CULA N E U M .

rangements to give all M asons in th e stat e a chance

to assi st th eir m emb ers al so sendin g a sum for im
,

m edi ate di stributi on I t w oul d b e imp ossibl e to even

.

refer to all th e o ffers of h el p and mat erial s sent ex ,

cept i n general to say that w e seem ed to b e su r

rounded by waves o fch arity at hi gh ti d e There were .

exampl es of l avi sh gen erosity of t en der an d sym ,

path eti c giving an d of sel f d enyin g b en evol en ce al l

,
-

h elpin g to reli eve di stress .

D urin g th e day t h e governors of M inn esota and

W is con sin corresponded each with th e oth er th e t el e ,

grams re a ding as follows :

H o n E dward Sc o eld Governor of Wi scon si n
.
, ,

M adi son Wis ,

O ur p eopl e are doin g everythin g in th ei r power

-

to all eviat e th e di stress an d su fferin g at N e w R ich

mond H ave y o u anyt h ing to su ggest th at I mi gh t
.

do to furth er reli eve th e si tuati on ?

JO H N LI ND

Governor .

H on John L i nd Governor of M i nnesota St

.
, ,
.

P aul M inn
,
.
!

Ith ank you and th e p eopl e of M inn esota on b e ,

hal f of p eopl e of Wi s consin for your e fforts to all e

,

via t e distress at N e w Ri chmond I think w e have .

n o w on th e w a h elp su ci
f ent to meet th e i mm ediat e
y
n ecessiti es of th e occa sion .

E D WA R D S C OFI E L D ,

Governor of Wis c o n s m .
 T H E D AY S A FT E R TH E T O R NADO . I O5

M aj or M R D oyon as a representative of Gov

. .
,

e rn o r Sc o e ld arrived i n th e afternoon bringin g th e

, ,

information that an appeal had b een mad e t o th e p e o

pl e o f th e state Th e foll owin g i s th e governor s proc
.

la m a t io n '
:

M adison Wi s Jun e I 3 A terribl e calamity
,
.
,
.

has overtaken th e city of N e w Ri chmond i n St C roix ,

.

county P racti cally all of th e bu siness portion o f th e

.

city an d more than h al f o f th e resid ence porti on has

b een wip ed out by a cy clon e I t i s rep orted that 1 0 0 .

p eopl e are dead and as many more are seriousl y in

j ured an d assi stan ce is greatly needed Th e mer
,
.

chants have no stocks l eft and food an d sh elter fo r ,

th e inj ured i s th e rst n ecessity I app eal to th e gen .

e ro u s spi ri t of th e p eopl e o f Wisconsi n to meet

p romptly th e d eman d thu s made up on th ei r sympathy .

A lready su rgeon s have b een sent to assist th e local

physi cian s an d h el p to bury th e d ead will b e suppli ed
, ,

b ut in every city i n th e stat e a reli ef committ ee sh ould

b e organiz ed an d all suppli es or money coll ected
,

shoul d b e sent as prom ptly as p o ssibl e to M aj M R . . .

D oyon at N e w Ri chmond whom I have appointed t o

, ,

t ak e charge of receivi ng and di sbursin g th e reli ef until

su ch ti me as th e l ocal com mitt ees are abl e to do it .

E D W A R D S C O FI E LD ,

Governor of Wi sconsin .

A t N e w Ri ch mon d crowds of p eopl e ling along

through th e op en spaces regardl ess o f th e l ocation o f ,

streets vi ewed th e cu rious e ffects whi ch had been

,

p roduced upon obj ect s an d resid ents noting al so the ,

106 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

stran ge expressi ons of featu res whi ch w e ourselves re

mark ed T h e y a sk ed ea ger q u esti on s and sought ex
. ,

planati on s i n regard t o th e situati on before th e cv

cl on e . T h e y re ect ed afterward s u pon th e singular
fa ct that so fe w of th e inhabitant s had been seen t o
w eep .O nce i n a w hil e a w ail o r a groan w a s h eard ;

sometim es a t oo burd ened h eart w oul d give w a y :
but th e rul e w a s to speak of e v e rv t h in g q u ie t lv an d i n
a rath er subdued mann er I t 15 related that wh en .
.

on e woman fel l t o weepin g at th e chu rch anoth er .

e q ually a ficted said : \V e mu st not c ry \V e mu st .

work n o w There w ill b e a l on g tim e fo r u s t o c rv

.

afterward s .

C re w s o f men w ere constantly tossi n g over th e

heap s of debri s in search fo r bodi es a nd graduall y ,

th e li st of mi ssin g on es dimi ni sh ed N o t as many .

strangers were found as ha d been feared woul d be

the case M r P atton M r W B ixby M rs H awki ns
. .
,
. .
, .
,

Walter H awkin s P atri ck Goh een M r N i ch olas P ar

, , .

den M r John P ri or M r C arl L arsen o f B aldwin and

,
.
, .

th e i nfant chil d o fM rs M c G ra t h w ere among th e later

.

ones recovered A t th e cl ose O f th e thi rd day the

.

number of kn own d ead in cluding th ose wh o had died .

in h ospital wa s o n e h undred and seven T here were

,
.

fo ur unid entied still l y in g at th e church es an d some .

kno w n almost certainly t o be in th e ruin s had not b een

found T h e water wa s drawn o ff from th e mill pond
.
-

an d a careful investi gati on mad e but th ou gh th ere .

w e re numerou s arti cl es imbedd ed in th e mu d n o .

bodi es were brou gh t t o li ght .

 1 08 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

b enedi c ti o n Th e word s of th e preach er were good

.
,

not overfraugh t with th e l essons t o b e drawn from

th e exp eri en ces whi ch had come to u s but rath er of ,

a soothing an d sustaining natu re We cam e out i nto .

th e bri ght su nshi n e an d faced again th e blankn ess of

l ife th e cluttered streets th e cu riou s si ghtseers and
, ,

th e di squi eting th ough t of our future temp oral life .

T h e good Fath er provi des for u s th e h eavenly man

si on s Thi s life with al l its requi rem ents for our
.
,

frai l b odi es and th e super imp osed burd ens of a re

,
-

ned civili zati on gives ampl e opportunity for th e su f

,

c ie n t p erfecti on of ou r spi ritual natures to mak e u s

t to dwell th erein Th e simpl e path of duty i s not
.

always quit e plai n .

To day i n spite of th e o u t cry o f th e conservative

-

,
-

on es m en an d teams were at work

, O ne plain .

spoken m an wa s t ol d h e sh oul d tak e time to be grate -

ful for m ercies vou ch safed to him T ru e h e sai d .
, ,

I have my family and I am thankful bu t what o n , ,

earth I am going to do with th em i s more than I can

t ell We can live outdoors this summer but winter
.

gets a round p retty soon again i n th is country an d I ,

must cl ean up and get a roof of some kind over us I .

have n o mon ey an d mu st do m ost of th e work m y

,

sel f
.
Th e maj ority h owever mad e som e re c o gn i , ,

ti on of th e day .
 S T O RI E S O P TH E PA R TI C I PAN T S 109

C H AP TE R VI I .

ST O R I ES O F TH E PA RT I C I PA N T S .

The s t o ry has b ene to l d and re t o ld , ye t it h a s no t b e n ha lf

e

to ld . I t wa s a li s ce o f t h e da y o fj u g d m ent .

W . F . M cN a lly .

Oh , an g l i H av n t h n
did t h e e s n e e , e

H id t h i f a
e and tu n awa y
e r ces r

F l d t h ei wh it w in g and
'
o r u h i
e f a s c ro c n e r

T u n awa y and f o g e t t o p a y ?
r r r

Su l y t h h a t s o f t h e an g e l s t h e n
re e e r

S h iv e d and q u ivre d to h a t h o s i s e re e r e cr e

W a il in g u p f o m t h d e s l a te a t h
r e o e r ,

C ryin g f m e y f m G d s b l a k S k ie s !

or rc ro o c

Ch as J P h illips . . .

D ougl as Rei d says : T h e s torm cam e along

P ap er Ja ck creek runnin g toward th e n o rth east I t
, .

stru ck u s from th e southwest som ewhat w est of south , .

O u r hou se was ei ghty rods south and a littl e west of

M rs D ayton s I watch ed the clou d unti l i t got to
.

.

A l ex Russell s red h ou se on e half mil e from us a n d

.

.

,
-

in a direction w e s t o f south I t was th en a dense

'

clou d n ear th e earth an d r ollin g toward the earth

, , ,
1 10 A M O D E R N H E R C U LAN E U M .

und er and backward taking up everythin g I,

.

watched i t u ntil my wife called m e to c o m e in t o th e

cellar . I t was d ensely dark wh ere i t cam e i n contact

with th e earth and li ghter above I di d not ob serve .

th e funnel shape M y family w ere all i n th e cellar

.

except James H e w a s on hi s way home from busi

.

n ess and w ent into a cell ar i n town

,
.

O u r h ou se w ent o ff altogeth er Th e rst i ndi .

cati o n that i t w a s going was th e bri cks falli ng into

th e cellar onto th e chi ldren Th e hou se went enti rely .

to pieces P arts were foun d i n M r B eeb e s yard

. .

about hal f a mil e away th o u gh for fty yard s or more ,

towar d th e n orth e ast a consid erabl e number of pi eces

were foun d Some arti cl es of silverware were found
.

east I t seemed as i f th e h ou se had burst to pi eces in

.

th e ai r P arts of i t were found a mil e di stant O u r

. .

barns were d estroyed on e Jersey c o w kill ed and o n e

,

i nj u red and on e h ors e kill ed C hi cken s w ere pi cked

, .

cl ean of feath ers I pi cked u p si x or ei gh t dead chi ck

.

en s t o bury th em Th e rest were carried o ff with th e

.

chi cken h ouse N ear th e h ou se were nine boxel d ers

.
,

three large elm s ni ne mapl es s everal bal m of Gil eads

, , ,

in h ei ght avera gin g twenty v e or thirty feet N on e -

were l eft standin g .

A s M r Rei d wa s stoopin g over hi s children a large

.

rock weighi n g over o n e hundred pound s ( weigh ed

,

afterwards ) roll ed swi ftly across hi s sh ould ers and

,

back H e was l am e fo r week s afterward a n d hi s

.
,

n erves in a shattered conditi on alth ough he su stained ,

no seri ou s esh wounds .

1 12 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

was i n th e n ext yard milkin g hi s c o w M r Webster

, . .

call ed t o h im to go insi d e but h e was an xiou s to n ,

i sh milkin g an d di d ni sh and drove hi s c o w into

, ,

th e yard H e di d not app ear to b e fri ghtened M rs

. . .

Webster call ed agai n : Fath er I wi sh you woul d go ,

in . Th e o r Web ster sh outed as th e clou d came
.
,

nearer an d th e roar grew l oud er Get into th e cel :

lar ! Th ey got in j u st i n tim e to b e th ere when the
clou d pass ed over A fter coming up M rs Webster
. .

went rst to s e e i f h er fath er an d mother had b ee n in

j ured Sh e found th eir hom e i n ruins but th emselves
.
,

p ra c t ic a lly u n h u rt Th en h earin
.
g a scream sh e ra n
toward M rs Co s griff s home an d saw M rs C osgriff
.

, .

lying on th e ground apparently in great agony Oh. .

I m kill ed !

I m ki ll ed ! sh e kept saying

M rs ? .

Webster sp ok e som e words of pity to h er b u t fel t ,

h elpl ess to do anythin g for h er as sh e wa s too large ,

t o b e easily li fted M rs Webster placed h er White

. .

ap ron over M rs Co s griff s h ead an d M r C li fton and

.

, .

M r Web ster took h er i nto th e kitch en an d lai d h er on

.

th e oor upon a feath er b ed

,
M rs C osgri ff sai d :
. .

O h M rs Web ster put me ri gh t into your o wn b ed

,
.
, .

I will pay you bi g B ut i t was imp ossibl e to get

.

h er into th e b edroom A s soon as i t coul d b e don e .

,

a b ed was mad e for h er i n th e p arl or and h er son and ,

hi s wi fe from Warren an d h er n eph ew from C hip , ,

p ewa Falls came i n th e early morning and h elp ed lift

,

h er Sh e hand ed M rs Web ster a littl e bag whi ch

. .

sh e had tied aroun d h er n eck i n whi ch sh e sai d th ere ,

wa s $ 5 5 0 M rs Co s griff w a s badly brui sed all over h er

' '

. .
VI EW S H O W I N G T H E A S S E M B LA G E O F T H E T HR O N G O F S P E CT A T O
O N E O F T H E D E A D B O D I E S WA S R E C O V E R E D AND B R OU GH T T O
G UA R D L I N E S
.
 1 1 4 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

h er som e water but sh e could n ot dri nk Sh e di ed

, .

i n ab ou t th re e h ours H er fath er cam e i n b efore

.

sh e di ed After sh e had been tak en away we put

.

N elli e P adden on th e cou ch T h en w e arran ged t o .

put M i ss P add en i n th e bed with M rs H oll enbe ck .

and pu t Freddi e Early on th e cou ch T h e doctors

.

op erated on him in the mornin g removin g a pi ece of ,

S t eel from hi s h ead about a nger l on g H e lived but .

a sh ort tim e afterward s .

T h e C li fton home stood i n th e n ext ro w o f h ou ses

n orth o f M rs D ayton s but th ere was consi derabl e
.

i nter v enin g space T he grove o f trees abou t t h e

.
.

h ou se was noti ceabl e havin g been set ou t b y one

,

o fth e earli est settl ers A s M r and M rs C li fton h eard

. . .

the no 1s e o f th e storm and saw th ei r h ou se wrench ed

and twi st ed ab ove th ei r h eads th ey had after a l ong , ,

resi den ce in thi s county th ei r rst experi en ce with ,

a s o call ed c y cl on e I n th e southwest c o rner wh ere
.

t hey stood th ere wa s l ess damage than else w h ere ,

alth ough n ext to th e Storm T h e kitch en a large .

,

pantry on the east and a p orch extendin g th e e n

, .

ti re l en gth o f th e n orth si de o f th e h ou se were torn ,

of ,
f with other porti on s T h e oor dro pped ei ght
.

i nches o n th e si d e wh ere th e porch ha d b een an d lay ,

i n waves o n account of b ein g warp ed by t h e rain .

T h e h ou se was unroofed an d th e wall s and th e con

tent s of th e u pp er part d estroyed b y water T h e .

barn an d ca rriage h ou se w ere bl own d own an d a ,

sl ei gh an d t o p bu ggy broken to pi eces Th e horse .

was carri ed ab out forty rods to th e south ea st and ,

 S T O RI E S OF TH E PA R TI C I PAN T S . 1 1 5

found d ead an d partly buri ed in th e mu d i n a small

,

ravine H e had apparently stru ck feet rs r as hi s

.
,

hind l egs were driven into the ground up t o hi s gam

bl es an d h e w a s stil l hitch ed t o his p o st T h e C lif
, .

ton s con si dered th emselves fortunat e in having any

porti on of th eir house l eft d amag ed as it was and , ,

were thankful fo r th eir li v es as On each side o f th em ,

bui ldi n gs had been ent irely d estroyed T hat part .

o f M r Web ster s barn which went down was directl y

.

west o f th e m th e S cot t and C osgri ff homes were

,

di rectly east and th e Sim cox ho m e directl y n or t h

, . .

T h e cost o f repai rin g a h om e wrecked as thi s w a s i s

abou t as much as th e valu e o f th e hou se and i t i s ,

not ,
w h en repaired as good as b efore T h en there
, .

i s the total l oss o f barn an d outbuil din gs h ou se ,

h ol d good s h o rse an d vehi cl es and what i s irre pa

, , ,

rabl e th e d estru cti on o f shade trees o f ma n y y e a rs

,

growth F o ll owin g i s a li st o f trees d estroyed on

.

th e C li fto n pla c e as stated by M r ; C lifton : El even

,

pin es o f whi ch six were thirt y v e feet hi gh an d

, ,

ve twenty feet high ; four appl es fteen feet hi gh ; ,

ten plum s twelve feet hi gh ; ten soft m apl es twenty

, ,

feet hi gh ; ei gh t b o x el de rs twenty feet hi gh ; o n e ,

butternut twelv e feet hi gh an d three black a sh S ix

, ,

feet hi gh .

M rs M aggi e M c D e rm o t t a daughter o f M rs E l
.
,
.

l en St evens mad e an anxi o us search fo r h er moth er

,
.

M rs Stevens was a wi dow and lived n ext d oor t o

.
,

M rs C osgri ff A fter a lon g an d fruitl ess search M rs

. .
,
.

M c D e rm o t t cam e to M rs Webster s fo r a suit o f d ry

'

:
1 1 6 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

C l othing saying that sh e thou ght sh e woul d b e

,

Obli ged to put o n a man s sui t becau se i t was so

di fcul t t o make h er way al on g in a woman s dress

.

Sh e was gi ven dry cl othing an d again went out I n ,

.

th e meanti me M r Webster and M r L otz had found

. .

M rs Stevens lyin g ab ou t h al f a bl o ck south east of

.
,

wh ere h er h om e had b een Sh e call ed several times : .

M aggi e ! M a ggi e ! as th e m en approach ed They .

lifted h er u p gently but sh e at once expi red b efore

, ,

M aggi e cam e I t i s supposed that th e moth er had
.

made th e tea read y and w a s exp ectin g h er d aughter

t o com e to t ea at abou t th e moment th e h ou se wa s
taken away .

Th e situati on of th e G ross h om e was su ch that

i t wa s p ossibl e t o see across th e prai ri e some di s
tan ce toward B oardman M r Gross was not at h ome . . .

Th e oth er inmates o f th e h ouseh ol d consi stin g of

M rs Gross h er dau ghter and granddau ghter s a w
. . ,

cl ouds in th e sky b efore sitting down to supper Th e .

cl oud th en seemed to b e s o m e di stanc e away and

'

was apparently hi gh er than th e tree top s across th e

street I t rain ed som e an d th en hailed an d as th e
.
, ,

ai r was b ecomin g h eavy and dark M rs Gross sai d , .

sh e exp ected a h eavy hail storm T h e gra n dda u gh .

t er sai d O h grandma ; I want some hailston es
, .

C an t I get som e out h ere

? N o sai d M rs Gross , . .

D on t open that south door because I think th e

wind will bl ow from that di recti on A fte r awhil e we .

can get som e A l l had l eft t h e tabl e and were

.

looking out M rs Gross th en retu rned to th e tabl e

. .
1 1 8 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

of a steam whi stl e I ran down cellar and dodged .

,

und er a box T h e gi rl s put th e ir h eads behind a

,
.

h eavy barrel .

T h e h ous e w a s taken u p b odily carri ed to th e ,

south east an d broken into splinters

,
T h e young .

p eopl e climbin g nimbly o u t o f th e cell ar one sayin g , ,

L et s get o u t o f thi s

M rs Gross climb ed out . .
,

an d walked alon g and not makin g ou t j ust wh er e ,

sh e was narrowl y escap ed falli n g into th e well from

, ,

whi ch th e top had b e en taken l evel with th e littl e ,

pi ece of walk n ext to it A qui ck warning from h er .

d au ght er saved h er from taki n g th e next step whi ch ,

mi ght have p roved a fatal on e T h ey pi cked u p some .

comforters an d j u st a s th ey h ad th em in th ei r arms
,

th e col d wave o f win d an d rai n lit erally took th em

of f th ei r feet an d mad e them gasp for breath C ud
,
.

dlin g down o n th e groun d togeth er an d coveri n g ,

up wi th th e comfort ers th ey waited fo r th e rain to ,

cease ; but it kept o n so l on g that th e y at l ast go t up

an d waded across th e street to M r Web ster s .

.

Th ere were t w o organ s standin g in th e west room

o f th e Gross resi d en ce o n e bel onging to M rs Si m , .

Co x of whi ch th e mirror and tw o o r three spindl es

,

were foun d a bl ock away ; o f th e oth er only a l ittl e

stri p o n whi ch were th e stops was ever seen O n e
, , .

carp et from thi s h ouse w a s found t w o bl ocks to th e

north east A ll dish es were broken but a glass vin e
.
,

gar cruet came o u t whol e w i th th e vin egar i n it , .

M r Gross w a s at Ri ce L ak e durin g th ese occu r

.

re n c e s T h e pr opri etor o f th e hotel wh ere h e w a s

.
 S TO R I E S O F TH E PA R TI C I PAN T S . I 19

stoppin g heard of th e cycl on e o n M onday evenin g ,

but kept th e n ews from M r Gross until n ext morn .

in g knowin g that h e coul d n o t get t o hi s family until

,

Tu esday What a si ght met hi s eyes wh en h e arri v ed !

.

T h e anxi ety o f peopl e Wh o h eard th e n ews o f havoc

and death and were delay ed in getting here w a s some
thin g hardly to be imagi ned Wh en M r Gross ar . . .

rived B ernard Webst er also got o ff th e trai n T h ere

,
.

wa s littl e u se i n askin g q u esti on s of th e crowds at th e

imp rovi sed stati on B oth ran at th ei r great est speed
.

to thei r h om es Fortunately for th em n o n e of th ei r

,
.

imm ediat e famili es had received bodily inj uri es .

M rs A nthony Early was v i siting at h er fath er s

.

hou se n ear th e cemetery whi ch i s i h th e s o uth east

, ,
i

ern pa rt o f th e ci ty H er moth er was not well and.

,

M rs Early had bu si ed h ersel f attendin g to a ffairs

.

abou t th e h ou se and wai t in g u pon h er moth er u ntil

it wa s too lat e to reac h hom e M r H ennesy an d hi s . .

son whose daughte r A l i ce o r L illi e was at M rs Ear

,
.

ly s h om e cam e into th e yard i n hi s bu ggy wh en i t

w a s seen that th e storm wa s ri gh t at han d A fter .

a fe w mom ent s o f s 11S p e n s e and anxi ety enhanced ,

by th e separation from th ei r famili es M r H enn esy ,

.

an d M rs Early started out in th e bu ggy to l ook for

-

th ei r children Wh e n th ey pi cked th ei r w a y al on g
.

an d s a w som e p eopl e lyi n g on th e ground M rs E a m ,

.

says she seem ed to l ose her feelin g H er b rot h e r h e .

cam e confu sed an d th ey could n ot tel l wh ere! h er

,

h ouse had been T hey dr o ve Over to th e E J T h o m p

. . .

son hou se then d ecid ed t o go back to th eir fath er s

,

.
1 20 A M O D E R N H E R CULA NE U M .

T he el der M r H enn esy went on to l o c ate th e h ou se

. .

T h ere we re found si ghts too dreadful for a wife a n d

moth er to behol d but sh e soon foll owed to attend to
.

th e survivors of her family M r Early w a s not th ere ; . .

that was all sh e kn ew about him B ut women coul d .

n ot give w a y to th ei r feelings T here were so fe w .

t o care for th e wound ed that th ey had t o strai n ever y

n erve to k eep up and keep at work T h e Early home .

w a s a large n e w one situated about t w o blocks south

,

an d two blocks west of th e bu si ness portion T h e cel .

lar had b een partiti on ed o ff into di fferent room s by

board partiti ons T h o se who w ere in t he c e lla r w e re

L izzi e Rosell a A li ce and Fred Early M i ss N elli e

, , ,

P add en an d L illi e H enn esy ni eces of M rs Early T h e ,

. .

hou se all went an d th e mat ch ed board partiti o ns were

,

ripped t o pi eces an d taken out of th e cellar Even th e .

chimney was moved from i t s fou ndati on and th e ,

bri cks deposit ed outsi de th e foundati on wall A lon g .

here th e upward su ction was i mmen se Fred Early .

,

L illi e H ennesy M is s P a dde n and Rosella Early were

,

severely h urt Fred s wound ( up on th e h ead ) w a s th e

.

most seri ou s M i ss P a dde n s arm wa s broken M r

.

. .

B eal M r Farrell M r H athaway and M r I rvin g

,
.
,
. .

L otz were soon on th e ground to h elp T h e th ree .

rst menti oned gentl emen had lived i n th e vi cinity

o f th e Early h ome T h e l ast M r L otz lived on S ec
.
,
.
,

o n d street n ear th e C atholi c church and west of

, ,

th e destroyed portion but had taken hi s family i nto,

th e cellar for safety H e had ventured out i n time t o

.

see th e house o fJohn C lark go up H e called to hi s .

1 22 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

si ght of th e ro w of h omeless li ttl e ones hol din g hands ,

.

an d happ enin g to b e arranged lik e steps each one ,

sh ort er to th e end o f the lin e Sh e rememb ers h o w .

th ey went al on g stumblin g over th e timb ers an d fal len

tr e es n o w up n o w d own still clin ging to each other
, , .
.

poor littl e fri ghtened creatures .until th ey were al l

gath ered togeth er by th e lil ac b u sh T hings seemed .

so qu eer ; a s if w e were not ourselves L izzi e sai d , ,

but as i f w e were actin g i n som e story an d di d not ,

know what was comin g n ext .

M r L otz thou gh t it woul d b e best for al l to t ry

.

~
to go somewh ere to ge t un der cover B ut L i z zi e di d .

n o t want to l eave th e place u nti l h er fath er w a s found .

Sh e th ou gh t h e mu st still b e in th e cellar M r L otz . .

mad e a careful search but di d not nd M r Earl y

. . .

B y thi s ti me M i ss P adden ha d faint ed M r L otz . .

carri ed h er and Fred with th e assistanc e of M r Rob

, .

erts and Jud ge H ou gh and L i zzi e carri ed L illi e T h e

,
.

w a y wa s rough and th e littl e bu rd en so h eav y for

h er that many tim es L i zzi e al most sank by th e way .

B ut th e littl e gi rl ch eered h e r on and directed w h ere ,

th ey S houl d go T h e wound s of Fred seemed bad

.

f rom th e rst but L illi e s di d not appea r t o b e so

.

seri ou s th ough S h e wa s th e rst to succumb I t i s

,
-
.

th ou ght th at h er d eath w a s largely th e resul t o f fright

and shock .

Wh en th ey had all rea ch ed M r W e b s t e r s place

th e n ext important thin g wa s to secure th e servi ces

of a physi ci an Eddi e D esmon d who wa s on e of
.
,

Fred s fri end s came as soon a s h e h eard of hi s mi s

,
 S TORIES OF TH E PA R TI C I P AN T S . 1 23

fortun e an d mad e it h i s bu sin ess t o assi st by watch

,

i n g for th e trains and securin g th e rst ai d availabl e .

S o Eddi e wat ch ed an d wai ted until h e w a s success

ful i n b rin gin g som e o n e to att end hi s fri end A l l .

that dreary ni ght M rs Earl y l on ged fo r tidin gs of h er .

hu sban d N V o u ld h e n ever come

.
? C oul d n ot som e
on e bri n g Som e word M eanwhil e h er time was o c
?

c u p ie d in waiti ng upon th e oth er memb ers o f h er

I n th e mornin g wh en th e i nmat es of th e dwel l,

in gs l eft standing west of town coul d see far out across

-

th e l ots lyi n g to th e eastward a lady l ookin g from , ,

h er door s aw a youn g woman wanderi n g about th e

,

st reets weepin g bitt erly H al f timi dly an d with a p

. .
.

pa rent uncertainty whi ch way to tu rn sh e went rst .

in on e directi o n and th en i n anoth er M oved a t t h e .

si ght of h er gri ef th e lady went t o h er an d asked

, ,

i f sh e coul d render any assi stan ce O h moaned .
,

t h e girl I want t o n d my fath er ! M y broth er i s
,

dyin g O h i f I coul d only n d my fath er !
.
,
N ot
bein g abl e to o ffer any consolation s o overcome w a s ,

sh e by th e knowl ed ge that th e gi rl s fath er had been

found dead th e lady sai d littl e but h er h eart a ched

, ,

for t h e b e re a v e d girl a s sh e went down th e street to

'

wh ere lay th e ruin s of h er h om e For a l ong tim e S h e .

sough t l ookin g under a n d aroun d every h eap ; th en

.

sl owl y return ed an d went to w h ere l ay her i nj ured

broth er I n a sh ort time sh e w a s seen foll o w i n g a
.

couch carri ed b y t w o men Th ey were takin g th e

,
. ,

*
S e a
e u nt f M s Wb s t
cco o r . e er .
1 24 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M ;

boy to th e h ospital train aft er the Op erati on whi ch , ,

i t ha d been h oped wou ld s a v e h is life B u t fat e had

'

d ecreed that he S h oul d b e anoth er vi cti m of th e cru el

storm T he feebl e h and of man was powerl ess t o
.

save H e was pla ced on th e car an d even started on

.
'

th e way to St P aul but it w a s soon re aliz e d t h a t h e

.
,

woul d n ot l ive t o reach th e end of hi s j ourney an d ,

h e was b rou ght ba ck A s h e was bein g carri ed from

.

th e t rai n for th e last time h e sai d M oth er ! an d
passed away .

A ft er M r L otz had h elp ed th e Earl y family h e

.
,

went on t oward th e south east and h elp ed ,

Returnin g toward th e n orth h e found th e bodi es of ,

th ree youn g ladi es whom h e supposed t o b e th e

M i sses H awki ns an d M i ss Rin g i n di fferent places ,
.

O ne w as in th e street und er a timber whi ch h e moved

, ,

with th e assi stan ce of anoth er man whose nam e I ,

have n ot l earned A noth er was furth er toward s th e

.

O maha d epot only h er face b ein g vi sibl e b efo re h e

,

moved w h a t h a d fall en up on h er body an d th e last ,

w a s lyin g across th e railroad track T hey placed .

th ese bodi es near t ogeth er M r L otz th en went on . . .

toward th e n orth and assi sted variou s p ersons H e

,
.

h eard nothin g sai d ab out down town as ever y on e ,

wa s n din g all h e coul d do and not talking mu ch ; , ,

but o n askin g th e qu esti on H o w are things d own

town ? received as an swer Everythi ng i s at As ,

h e n eared M r B rass cellar h e h eard a w oman s voi ce

.

from th ere callin g : Mr B ell ! M r B ell !

T hi s . .

S e e t h nd in g f M s E ll n S t v n s
*
e o r . e e e .
1 26 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

a battered tin pai l and got som e water i n it and , ,

wash ed my fa ce M r Well s came and found a sac k . .

,

of our whi ch h e p ut u nd er my h ea d I b egan to

,
.

feel b ett er Th en M r B u shn ell and M r A lb ee cam e

. . .
,

and took me to M r B u sh nell s h ouse an d my da u gh.

ter foll owed with di fculty,i n th e face of th e win d an d

rain I S h all n ever forget th e kindn ess of M r and
. .

M rs B ush nell and above all that of my H eave n ly

.
, , ,

Fath er wh o h as been so m erci ful a s to spare our lives

, .

M y praye r is that thi s great calami ty may b e t h e

m eans of drawi ng us all n earer to him .

M rs T L R u tty relates th e following : We went

. . .

to th e cellar H az el ou r littl e daughter aged nine

.
, , ,

went do w n rst M r Rutty was on t h e pl atform a t

. .

th e head of th e stairs and I was part wa y down wh en ,

th e hous e fell I was so compl etely buri ed tha t I

.

coul d not sti r n or see anythin g I p rayed Oh .
, ,

L ord ! spare o u r lives until I smell ed th e smoke ,

an d th en I prayed L ord tak e u s qui ckly b efore , ,

w e burn to d eath ! I had a bi g re i n th e range

-

w hi ch h ad b een th rown over o u r h ead s i nto th e c ellar

with u s I h eard H az el maki n g a strange noi se b e
.
,

tween a shri ek and a groan p erhap s lik e th e noi se ,

Sometimes made by a p erson i n a terri bl e ni ghtmare ,

full of frigh t and t error th en I h ea rd M r Rutty say ,

.
,

Wh ere i s you r moth er

'

? O h I d o n t kn ow ; I

don t kn ow S h e cr ied I call ed as l ou d as I coul d

,

.
.

but th ey di d not h ear m e I shall n ever forget th e .

"

h orror of that awful tim e I t seem ed hours but o f .

,

course i t coul d not have been wh en I h eard another ,

 '

ST O R I E S O F T H E PA R T I C I PAN T S .
1 27

voi ce I t was M r C hilds H e i s a poor frai l si ck

. . .
, ,

man b ut h e worked u nti l h e go t m e o u t M r Rutty

, . .

h elp ed b u t h e had had a bad bl ow o n t h e h ea d and

, ,

w a s som ewha t dazed I coul d only be gotten out .

limb by l imb b ecau se o f th e thi ckly pa cked n e de

,

bri s around m e A t last M r C hil d s assi sted m e o u t

. .

b y my pl acin g my l eft arm aroun d hi s S houlder ( m y

r i ght arm wa s hu rt so I coul d not u se it ) pla ced me ,

o n a timb er that proj ect ed o u t o f th e cellar and I ,

crawl ed alon g up o n i t Wh en I got o n my feet h e .

l eft us to h el p oth ers We met hi m afterward s help .

,

i ng M r D ot y al on g H az el had di sapp eared M r

. . . .

Rutty sai d : T h ere are som e h ou ses standing toward
th e west I think we had b etter go that way
. We .

intended to go w est bu t i nstead went di rectly east , .

There was a p r o vid ence in that becau se i f we had ,

go ne west we S h oul d have st epped i nto o u r cistern

al l un covered and full o fwater We th ought o fgoi n g .

to M r Kib b ie s but saw th e ho u se was badly shat

.

t e re d so we went to M r S c h u e r s wh ere w e s a w oth

.
, ,

ers goi n g in O l d M r Earl y l ay on th e oor a nd

. .
,

M r Rutty lay b esid e him throu gh th e ni ght They

. .

found a ch enill e curt ain t o put arou nd m e but I coul d ,

not get dry cloth es that ni ght T h e house w a s dam .

aged and n early everythin g wet

,
I wa s chill ed .

th rou gh M r Early complain ed of t h e col d and at

. .
,

interval s call ed to M r Rutty : Well comrade h o w
'

.
, ,

are you I n th e mornin g M r Rutty got up and s a t .

in a chai r and wh en M r Early s fri end s cam e in h e

,
.
,
 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M
.

sai d : I had a comrad e b esid e m e last n ight ; wh ere

is he
? D uri n g th e ni gh t h e had lift ed u p hi s voi ce
an d p rayed : O h L ord ! Thou hast shown me many
"

m erci es ; my life has b een full of m e rci es N o w oh .

, ,

L ord ! grant m e th e m ercy o f taking m e to thyself .

H e was call ed h om e a day o r two afterwards H e
.

w a s th e fath er o f M rs H awkins . .

We di d n t know wh ere H azel was an d it w a s

u seless to try to nd anyon e that ni ght I n th e morn .

ing M r Ru tty went to th e ch urch to l ook for h er

.
,

feari n g that sh e was amon g th e i nj u red or dea d .

T here h e foun d out wh ere s h e was Sh e t o ld u s .

afterward s that S h e crawl ed out th rough a littl e hole ,

and S aw h er papa sittin g down h oldin g hi s head Sh e .

di d not h ear m e call Then S h e h ad wand ered unti l

.

'

s o m eo n e fo u n d h er wh om S h e knew and sh e went ,

with th em A lth ough I h a d sm ell ed th e smok e b e

.

fore I was tak en from th e cellar o n l ooki ng back and ,

seein g th e re streamin g up I di d not realiz e that I

s a w my o w n h o u s e burnin g I th ou gh t o f i t as some
'

oth er p erson s hou se I coul d n ot locat e my self and

.
,

was surpri sed wh en I s a w th e rui ns burn ed .

M rs Rutty fel t su ch a horro r of thi s pla ce ( h er

.

ol d h om e ) after h er experi en ce that sh e di d n ot wi sh

t o rebuil d on th e spot .

M r Early fath er of M rs H awkins recoll ected

.
, .
,

th e ci rcumstance of M rs H awki ns op ening th e door .

wh en h e sat o n th e porch an d u rgin g hi m to come

in H e wa nted to tak e o n e more l ook at th e cl oud
.
.

and sai d so ; th en w ent i n and M rs H awkins closed ,

.
 S T O RI E S O F TH E PA R T I C I PAN T S .
1 29

th e door That w a s all h e rememb ered until h e came

.

to at M rs Sc h u e re r s H e w a s fou nd north o f th e
.

.

kitch en oor whi ch was m oved to th e northwest , .

M rs H awkins w a s foun d furth er northwest tangl ed

.
,

i n tel egra ph wire an d Walter stil l furth er north I t , .

i s not known wh eth er Wal ter w as at h om e at t h e time ,

o r wh ether h e had gon e after hi s c o w Th e young .

l adi es th e Mi sses H awkins an d M i s s Rin g were s een

, ,

by D r Sh erman s family t o pass th e ho u s e runnin g

.

.

Th ei r pa ra sol s e w away fro m th em I t i s not known

'

wh eth er t h ey r ea ch ed th ei r y ard o r not probably

n ot I t is onl y known that th ey p eri sh ed What

. .

c a n w e say of a hom e d epriv ed of its guiding star it s

'

l ovely h om e m akers and its you ngest child ? Su rely

-

its li ght has fail ed !

Th e h om e of M r H i ra m Warner Wa s on th e

west ern sid e of th e city Th e bl ow came upon th em .

so S hortly after th ey noti ced th e cloud th at th ey hardl y

realized what h a d happ en ed A fter th e roari ng w a s .

h eard M r W arner went t o th e barn to see to hi s

.

h orses and retu rnin g went q ui c k ly down cellar M r

, ,
. .

B en tly wh o was w orki n g th ere th ough t th e noi se

, ,

sounded li ke car s but M rs Warner s imp r e ssion Of >

, .

th e sou nd was that i t was like that o f a great water

fall S he n oti ced a hissing like th at of r u shin g w ater
. .

( M rs B artl ett.whose hom e was also on th e west side

, ,

sp eaks of th e hi ssin g as b ein g au dibl e to h er ) I n .

abou t th ree mi nutes after th e stor m M r Wa rn er went

.

out again t o see to hi s h orses Th e ba rn was gone from .

i ts foundations I t h ad apparen tly b een stru ck from th e .

*
Sin c e d e cea s e d .

9
1 3 0 A M O DE R N H E R CULAN E U M .

n orthwest as a part of it was south of th e house and

,

a part of i t fu rth er ea st n ear th e ol d sch ool hou se , ,

thu s sh owing th e directi on of th e whi rl Th e horses .

Still h a d th ei r hal ters on ti ed to parts of th e manger , ,

whi ch dragged o n th e ground Th e ol d h orse w a s .

o n i ts f eet eatin g g rass . Th e colt stood still alth ou gh .

,

som ewh at in j u red Mi ss B etsy C lapp s girl cam e .

over a fter M r Warn er t o ta ke th e rock o ff of M i ss

.

C lapp an d A l ex D avis h er n eph ew so th e y coul d .

, ,

g e t o u t A ll h ad b een i n th e cellar togeth er M i ss

. .

C lapp s sh oul d er was inj ured o r b roken You coul d

.

n ot h ave tol d wh eth er th ey were wh ite or col ored .

th ey were so cover e d with mu d M i ss Cla pp s h o u s e .

was all gon e Th e y went to M r Warn er s an d

. .

.

s t a y e d over ni gh t Ju d g e H ough s and M r D oty s .

.

folk s were h ere al so M rs H ough wa s con sid erabl y . .

inj u red an d was tak en to M inn eapol is a fter a day or

.

tw o .

Jud g e H ou gh s statement I have n ot b een abl e

t o secu re in hi s own writi n g b ecau se h e says I coul d .

not read it H e cl aim s rival ry i n thi s parti cul ar with

.

only on e h on ored ge n tle m a n in thi s co n gressi onal '

di stri ct and says h e can t read hi s o wn writin g

,

.

B ut h e says I will t ell y o u o n e thi ng : I am
, ,

willin g to own th at I was fri ghtened S om e say th ey .

were n ot b u t t o see su ch a l ookin g cl ou d and to

,

h ear su ch a n oi se was enou gh to fri ghten a n yon e I .

was driving my cow h om e ; and M r Taft s fol ks call ed .

m e i n I s aw that I coul d not reach h om e though

. ,

I woul d have don e s o i f I could b ecau se my wi fe was ,

1 3 2 A M O D E R N H E R C U LAN E U M .

before th e secon d bl ow came up I coul d see that .

th e h ouses w ere gon e along wh ere th e Tafts had lived .

I went rst to th e C hild s place wh ere I had relatives

, ,

an d found th ey had been in th eir cell ar and w ere not

harm ed but th ei r h ou se was gone I th en started
,
.

north towards th e res I heard groan s an d looking .

,

into a cellar saw M rs M c G ra t h Sh e was abl e to. .

speak b u t di d n o t seem to know what had happ en ed

,
.

Sh e asked wh ere h er hu sban d and child ren were .

When I tri ed to a ssi st h er i n gettin g out h er ba ck ,

seemed so badly h urt sh e coul d not easily ri se H o w .

ever I got h er o u t o f th e cell ar I saw th e body of

,
.

a youn g lady lyi n g with th e h ead to th e east alm ost

over th e wall j ust o n th e verge of fal ling o ff H er
.

h ead had apparently been hit by somethin g v ery

h eavy and sharp j udging from th e nature o f th e t er
,

ribl e wound I strai gh tened h er out I s a w al so the

. .

body o fa child about ve years ol d A ll th e cl othing

,
.

was o ff except a li gh t und ershi rt I coul d not see .

a brui se upo n th e b ody I t was lyin g o n th e north .

sid e of a pil e o f splinters apparently d ebri s o f th e ,

h ou se I placed thi s body on a b oard besi d e that o f

.

th e young lady I found som e tabl e li nen and p ut

.

over th em Th e two Mc G ra t h m en were about forty

.

feet from Wh ere th e women lay Th e on e who was .

hu rt l east ha d th e h ead o f th e oth er i n hi s lap and ,

w a s dippin g water from a h ol e in th e ground and

bathin g hi s foreh ead I saw I coul d not d o more for
.

th em with out h e lp so I went down town an d found

, ,

Ed L yn ch and asked him to come and h elp O n

.
, .
 S T O RI E S OF T H E PA R T I C I PAN T S . 1 33

my way back I h eard a w o man groaning I think it .

wa s M rs Sta ck . Sh e was dou bl ed up so that h er

.

l ower limbs were over h er h ead I strai ghten ed th em .

down and s a w a large zi g za g woun d In h e r foreh ead .

A two b y fou r wa s thru st int o h er hip from b elow

,

upward di agonally We went t o li ft h er on to a com

,
.

f o rt er wh en sh e stopped groanin g O ne man placed

,
.

his hand on h e r h eart and sai d Sh e is d ead So w e , ,
.

wrapp ed th e com fo rt er aroun d h er and l eft her in , ,

orde r to care fo r th e livin g We carri ed M rs M c . .

Grath i nto M r E J T homp son s hou se th en went

. . .

back to see i f w e could h elp th e m en O n e of th em .

w a s wal kin g wh en w e came back ; before that h e had

been sitting with hi s back again st a timb er we .

placed th e oth er one on a mattress in th e wagon and -

h e wa s taken away I then; went d o wn town and .

h el p ed th ere Whi l e I w a s h el ping th ere o n e b oy was

.

taken out al ive and two dead I found M r C onstan ce . .

about that tim e so exh au sted that h e was not abl e

,

to wal k h om e H e ha d a cut on his h ea d but had

.
,

com e ba ck h ere t o work after h e found hi s home

safe and had not n ot i ced hi s wound until h e w a s
,

ti red out I took him h om e and retu rned to work

.
,

near th e bu rnin g di stri ct Th ere were t w o or three .

m en unknown to m e taken o u t before I l eft whi ch ,

w a s about twelve o cl ock

.

M rs M c G ra t h and M i ss N elli e M c G ra t h each tak

.
,

ing a chi ld attempted to go to th e cellar M rs M c

, . .

Grath ran back to cal l Ru ssell and so th ey were

a littl e l ate Russel l di d not go with them M r

.
. .
1 34
. A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

N ick Mc G ra t h lived west of M r William M c G ra t h

. . .

H i s family stayed on th e l o west oor an d did not try ,

to go into th e cellar H is hou se wa s tak en up and .

m oved west until i t stru c k a tree wh en th e sup er ,

str uctu re Went to pieces leaving th e fa m ily unhur t ,

on th e oor T h e family of M r Wi lliam M cG ra t h

. .
,

livi ng on e hal f bl ock east started for th e cellar but

-

.
, ,

only reach ed th e cellar door wh en th e house wa s ,

dash ed to pi eces an d n early al l of th em d ep osited i n

,

hi s broth er s cella r three bein g kill ed Th e baby

, .

wa s not foun d until th e n ext day Russell Mc G ra t h .

,

wh o wa s up stairs in b ed was blow n on e an d one half ,

bl ocks southwest and deposited i n a neighbor s gar ,

den unharmed A singular f ea t u re i n th e case o f

,
.

th ese famili es wa s that th ey were carri ed westward ,

althou gh on th e w estern sid e of th e center of th e tor

n ado .

M r H enry B eal was at hi s barn milkin g A lady

.
, .

wh o was boardin g at hi s house s aw th e storm a p

p ro a c h in g and said,
to th e hou semai d : T ell M r .

B eal to com e in Th ere i s goin g to be a bad storm
. .

M r B eal th ought h e woul d not com e in u ntil h e had

.

ni shed milkin g Th e lady call ed to him a gain and.

,

sai d h e mu st com e in b ecau se th ere was a cycl on e ,

.

coming M ore to pl ease th e women than becau se

.

h e was afrai d M r B eal w ent in and j ust a s h e di d

,
.
,

so h e s aw M rs D ayto n s h ou se i n th e air and before

.

h e got i nt o th e cellar hi s own hou se was lift ed from

its foundati on for a distan ce verti cally i nto th e ai r , ,
.

I f i t had gon e diagonally h e woul d have gone with

1 3 6 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

old man lying on hi s back i n th e mid dl e of th e street

( or wh ere th e street had been ) j ust breathi n g hi s la st , .

O n th e W S Williams corn er was a man with hi s h ead

. .

severed and lyin g b eside hi s body

,
I crossed th e rai l .

r o ad tra ck and crawl ed und er th e roots of a large

cottonwood tre e that stood i n front of th e M erchants
H ot el ruin s to get sh elt ered from th e d renchin g rain
.

a minute M N O B rie n cam e al on g an d in q uired

. . .

wh ere hi s h ou s e w a s I went wi th him an d w e fo u n d

'

.
,

hi s c ella r but coul d n o t n d any tra ce of hi s family

,
.

I n ext saw Th omas Farrel l an d wh at was l eft of hi s

family sittin g und er a pi ece o f th e r o of of a h ou se .

Th e n ext sad si gh t was M rs C osgri ff lyin g in th e .

,

st reet i n a dyi n g conditi on I next a rriv e d a t th e

, .

h om e of M rs C li fton ( my wi fe s mother ) an d found

.

th e place in ruin s an d n o t ra ce o f th em I th en went .

t o B yron Web ster s an d foun d th em all ri ght We

.
,

started fo r my h om e an d m et with m a ny sad S i gh ts ,

.

A mon g th e sad d est wa s T h omas Rowe standing with ,

h ea d c o vere d with a Sh eet besid e hi s d ead wi fe i n th e

yard Wh en w e reach ed home w e foun d th e hou se
.

ll ed with d ead an d dyin g p eopl e and were glad th ere ,

were som e h o u s e s a n d p eopl e l eft t o care for th e dead

an d dyin g We all worked li ke d emons al l ni gh t try
.
,

i ng t o rescu e th e inj ured from th e am es that overtook

som e o f ou r dearest fri en ds and relatives before th ey
could b e rescu ed T h e h eart of th e n ation seemed t o
.

th rob with sympathy fo r u s i n o u r troubl es as evi ,

de n c e d by th e n obl e assi stan ce th ey have rend ered ,

esp ecial ly o u r si ster stat e Minnesota ,

.
 S TO R IE S OF TH E PA R TI C I PAN T S . 1 37

M rs B lan ch er s broth er M r Elvi n L evings and

.

, .
,

hi s fa m ily were i n th e cellar of th e B el l h ou se o n th e ,

astern limit of t h e st orm W h ere it entered town T h e , .

enti re hou se ( a large o n e ) was moved directly east ,

up on th e foundati on th ree or four feet a littl e fur , ,

th er at th e s o uth end than at th e north M r L ev i n gs .

'

says h e h eard th e gratin g soun d as near l ike th e keel ,

.

of a boat gratin g upon th e sh ore as anythin g coul d

b e Th ere th e h ou se still remain s I t was ren dered
. .

uninhabitabl e as th e roof w a s carri ed n o on e knows

,

wh ere and every window brok en in except on e on ,

th e north east corn er up stair s besi des b eing generally ,

twisted We have l earn ed that th e schoolhou se at

.

B arron was also moved bodily several feet from its

foundati on an d don e so ni cely th at a n e w foundati on
,

wall w a s built to i t on each si d e in st ead of movi ng i t

back I t sto o d fa cin g th e sam e way o n a n e w site
.
,
.

Rev A D A dams pastor o f th e C on gregational

. . .
,

ch urch says : ,

The parsonage was n ot in th e imm ediat e track o f
th e tornado and tr ees conceal ed th e storm center fro m
,

Vi ew Th e commoti on in th e cl oud s an d th e roar o fth e

.

approachin g storm h owever gave timely warning , , .

and we foun d refu ge i n our cel lar A fe w moments .

of darkn ess an d n oise an d o u r su sp en se was over ,

.

T h e hou se had stood b ut as w e climbed from ou r ,

-

refu ge w e fou nd windows broken doors burst Op en ,

o u r h ouse ll ed an d covered with mu d an d o u r lawn

with debris A fe w m oments expl orati on revea led

.

th e fa ct that our cit y had b een vi sited by a terribl e

 A M O D E R N H E R C ULAN E U M .

tornado S oon its rst vi ctim w a s l ed past our house

.
,

bl eeding an d torn but th e awfuln ess of th e cat as

,

tr oph e was realiz ed only wh en I reach ed th e mai n

street o f th e city an d foun d within th e area o f a
,
-

square rod four p rostrate p eople on e of whom wa s ,

dead and three almost un con sci ou s all of on e family ,

whil e among th em stood a fth try in g to di scover

some m eans of protectin g th e inj u red o nes from th e

t o rrents of rai n which were fallin g From across .

th e street th e cri es an d moan s of oth ers buri ed ,

under th e ruin s o f a ston e block attra ct ed attenti on

,

for a fe w minutes wh en I gave assistan ce i n b ear

,

i n g t o S h elter on e o f th e u nconsciou s forms rst

seen O n returni ng from thi s servi ce I st opp ed
.

at th e C ongregati onal church whi ch had b een onl y

,

parti ally destroyed and whi ch had b een al rea dy a p

,

p p a t e d t o receive th e d ead an d inj ured

ro ri H ere I .

l d m lf under th e directi on of th e s urge n ( D r

'

p a c e
ys e o .

Epl ey ) wh o was al ready p resent an d p roceeded to

, ,

p rocure d esi gnated utensil s an d arti cles for th e care

o f th e inj ured O n e after anoth er i n rapi d succes
.
,

si on th e h elpl ess form s w ere born e in unti l w e b e

, ,

cam e aware of th e large numb er wh o would have to

b e provid ed for Th e p ews of th e church w ere
.

promptly torn up an d room was made till th e vesti ,

bul e an d more than half th e oor spa ce of the au di

t o riu m were ll ed with dead an d inj ured .

T he awfuln ess of that night o f June 1 2 1 8 9 9 , ,

and o f th e n ext day withi n our sanctuary will n ever

, ,

b e forgotten P hysi cian s and nurses from n eighbor

.
1 4 0 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

h ave b een admirabl e T hose wh o l ost th ei r fri ends.

took up th e common burden and strongly a ssi st ed ,

th e l es s severely a fi cted and th e many from n ei gh

b oring country and town i n di schargin g th e n e c e s

sar y o fces of th e h our .

M r L anph ear ha d b e en waitin g o n a customer

.

at M r B e al s store T h e cu stom er w ent to th e door

.

. ,

op ened i t and started back with a yell M r L anph ear

,
. .

l ooked o u t and saw a house in th e ai r H e snatched .

a strin g o f banana s an d ran back i nto th e store H e

,
.

thinks th e buil ding mu st h ave fall en wh en h e got

about by th e stove I t w a s foun d b eside him brok en
.
,

in pi eces There was a sti ck thru st into hi s chi n so

.

that h e coul d not op en hi s mouth but h e says h e coul d ,

yell Th e charact er of th e soun d can p erhap s b e

.

imagin ed but was only o n e amon g many uncanny

,

soun ds h eard d u ring that awful ni gh t M r L an . .

p h e a r s family

were amon g th e h om el ess ones the ,

M erch ants H otel whi ch th ey kept havin g been

, ,

taken j u st th e mom ent th e family h ad go t bel o w th e

oors Getti n g o u t on th e street an d ndin g only
.
'

a h eap o f rocks w h ere th e store had b een M rs L an ,

.

p h e a r s dau ghters were franti c T h ey could do n o th .

~

in g and were l ed t o a place o f sh elter B ennett A rn

, .

q ui st h eard th e y ell s proceedi ng from th e pil e o f
stones and lookin g th ere coul d see j u st a bl ood c o y
,
-

ered face surrounded by rocks with th e oor and some ,

b roken board s lying o n t o p o f th e pil e H e ran back .

t o th e resid en ce o f M r W S William s for an axe . . . .

T h e work o f rescui ng M r L anph ear w a s very sl ow .

 S T O R I E S O F T H E PA R T I C I PAN T S .

on a ccount of the wei ght of th e debris by whi ch h e

was covered H e wa s seri ously i nj ured by bein g sub
.

j e c t e d to su ch enormou s p ressure and sustained a ,

number of severe esh wounds as w ell .

E J S cott edi tor o f the N ew R ichm on d V o ice

. .
, ,

started for h om e at th e u sual s u pp e r h o u r stoppin g '

at th e dry good s store of W S Wi lliams on busin ess . . .

H e l eft th ere and go t as far as th e M erch ants H otel ;

th en real izin g th at th e storm woul d overtak e him b e

fore h e coul d reach h ome return ed t o th e Williams .

store an d sou ght sh elter in th e c ell ar Th e building .

was o f bri ck an d ston e stron g and w ell built an d , ,

contain ed a hand some doubl e store Th ere were a .

'

number of cl erk s sh opp ers an d oth ers i n th e store

, ,

wh o sough t refuge in th e basem ent Wh en t h e .

buildin g fell M r S cott was pinned d own so h e coul d

.

n ot m ove hi s h ead or han d s b ut coul d m Ov e th e lower ,

part o f his b ody a li ttl e H e di d n ot lose consci ou s .

n ess du rin g th e three h ours th at h e remained in that

posi tion a large rock p ressin g again st hi s face a sharp
, ,

corner in dentin g the brid ge of th e n ose and coverin g

o n e eye . T w o two b y fours crossin g ba ck o fhi s h ead
-

h el d hi s neck as i n a vi se H e knew that th e res .

cuers were workin g like ti gers t o get him out and ,

call ed out oc casi onally to l et th em know wh ere h e

was H e h eard conti nually th e s ound of a handsaw
.

and th e thumpin g o f di fferent thi ngs throw n o ff from

th e pi le H e recogni zed th e voi ces of several amon g
.
,

th em M r B all M r M S B ell M r Edward s and Vi c

.
, . . .
,
.

tor Mosh er Somethin g pressed h eavily agai nst hi s

.
1
4 2 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

ch est a s i f cru shin g hi s very frame and the tim e

, ,

s eemed l ong A t last th ey got down near him and

.
,

rst lifted out Walter Farrell who was dead an d took , ,

hi m tenderly t o hi s m oth er wh o h ad b een soothi n g ,

th e woes of oth ers whil e Sh e waited to l earn the ex

tent o f h er own a fi cti on Th en th ey work ed for .

M r S cott again Wh en it was seen that h e woul d

. .

soon b e taken out som e on e mindful of th e l ong and

, ,

tedi o u s h ou rs whi ch had passed and th e e fforts M r , .

S cott h ad mad e i n calli n g out to mak e known hi s

wh ereab outs j ud ged h e woul d b e thirsty and th at
. ,

even a p oor sub stitute for a good drink of water would

be wel com e an d ra n fo r a cl oth moiste n e d with water
. , ,

to wipe o ff hi s m outh M r S cott i n th e mid st of th e . .

.

grim e whi ch covered everythi ng an d everyb ody e s

p e c ia lly him sel f p rovok ed a smil e by obj ecti n g t o

th e cl oth b eca u se it was dirty
. .

M eanwhil e a s M rs Scott was wonderin g wh ere .

h er hu sband was an d was u nabl e t o get any denite

,

i nformati on M r and M rs Rob erts came i n Th e y

,
. . .

had but l at el y b ou gh t and furni sh ed a l arge h ou se

in N e w Ri c h mon d an d m o v ed into i t l eavi n g th ei r
. .

cou ntry hom e at B urkhardt s W h ere th ey had lived a

l ong tim e N o w th ey had reason t o Wi sh th ey had

.

n ever l eft th e farm .

Mi ss Emma Rob erts opened th e trap do or fo r h er

fath er and m oth er to go into th e cellar A fter h er .

parents h ad descend ed th e d oor was d rawn shut M i ss .

R ob erts mad e a great e ffort to open th e d oor pul ling ,

hard u pon th e rin g whi ch was su ch a on e as i s com

,
1 44 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

an d worked as i f for th eir v ery own We cannot too .

earn estly th ank th ese nobl e women .

M r Waldo M osh er d escri bes hi s e x p e rie n c e s a s

.

follows

I was i n my room cha ngin g my cl othi ng I ,
.

h eard th e roarin g althou gh n ot very plai nly as I was

, ,

o n th e north si d e of th e h ou se H astily puttin g on .

some cl othin g I C losed th e window an d started down

,

stai rs Just a s I di d so th e gla ss broke and as I ,

reach ed th e hall d o or a pi ece of plaster fell from th e

ceilin g A s I went d own I glan ced out o fth e wi ndow
.
,

an d s a w th e trees b ent an d broken toward th e east .

Wh en I go t d own O W w a s l ooking o u t t h e
. .

south window H e had been standi ng th ere l ookin g

.
,

o u t duri n g th e passage o f th e cloud

, I s aw that th e .

barn was moved with all its contents about fty feet
, ,
.

Vi ctor came very soon after from D r Epl ey s and .

said as h e cam e in : M ai n street i s at ! I started
,

fo r th e el evator across th e railroad bri dge an d noti ced

, ,

that th e N i collet H ous e was down T h e brid ge whi ch .

I ha d b een accu stomed t o see at my ri gh t every day

wh en I went t o th e el evator w a s gon e. I felt sort of
dazed When I rea ch ed th e el evato r abou t t wo
.
,

bl ock s north I s a w that thin gs were all ri ght th ere

, ,

and turned ri ght about a n d went back a cross t h e ra il

road bri d ge and s a w that I coul d lo ok a cross every

,

thin g o n M ai n street T h en I thought of M r H i cks . . .

I Went t o hi s home rst and found that h e had ,

n o t Come I started fo r M ain str eet and met some

.
,

men bringi ng him H e was still aliv e but nearl y u n

.
,
1
4 6 A M OD E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

my foot o u t th at I woul d have been glad i f th ey had

pull ed m e o u t with out i t rath er than stay th ere l onger ,

an d h ear th e cracklin g o f a mes I sh all n ever for .

get th e j oy I fel t t o b reath e th e bl essed ai r agai n and ,

b e once more on earth .

M i ss M oran an d M i ss B utl er went upstai rs t o S h ut

th e W indows th en w ent immediately to th e basement
. ,

and start ed to go t o th e sou th sid e wh ere M r and .

M rs Willi ams an d Mi ss S cott stood M i ss L ambdi n

. .

was th e la st on e d own Sh e ha d li n gered to att en d .

t o som ethin g i n th e O fce I t wa s th ou gh t that sh e .

had remain ed t o put away th e b oo k s and sh ut th e safe .

but th e w a y th es e thin gs were found di d not ap pear

t o indi cate that S h e had su cceed ed in d o i n g so Wh en .

M i ss M oran reach ed about th e center of th e basement .

th e li g ht s went o u t and all remained stan din g wh ere

.

t h e v were M i ss B utl er an d M iss L ambdin t o th e north

.

o f M i ss M oran and a l ittl e b eyond th e cente r of th e

room M r H al ey a cl erk an d a M r D ay a travelin g

. . . . . .

man st o od som ewhat between M i ss M oran and th e

.

oth er ladi es W h en M r D ay was un covered h e lav

. .

with hi s h ead un der Mi ss B utl er s arm H e was badly

.

h urt Sh e w a s d ead H e re m emb ered that sh e had

. .

been perfectl y im movabl e from th e tim e th e li gh ts

went out as if paralyzed with fear M i ss L ambdin
. .

di d not utter a sound after enterin g th e basement .

H o w many times I have wi sh ed that all th e beauti

ful attributes of characte r coul d b e pi ctured i n some
way wh en I have been seeki n g information i n re
,

gard to th e last moments of th ese and oth ers of ou r

 S T O RI E S O F TH E PA R T I C I PAN T S . 1 47

most b eloved Thi s i s not t o b e but many of us

.
,

woul d d eem i t th e hi gh est tribut e t o m emory o f a

woman to h ave i t said as we can say of th em A ll wh o
, ,

kn e w th em were th e ir fri ends .

M r Sydn ey Foster :
.

M r M c Co y and mysel f .

were th e only p erson s i n th e ban k at th e tim e of th e

cyclon e M y attention wa s rst arrested by its b ei ng
.

s o dark I coul d n o t s ee th e gur es I was at work o n .

I stepp ed to th e wi ndow t o ascertain th e cau se wh e n ,

I di scovered a cycl on e w as o n u s I sh outed t o M r . .

M c Co y that a cycl on e was comin g We b oth ran .

o u t O fth e front d oor and j u st barel y had tim e to turn

,

th e corner of th e bank buil din g run i nto th e all ey and ,

th row ou rselves o n th e groun d b esi de M r William .

B ixby s wooden buildin g wh en th e cycl on e with all

,

i ts fury was on u s I nstantly w e were covered wi th

.

d ebri s I coul d see am es an d kn ew i f I di d n o t dig

.
,

myself ou t I shoul d b e burn e d t o death A fter w hat .

seemed a lifetime I extri cated mys elf an d im m e di

, ,

ately b egan di ggin g fo r M r M c Co y T h e rain fel l . .

i n o ods an d i t was so dark that at tim es I could not

di stingui sh him down und er th e d ebri s Wh en I .

wa s nally abl e to get him out I found hi s l eg was ,

brok en H e was so h eavy I coul d not lift an d carry

.

him to a place of safety so I was obli ged t o drag him

,

i n th at painful con dition H e mu st have endured ex

.

cru ci atin g pai n but h e qui e tly and bravely directed

,

what to d o an d h o w to d o it Wh en h e was i n a .

safe pl ace from th e re I started h om e but what a

, ,

S i ght met my eyes ! O n e vast area of wreckage ! I

1 4 8 A M OD E R N H E R C ULAN E U M .

was so b ewild ered I actually did not know wh ere to .

l ook for my h ome alth ou gh I have lived i n N e w Ri ch

,

mond twenty th ree years and am familiar with eve ry

-

n ook and corner Wh en I did reach my home I .

,

found my moth er safe sh e havin g taken refuge i n ,

th e cella r o n th e app roach of th e storm M y fath er .

had tri ed to reach h ome wh en h e s a w th e cyclone com

i ng an d su cceeded in gettin g W i thin a fe w rods of
,

th e hou se wh en it cau ght him H e j umped from th e .

wagon and dug hi s ngers i n th e gra ss an d earth and ,

wa s pounded with every conceivabl e mi ssil e H e s a y s .

h e woul d say t o him sel f C an I stand anoth er su ch ,

bl ow and woul d n erve himsel f for th e next exp ect

?

in g each woul d b e hi s last Wh en h e was abl e to get .

up it was to nd o n e of th e h orses h e had been drivi n g

dead a fe w steps from hi m hi s barn hay grai n cutt er . , , ,

and carria g e go n e an d hi s h ou se i n ruin s . .

M i ss M aud Tatro I was at th e d esk o n th e
south si de o f th e store M r K eith a travel ing man .
, ,

sai d Th ere s a cycl on e coming I f yo u want to

.

see i t com e h ere S o M r H i cks an d I went to th e

.

.

front end o fth e store and s a w th e wind comi n g M r . .

H i ck s an d M r Keith p u t u p th e awni n g an d I ran

.
.

back into th e store I don t know why I di dn t g o .

down cellar th en but I di dn t Th ey came i n and

.

.

shut th e door and things came sailin g up th e street

, .

M r H i cks sai d
. Th ere goes my peanut roaster I .

thou gh t things woul d probably y round pretty l ive

ly outdoors but I didn t thin k of a bri ck building o

, g
ing down I went and stood i n front o f th e S how
.
1 50 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

m e I threw mysel f with my ri ght hand und er m y

.

righ t ch eek an d felt things pilin g up aroun d m e M y .

l eft arm strai ght en ed o u t was pinned down to my

, ,

l eft S id e and I wa s all covered up ti ght T h e rst

,
.

thin g I di d wa s to tak e a l on g breath to see if I was

alive an d coul d breath e Th en I was afrai d a bri ck or
.

somethi n g woul d fal l into th e hol e or wh erever it ,

wa s t h e a ir cam e in an d stop it

Th en I wondered if
,
.

th e whol e t o wn w a s gon e an d di d som e pretty lively ,

praying for my moth er an d fath er I tri ed to wi ggl e .

my n gers bu t I coul dn t move th em nor my sh oul

,

ders I th ou gh t p erhap s I coul d lift up som e o f th e

.

stu ff pil ed on m e but I coul dn t move a mu scl e I

,

.

h e a rd p eopl e cryin g for h el p s o I called an d M r , ,

.

Keith ask ed i f I was hu rt an d sai d h e d get m e out ,

i f I w o ul d wait I h eard hi m th rowin g bri ck and

.

b rok en crockery away from him an d I kept hallooin g ,

s o h e wouldn t forget m e T h en I sm e ll ed smoke

.
,

and kn ew th e rubbi sh wa s on re an d exp ected to ,

burn to death Wh en th ey b egan to di g me out I

.

coul d see th e re Th ey got m e all out but on e foot

.

whi ch wa s pinn ed down by a great j oi st Th ey sawed .

and ch opp ed an d p ri ed but couldn t bud ge i t Th e

,

.

re k ept comin g n earer We ll h ave to ch op your
.

foot of th ey sai d O r you ll bu rn t o d eath
,

No
.

don t chop it o ff j u st try to pull m e out once more

.

I t will p ull your foot o ff th ey sai d Th en as th e ,

.
,

re grew hotter I sai d Well pul l i t O ff th en and
, , , , ,

th ey all pull ed m e as hard as th ey could and I came ,

o ut I th ou gh t my foot had been pulled o ff I t fel t

.
.
 S T O RI E S O F TH E PA R TI CI PAN T S .
1 51

lik e it and I was very much surpri sed to see it on

,

wh en I cam e out T h en tw o men carri ed m e h ome . .

'

We got a littl e way an d I sai d VV e ll do you kno w , , ,

W here you re going ? Yes th ey sai d

W ell I
,

.

don t I sai d for I coul dn t imagin e wh ere we were

,

,

.

from th e l ook s o f things Th e bri cks and things fall .

in g on m e had t o rn great ch unks out of my shi rt

waist I hu rt my nger and ha d a number o f scalp
.

wound s nothin g seri ou s but my foo t ; but I coul d

,

not step on th at for two weeks

M r H en ry C on stance . I was i n O J William s :

. .

store I knew th e noi se th e minute I h eard i t I ve

. .

b e e n in cycl on es before not i n t s par

( h i t 0 1 t h e C U
'

uu

try th ou gh ) Thi s i s th e fth on e an d I hop e thi s i s

,
.
,

th e last of i ts ki nd that I shall ever b e i n I said .

Th ere s a cycl on e comin g sure !

Th e oth ers ,

lau gh ed at m e an d on e sai d : I t s a train coming ,

o ver P ap er Jack b ri dge Well you ll see i n a min

,
.

ute I sai d a n d sp ran g to th e front door to look o u t

,

, .

M i ss Williams sai d : O h l et s s ee it ! L et u s see ,

i t ! We ha d about thre e minutes to get down stairs

.

Th ere w ere M i ss A bbi e Williams M rs C am eron M r ,

.
,
.

Williams Johnny H en ry hi s clerk Sather th e tinner

, , , , ,

Wal ter B rown an d James Finn egan farmers and one , ,

or t wo oth ers whose nam es I di d not know i n th e ,

store ( I can t s a y p ositively wheth er th ere were n ot

on e o r two oth ers ) and myself H enry B rown an d I , .

,

w ent out to th e edge o f th e sid ewal k to look

. I .

th ou ght th e cycl one was goin g t o com e across th e

south end of M ain street I says : B oys we are .
,
1 5 2 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

goin g to catch h ell an d I gu ess I was about ri ght,

.

I don t thi nk I ll ever see anythi ng n earer l ike i t on

thi s sid e of th e grave T h en most o f th em started .

for th e cell ar M r \V illia m s went an d turned on th e

. .

li ghts and I don t know wh ere h e went after that H e

,

.

w a s i n th e cellar w h en I s a w him n ext J o hnny H enr y .

w ent t o th e south front d oor and sh ut it T h en h e .

came t o th e n orth front door and tri ed t o sh ut that ,

but I grabb ed h ol d o f it an d put my foot i n i t so h e

coul d n o t sh ut it I w a s l eanin g o u t and want ed t o
.
.

g o in . I s a w th e porch y o ff th e Farmers H otel

an d s aw M r T obin s i mpl ement store startin g and

.

,

y ell ed : Joh nny run fo r you r li fe to th e c ellar an d
,

ran after him about twelve feet b ehin d him I think

, , .

L ooking ba ck I s a w th e south east corner o ft he build

.

in g roll in Wh en I got t o the stairway th ere were

.

fou r o r v e p eopl e sta ndin g o n th e landin g T h e .

t w o ladi es st ood n earest th e stairs I heard th e men .

urgin g th em t o go do w n I put my S h ould er a gai n st .

th em an d pu sh ed th em thinki n g w e woul d all tumbl e ,

do w n th e stai rs togeth er but th ey parted and I fel l ,

th rou gh between th em A s I w a s goi n g I sai d : Jump .

M i ss Wi lliams sai d : O h I Can t !

fo r you r live s

. ,

I Can t ! I

an d th e cra sh came S omethin g hit .

m e an d knock ed m e down o n my face I t wa s ver y .

dark d own there I think I was som ewhat stun n ed

.

fo r a moment T hen I turned my h ead a s I la y th ere

. ,

and s aw a re about hal f a s l arge as a w a t e rpa il T hen

.
.

I g o t u p T h e stai rs were th ere by my feet and I

. .

c rawl ed up toward th e t o p but my head hit what ,

1 54 A M OD E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

lyi ng and roll ed th e chimn ey O ff him H e la y across

. .

th e pa rtiti on w all hi s h ead hanging over Hi s ri gh t

. .

a rm w a s n early severed an d hi s h ead wa s brui sed . .

H i s face w a s a s bla ck a s i f h e had been d ra gged i n

th e road probably mu d o r soot M r Fink and hi s
. .

daught ers cam e runnin g from th e front o f th e store .

w ere o n th e oor O f M r Fink s st ore A re wa s

. .

w el l und er w a y n ear w h ere hi s bake oven had been

, .

T h e west w al l o f th e O J \V illia m s store fell o u t t o

. .

w ard s th e w est M r Fi nn egan wa s pi ck ed u p i n th e

. .

all ey by M r Sat her n ea r th e re M r Finnegan

.
,
. .

cannot remember w heth er h e wa s i n th e st ore wh en

i t fell o r wh eth er h e w a s near th e out er d oor I w ent .

hom e after t h i s to see i f my family w ere all ri ght and

m y h ou se standin g I found but smal l dama ge don e
.

th ere w hich was sai d t o be cau sed by t he second w ind

, .

I coul d n o t tell w h ere I wa s wh en I started o u t but ,

took th e gen eral di rection a cross an d around th e ruins

to ward th e south w est Th e only creature I n oti ced
.

sti rrin g o n my w a y th rou gh town w a s a c o w ch ewing ,

h er cu d a s th ough n othi ng had happened

M r Th oma s M u rphy o f th e t own o f Eri n l eft th e
.

O J \V illia m s store after th e alarm wa s given go t hi s

. .
,

h orse and bugg y ( standin g o n th e street ) and started

fo r h om e H e i nt end ed t o k eep th e horse goin g east
.

by the M eth odi st ch urch but S h e tu rned north per .

hap s d rawn by th e tornad o th en j u st upon them M r . .

M u rphy remembers b eing carri ed through th e ai r .

and wa s pi cked up n early a bl ock west o f th e M etho

dist chu rch hi s arm and l eg b roken Th e horse wa s
, .
 T O RI E S PA R T I CI PA N T S
'

S OF THE .
1 55

stri pp ed o f h arness a n d l ay d ead som e di stance from

,

hi m Th e buggy coul d n o t b e found

. .

Th e resi d en ce o f M r J R H end erson i n th e east . . .

,

hal f o fth e sam e bl ock with th e M eth odi st chu rch had ,

i t s n orth si d e taken o ff and hou seh ol d goods carri ed

,

no rth east Thi s appeared t o h ave b een don e by a

.

force d raw in g rath er than pu shin g north ea stward .

M r H arry H Smith
. A t ve mi nut es past six
.

'

o cloc k I started fo r h o m e fro m my o fce i n th e sec

'

o n d sto ry o f a bri ck buildin g o c c u pi e d b y M rs B E

. . .

A l d ri ch with a dru g stock at th e corn er o f M ai n a n d ,

S e cond street s west o f Main a n d south o f S econd

,
.

U p on arrivi ng at th e foot o f th e stai rs l eadin g from

th e o fce I ob ser v ed that it was ve ry dark and think
, ,

in g i t mi gh t rain b efore I coul d arri v e h ome c o n ,

cl u d ed t o remai n i n th e stai rway til l th e shower had

passed o v e r I w a s l ooki n g toward th e n orth A fter
. .

standin g th ere fo r som ething lik e a minute I shoul d ,

j udge I g lan ced around th e corn er o f th e buil din g

,

t o th e southwest t o m ore fully sati sfy mysel f o f th e

,

n earn ess o fwh at I su ppo sed t o b e an ordinary Sh ower .

Th ere I witn essed th e most b eauti ful an d overawin g

specta cl e I ever beh el d A bout ei ghty rods away I .

coul d see th e storm cl oud approach i n g W ith a hu ge .

,

exceedi n gl y dark cloud o n eith er sid e about thi rty ,

t o fo rty rod s i n h ei ght th e center a s bri ght as thou gh

,

th ou sand s o f el ectri c lights were bu rni n g ll ed wi th ,

yi n g d ebri s u pon whi ch th e l i gh t re ected a beauti

,

ful gold en col o r , th e whol e presenti n g th e app earance

o f an imm en se kal ei doscope T h e brilliant li ght wa s .
1 5 6 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

undoubtedly cau sed by th e su n s rays p enetratin g th e

inky black cl oud A S harp crackling sound was di s

.

c e rn a b le n ot unli ke that a ccompanyin g a bri sk re

, .

O ne glan ce wa s a su f ci ent warnin g I imme .

dia t e ly hasten ed i nto M rs A l dri ch s store and pro

.
.

c e e de d to go to th e basem ent i nviti ng h er to aecom,

pany m e a n i nvitati on sh e did n ot h esitat e to accept .

for by thi s time sh e w a s becomin g som ewhat fri ght

en ed because of th e i n creased darkn ess Wh en we .

had n early reach ed th e foot of th e stai rs I h eard a

crash i n front o f m e as o f on e large store strikin g
.

upon an oth er From that tim e I must have been

.

un con sciou s ( prob ably for n ot more than a fe w sec

o n ds h owever ) for aft erward s I was arou sed from
, ,

my stupor by M rs A l d ri ch askin g m e i f I w a s h urt

. .

I respond ed that I di d n o t appear t o b e mu ch hurt .

but that I wa s fa sten ed down by th e arm so I coul d

n o t escape and that my h ead w a s saturated with ker
,

o s e n e oil Just th en w e sm ell ed th e smoke of burnin g

.

re and realized that th e building above u s ha d col

,

lapsed an d that a re had started cl ose by I h eard .

what I t ook t o be th e n oi s e o f roarin g ames but

, ,

M rs A l dri ch con sid ered i t ( what I know i t mu st have

.

been ) an exceedingl y h eavy rain A s soon a s I d e .

t e c t e d th e smoke I con cluded that w e had no possibl e

chan ce of escap e and w e both con si gned o u r soul s to
,

th e care o f o u r great C reator M rs A l drich h o w . .

,

ever di d n o t give up all hop e for sh e kept u p a c o n

, ,

stant cry for h el p I cri ed o u t occa si onally but more

.
,

fo r th e rea son that it seemed to m e unmanly not to as

1 58 A M OD E R N H E R C U LAN E U M .

She informed him th at I was th er e S oon a man .

,

wh ose voi ce I recogniz ed as that of ou r A ssemblyman

O W M osh er in q ui red of me i f I was th ere I in
. .
, .

formed him that I wa s and endeavored as fa r as possi

.

bl e to assist him i n locatin g my positi on I n a mom e nt .

h e with oth ers were in th e basement at work By th i s .

time it was e v ide n t t h a t th e ames were gettin g u n

'

comfortably close as th e smok e was very strong B e

, .

side som e weak kneed b roth er on th e outsi de was

,
-

mom entarily ex claimin g t o thos e on th e insi d e that ,

whatever th ey di d mu st b e don e h urriedly as th e re ,

was cl ose at hand I w a s n o w somewhat inspired

.

with cou rage I had h ea rd M osh er accost som e one

.

by th e nam e of Grant I kn ew i t must b e our hea d
.

miller Grant B oardman With M osh er cool cou r

,
.
, ,

a ge o u s and cal culating to direct th e e f forts of Grant

, ,

fearl ess as a lion p owerful as an ox and tru e to every

, ,

worthy human i nstin ct I recogni z ed a force su re t o ,

reli e ve m e if it lay wi thin th e power of man Th en .

th ere wa s faith ful P B D ay H enry Jaggers an d Joh n

. .
,

C rites O n e of th ese men clasp ed me around th e

.

waist and tri ed t o pull m e l oose B ut th e pain i n my .

arm was so intense that I begged him t o try every

oth er mean s rst M osh er retorted wi th Well H arry
.
, ,

as if I mu st b e rel eased in that way or not at all Th ey .

Soon found that th e re woul d drive th em away b efore

th ey coul d remove th e large amoun t of material above
m e so th ey attempt ed to work from b eneath b ut th e
, ,

darkn ess prevented th eir makin g very great h eadway .

A fter awhil e someon e came al on g with a lantern ,

 S T O RI E S OF TH E PA R T I CI PAN T S .
1 59

without whi ch I am told my life coul d not have b een

, ,

saved B y mean s of thi s B oa rdman succeeded i n

gettin g a large sti ck whi ch h e so placed under the ,

o il tank that h e w as enabl ed to pry it t o o n e side ,

thus rel easi n g my arm and as a conse q u ence my e n , ,

ti re body I was th en li fted u p into th e op en ai r a

.
,

free man greatly to th e disappoi ntm ent of th ose hun

,

gry ame s whi ch s eemed j u st ready to l i ck m e u p .

Wor ds cannot express th e gratitud e I felt an d shall ,

ever feel toward s those faithful m en wh o so nobly

,

ri sk ed th ei r lives fo r min e B ank er L A B ak er as . . .

si sted m e h o m e wh ere I arrived about , p m .

.

Th ere prompt and e fci ent m edi cal att endan ce n u

, ,

d er th e managem ent of D r F D Wad e i s bri ngin g . . .

,

abou t a speedy and compl ete

M r W F s M c N a lly : O n Jun e 1 2 t h I worked all

'

. .

day i n ou r o f ce i n th e secon d story o fth e A llen build

,

in g collatin g au thoriti es on som e l egal poi nts whi ch

,

I intended to argu e b efore th e cir c uit court at H ud

son t h e n ext day I was so ab sorb ed i n this wo rk

.

that I was hardly consciou s that th ere w as a circus

in town an d kn ew nothing what ever of th e approach
,

of th e storm Ju st ab out S ix o cl o ck M r Joe Kirsch

.

.

of S tanton came into th e o fce We had coll ected a .

small j udgm ent for Joe an d after talkin g with him a ,

fe w moments my broth er commenced to write a ch eck

for him Su ddenly w e heard a noi se whi ch sounded
.

to m e lik e th e roar o fa h eavy frei ght trai n goin g down

gra de O n a still night I n an in stant thi s roar had b e .

* W ritte n ab out te n d a ys a fte r th e s to rm .

 1 60 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

. com e terri c I glan ced out of t h e win dow and sai d

.
,

I t s a cyclon e an d it s righ t h ere

~
I was perfectl y
,

.

cool but my th ou gh ts ran with li ghtning rapi dity

,

I realized that it was too lat e to escap e to a pl ace of

greater safety I remembered that th e A lliance bui ld
.

ing j oined th e on e we were in on th e south and , ,

would t o some extent protect ours

,
B oth were ,
.

t w o story bri ck buil dings

-

I th ought th erefore that .

, ,

our buil din g woul d withstand th e shock unl ess w e ,

w ere directly i n th e path of th e cycl one whi ch I kn ew ,

woul d b e comparatively narrow Th ese thou ghts .

,

and many oth ers ran through my h ead in an i nstant , .

Sud denly th e el ectri c li ghts went out an d th e wi ndows

crash ed in and i n an instant we were in pitch dark
,

n ess I th rew my l eft arm around th e casing of th e

.

door way l eadin g int o my p ri vate o fce and faced ,

north M y broth er M iles th rew hi s l eft arm aroun d

.
-

m y wai st and faced th e same way I n anoth er in

, .

stant we were hu rl e d into th e street on th e north sid e

-

of th e buildin g faces downwa rd unde rtons and tons

, ,

of bri ck and lumber O ur h ead s were n ever covered .

,

but our feet w ere rmly caught an d pini oned P res .

ently th e darkn ess cl eared away and we s a w M r E J , . . .

T hompson rise out of th e ruins of hi s buil ding on

'

t h e Opposite sid e of th e street We call ed to him an d .

,

h e at on ce came to o u r assi stan ce T h en L ei gh .

P rentis Fred B ell an d some oth ers came al ong and

, ,

togeth er th ey succeeded i n p ryi ng u s out O ur in .

j u ri es were severe but not dangerous I expect to , .

b e around again in a few days alth ough I am i n bed ,

 S TORIE S OF THE PAR T I CI PAN T S .
1 61

p ropp ed up by pi llows as I wri te this t en days after ,

th e storm .

N o p en can d esc ri b e th e fOrc e o f thi s storm o r ,

th e d estru ction wrou ght by it I t S imply d ees de .

scripti on Th e s tory has been told and retol d yet i t

.

has n ot be en hal f told I t was a slice o f th e day of .

j udgment .

M r L W P renti ce :
. .
I was at th e telephon e
.

central o fce Whi ch was Over P atton , C arey s dru g

store O u r wi ndow Openin g to the north gave u s

.
, ,

no chance to see th e approachin g sto rm I was in .

th e room back o f th e switchb oard and h earing a lo w

'

m oani n g sound asked Fl oren ce M c Sh a n e ( who was

,

atten din g th e swit chboard n ear th e wind o w) what th e

noi se was Sh e said i t was a trai n A s it grew l ouder
. .

I went to th e wind ow and l ooki n g out s a w n o one , ,

on the street The air was dead an d i t was al most

.
,

i mp ossibl e to breathe Th e noi s e was very l ou d .

now ,
sounding li k e large mill stones revolving at a
hi gh sp eed with a pi ece of m etal run between th em
,
.

I t seemed to come fro m th e S k y an d lookin g up I ,

could see l eaves grass and dust ying i n every dire c

,

ti on I t took only an instant to su rmise th e situation

. .

I Said T hat s a cycl one an d s e iz in g F lo re n c e by th e

,

arm started for th e basement We had a l on g ight

, .

of stai rs to get t o th e rst oor and I don t rememb er ,

touchin g th e m on th e way down T o get to the base .

ment w e had to turn t o our left enter a t a sid e door t o ,

a rear ro o m o f th e dru g store Wh en w e got to th e .

d o or I lo o k ed up th e street east of us and could see ,

1 62 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

boards and trees crossi ng th e street at th e M eth odi st

church corner I tri ed to open th e door I t seemed
. .

to b e l ocked b ut on giving it a h ard p ush found it

, , ,

was only h el d by th e ai r I t was impossibl e to breath e .

now S omewh ere on our course to th e cella r way we

.
-

fel l i n wi th one of th e H u gh es b oys and Ma yt e D ono

hu e gettin g to th e cellar stairs whi ch were dark and , ,

th e draft of ai r comi n g u p th rough l aden with dust

, ,

mad e it almost imp ossibl e to descend I was th e last .

o n e down an d was on th e oor wh en th e roof Went

,

of f A t th e sam e time th e air stru ck m e and i t felt

.
,

as th ou gh th ere were sti cks thrust into my ears I .

coul d not h ear a thin g fo r h alf an h ou r after th e storm .

A s th e walls of th e building cam e in th ey l ook ed lik e

mi ghty waves ; seemed t o b o w in and th en di sapp ear ,

in th e du st I d on t thi nk it al l la sted over thirty

.

secon ds We th en climbed u p to what was l eft open

.

of th e doo r way and I stood on what seemed to b e

-

th e hi gh est poi nt left i n i ts tra ck My h eart al most .

ceased to b eat wh en I looked around m e I exp ected

, .

to see t wo or three buil dings unroofed but could n ot ,

see a s ingle building whi ch I could recognize n or a ,

person m oving ; only groans an d cri es for h elp on

every sid e .

Th e rst person I s aw outsid e of ou r party wa s
E J Thompson w h o ha d crawl ed out of the ruins
. .
,

of what wa s on ce hi s clothi ng store H e w a s so cut .

1 64 A M O D E R N H E R C U LAN E U M .

Th e door to th e furnace room e w open and we saw ,

th e mai n pa rt of th e h ou se partly thrown i nto and

partly n o rth of th e cellar Sam sh ri ek ed O h our .
, ,

lovely h ome i s gon e ! M i ss K in g fai nted an d w e car

,

ried h er u pstairs an d lai d h er on th e kitch en tabl e

,
.

Grace E pl ey sai d to l et h er h ead han g down wh i ch we ,

di d an d sh e cam e to I went toward h ome th en but

,
. .

seei ng th e damage grew l ess up that wa y w ent down ,

town t o h el p I h el ped take o u t M r Will s and hi s

. .

son th en went over to th e southwest part of town t o

,

l ook after som e p eopl e I kn ew T h e n I h elp ed carry

'

a man an d a woman to th e church Th ere were n o .

li ghts i n th e ch u rch th en an d p eopl e w ere crying and

,

groanin g ly in g about o n th e oor Th e seats had

, .

n ot b een tak en up th en O n ou r way to th e ch urch

.

we had seen a man wal kin g ab out i n a circl e appar ,

entl yin a h al f crazed condit ion sayin g th at h e was

.

bl ind an d seem ed to b e in great pain A fter carr y

. .

i n g th e woman t o th e ch u rch I cam e back and found ,

th e man t o be a relative .a son of P G Stevens wh o . .

,

l i v e d som e di stance o u t i n th e country H e w a s .

unabl e to g i ve an acco unt of him sel f j u st th en H e .

was h urt about th e h ead an d hi s face w a s bla ckened

.

and bl oody an d h e coul d n ot o p en hi s eyes

. He .

wa s aft e rward s abl e to recoll ect that h e had gon e to

ward D r E pl ey s o fce j ust b efore h e was stru ck ; but
.

w as a bl o ck away from th ere wh en we foun d him I .

work ed at getti n g peopl e out until ve th e n ext morn

in g A fter b rea k fast I w ent down agai n to work
. ,

an d k ept on only stopping for meals until ten o clock

, ,

 S T O RI E S OF TH E PA RTI CI PAN T S .
1 65

Tu esda y n ight The n ext day we worked wit h our

.

team takin g goods out an d so on for several days

, , .

I t seemed as i f w e ou gh t not to st 0 p workin g a min

u t e whil e there wa s s o mu ch to do
,
and whil e th ere ,

w ere bodi es still unfound

M rs F W E pley : I vi ewed th e app roachin g
. . .

tornado ( a si ght I h ad n ever b efore witnessed durin g .

a life l ong resi de n ce i n St C roix county ) from an u p

.

p er south window whi ch three minutes l ater lay under

,

th e w r eck of th e h o use many feet to th e northward ,

.

Th ou gh n o t ac q uai nted with th e natu re an d mi ssi on

of th e clou d its appearan ce an d its venomou s growl
,

sent a thrill to my h eart as i f I were t o m eet some s u -

p e rn a t u r a l thin g I hastened b elow

. to s p eak to th e .

family A s I went I h eard th e chairs push ed back

.

from th e dinin g tabl e an d a ch orus of voi ces exclaim

,

ing : I t s a cycl on e
i Wh ere s mamma Sh e 8 u p
? .

stairs si ck
, O h ! O h ! Go to th e cellar ! M y hu s
.

ban d m et m e an d w e hurri ed al ong th rough th e

,

dini n g room an d kitch en j oinin g th e oth ers We , .

clun g togeth er in th e southwest co rn er of th e cella r .

Som e on e started to go into th e fu rnace room i n th e -

cellar thinkin g th ey woul d nd more room perhap s ;

,

but my h usband sp o ke sharply to th em bi dding th em ,

stay i n th e littl e vegetabl e cella r A fter th e roarin g .

monster had passed over u s th e door between th e

cell ars bl ew op en an d we saw h o w w isely we had
,

ch o sen ou r refuge for th e oth er part wa s ll ed wi th

,

fragm ent s of our h ou se Wh en w e returned agai n .

to th e dining room th e tabl e w a s sh oved a w ry chairs ,

1 66 A M O D E R N H E RC U LAN E U M .

upset , an d th e tabl ecloth hanging on a stump i n th e

yard Some Of t he di sh e s were still on the tabl e felt
.

some brok en an d scattered a bout T h e east end of .

th e dini n g room was torn away Wit h th e main part ,

o f th e h ou se Th e dinin g room wa s situat ed in a n ell

.

o n th e west S id e Th e wal l Was torn from th e wains

.

cottin g i n th e room adj oining th e dining room l eav ,

in g a sh elf fast en ed to th e wainscotting and arti cl es

o n it undi sturb ed P ieces of furniture w ere swep t .

fro m th e rooms l eft standin g and were n ever seen ,

more .

We saw that th e front of M rs Fi nk s resi den ce .

( bri ck ) was torn O ff l eaving th e room s exposed an d ,

bare of furniture O n th e n orth east south east and .

,

west of u s houses w ere de s troyed so that on every ,

si d e w e s aw that our n ei ghbors had been served a s

badly as we had p erhap s worse ; w e did n ot know I ,

said T hank th e L ord ! and cri ed it agai n al oud
, .

Thank the L ord ! A m emb er of th e family sai d after

wards th at thi s seem ed to h er lu di crou s Sh e di d not .

know that th e thought o f my h eart was Surely th ere ,

are some kill ed and we sh oul d b e thankful that we

,

are al l spared and unhurt M rs M c N a lly cam e in .

.
,

n early overcom e b ecause sh e had seen that th e P at

to n C arey buildi ng wh ere h er hu sband s o fce ,

wa s had fall en I said H e m a y h ave gone to a plac e
,
.
,

o f safety N o ; sh e said ; h e would b e ab sorb ed in
.

hi s b ooks i f h e were alone an d woul d not noti ce until ,

t o o l ate I coul d hardly gainsay thi s knowin g so

.
,

wel l th at i t mi ght b e tru e We al l rem ember h o w .

1 68 A M O D E R N H E RC U LAN E U M .

member handing a pi ece to Dr H od gson of Wauke .

sha wh o ob served th ei r peculiar situati on )

, We .

started u p th e street running L i ke C harli e P hil .

li p s w e d o n ot know why w e ran b ecause th ere wa s

,
,

n o hop e o f gettin g out of th e ra in before w e were

d ren ch ed through and through fo r thi s was aecom ,

~

p lis h e d b efore w e had gon e a d oz en steps B ut w e .

ran and lookin g back after w e had gon e ab out hal f a

,

bl ock ( I thou gh t o f L ot s wife and wondered i f some

thin g more woul d happen to u s ) I s aw more peopl e

-

runnin g i n th e same di recti on Furth er o n We m et .

p eopl e al so running splashin g sl oppi n g th rough the

, ,

mud I couldn t h elp t h e thou ght that cam e to me

.

as I s a w th e ruin e d dwellings t h e wall s of Jeri ,

c h o fell d o wn and wondered again i f th e n oi se we

,

h eard was our warnin g ? T hi s whil e runnin g alon g ,

u p to th e ankl es an d more i n water A fter we had

, ,
.

been rs t to M rs B arrett s and th en to M rs P hilli ps

.

.

wh ere we had been rehabilitated an d the youngest

m ember of th e family had been sooth ed to troubl ed
sl eep we return ed an d securing a pu sh cart haul ed
, ,
-

o ut a f e w we t thin gs from th e p romi scuou s pil e i n

th e yard placed th em o n th e cart wh en i t tipped and

,
-

deposited th em i n th e mud makin g stil l anoth er h eap ,

o fbroken china an d soil ed garments T hin gs seemed .

worthl ess an d paltry t o me but my reason tol d m e ,

th at I ou ght t o secu re th e littl e that lay in si ght a s ,

w e n eed ed it B ut w h en we had dumped th em in

.

th e mud I felt too weari ed to pi ck th em up I remem .

b er that some young peopl e assi sted my o w n children

 S T O RI E S O F TH E PA R T I C I PAN T S .
1 69
'

in doing s o My el dest son and dau ghter had assisted

.

in p rovi di n g som e covering for refugees who ocked

into th e totterin g o fce T his seeme d to promise .

some sh elter and was th e only part of a buil ding l eft

,

near M ain street b u t proved a di sappoi ntment i n thi s

,

resp ect M y dau ghter rem embers th e men sittin g

.

about waitin g t o receive attenti on O n e sat o n th e .

oor by th e south doorway against th e wal l where , ,

th e ram bl ew i n for th e door was gon e O n e sat in

,
.

th e corner on th e d esk and on e on a pil e of stu ff b e ,

si de th e skel eton un g from it s hangin g place O ne

,
.

man lay on som e boards on th e north si d e outside , ,

an d oth ers clustered around th e east wall O n e man .

l ay i n th e all ey , an d one ran by sayin g O h I m , , ,

ki ll ed ! I m kill ed ! all th e tim e running and S hout

in g at th e top of hi s voi ce P oor M r H u gh es whi te . .

,

an d broken w a s l ed to th e rear o f th e o fce and

, ,

Frank C hapman tal kin g very fast asked i f i t woul d

, ,

b e p ossibl e t o ge t a hor s e and bu ggy Th e very i d ea .

w a s excl aim ed at s o Frank supported M r H ugh es .

t o ward th e street from whi ch hi s h ome ha d vani sh ed ,

wh ere h e must l earn that hi s family w ere unhou sed

and report hi s sad exp eri en ce T h ere are oth er .

vi sion s of th ose wh o were fo o t s o re and weary wa n -

d eri n g about unabl e to nd th ei r o wn O ne of these .

asked wh ere th e Farmers H otel had been H e had a

.

dau ght er there whom h e coul d not nd I wondered

,

if sh e were I coul d direct hi m w h ere th e Far

mers H otel had b een but th at seemed to b e all I ,

could do We found that oth ers wh o were strangers

.

*
I l a n d a f t wa d t ha t h w
e r e er r s e as .
1 7 0 A M OD E R N H E R C ULAN E U M .

to u s w ere also interested i n what l ay about our prem

is e s Thi s l ed to th e thought of guardin g th e place
. .

I knew th ere were tw o guns i n a cl oset i n th e o fce .

Th e tw o P hillip s boys and Frank H e m in wa y assi sted

u s an d M r Ripl ey an d M r La w l ent th e wel come
,
. .

ai d of lanterns We coul d nd some lamp s i n the

.

kitch en but th e kerosene tank i n the woodshed was

,

Open and ll ed with wat er A bout hal f past tw o M r .

-

M osh er cam e alon g followed by two m en whom h e , ,

directed H e said Wel l thi s i s the exp erience of a
.
, ,

lifetime I repli ed I h op e so
.

H e ask ed th e m en
,
.

t o tak e th e guns an d th ese were th e rst t o go on

,

guard i n our b elea gu ered ci ty I n oti c e d that M r . .

M osh er wh o i s far from rugged ( and i t w a s n o w quit e

,

cool ) wa s i n hi s shi rt sl eeves I sai d You will take
,
.
,

col d won t you ?
,
N o h e an swered with chara c

t e ris t ic directness I gu ess I can exerci se enou gh t o
,

keep warm I t i s wond erful that no more si ckness

.

resulted from exposu re T h e i ntense interest and .

forgetfulness o f sel f m ay in part have accounted for

it although i t i s tru e that many y i el ded to th e strai n
,

l ater o n O n e member o f o u r family wa s o ccupi ed

.

entirel y with th e inj ured th e rest o fu s i ncid entally as , ,

w e s a w opportunity .

S o th e ni gh t passed th e cl ouds weepin g drearil y ,

at interval s after th e rst pou r an d at i nterval s cl ear ,

in g away somewhat ; but th e atmosph ere wa s lad en

with moi sture o u r cl othin g and hand s were soil ed to
,

th e point o f sti ckin ess an d o u r sh oes lad en wi th mu d ,

.

To o n e of th e family in cl in ed t o foll ow th e voca
ti on of a p rofessional nurse abundant Opportunity ,
1 72 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

that M il es says sh e was s c reamin g althou gh sh e

was not con sci ou s of it M r W F M c N ally coul d . . . .

not wal k so M r M P M c N a lly secured a h orse

, . . .
,

whi ch h e s aw strugglin g i n th e ruin s placed hi s ,

broth er on i ts ba ck and got him into hi s o wn h ome , ,

south east o f th e s choolhouse I do n o t know i f M r . .

M P M c N a lly woul d wi sh m e to note i t bu t h e said

. .
, ,

a day or two after thi s that whil e Will was p raying

so l oud a s to d rown th e soun d of th e t ornado h e him ,

self fel t like u sin g th e nam e of th e worst place and

p erson in the B ook I hav eh eard oth er men not a d .
,

di cted to p rofanity say that i t c am e t o th ei r lip s at ,

thi s tim e n o ordinary words s eeming ba d enou gh to

,

express th e awful state of thin gs .

M r Wm N D en smore settl ed 1n N e w Ri chm on d

. . .

i n I S5 5 b eing on e of th e earli est pioneers i n thi s sec

,

tion H e was a m emb er of th e Fourth Wi sconsi n

.

C aval ry but in all hi s li fe s experi ence nothin g can

,

compare with th e terribl e calamity of June 1 2 1 8 9 9 , ,

i n thi s ci ty M r D en smore was getting h om e a s

. .

fast a s h e coul d for h e p erceived that som ethin g t er

,

ribl e was about to happ en H e had gott en a s far a s .

M r Fitzgeral d s grocery store a s h e s a w th e bui ldin gs

.

of bri ck and ston e torn yin g an d falling ; al so h eard , ,

a t erribl e roarin g al togeth er b eyond d escripti on H e .

mad e out to get qui ckly i nto th e cellar i n th e back

part of T h ompson s large store and found C ook C li ff

, ,

M r and M rs Fitzgeral d and oth ers there H e had

. .
.

barely go t in wh en T h ompson 5 store and al so t h e

buil din g that th ey were i n were d estroyed a n d t h e ,

 S TO RIE S O F TH E PA R TI C I P AN T S .
1 73

ruin s pi led up over th eir h eads ten feet deep H e , .

says : T o make our situati on mu ch more d esperate ,

a fty gallon tank of kerosene w a s broken up and

,

p o ured down on ou r heads satu ratin g ou r clothing , ,

a nd al so making th e d ebri s very mu ch more in a m

mabl e Whil e i n total darkn ess under thi s great mass

.

of rui ns som e one suggested li ghting a match Su ch .

an i dea startl ed me to exclaim D on t light a match ,

,

as w e wou ld b e burn ed to death i n ve minutes I

n ever S hall forget th e terribl e su spense we were i n ,

real izin g th e danger of re Th e rescu ers chopp ed .

and mad e an op enin g s o that all were abl e to get out

except myse lf a large r h ol e having to b e cut so I
,

coul d get th rou gh I consider that w e all had a most

.

mi raculous escap e whi ch I shal l rem emb er to th e end

,

of my days .

M r W T L ambdin assista nt p ostmaster had a

. . .
, ,

tryin g experience i n b ein g so l on g cove red and not

,

l ocated Sittin g at his d esk i n th e p o s t o f c e hi s a t

.

tention was attracted by some unusual co m motion

on th e street H e th ought at rst that t h ere mu st
.

h ave b een a runaway but l o o k ed out s a w that a heavy

,

wind was coming u p Th en h e started th rough th e

.

A llian ce store whi ch had an entran ce from th e post

,

Of c e i nt endin g to go out onto M ai n street ; but

,

th e swirl of wind caught hi m an d forced him t o wards

th e east i nto th e back part of th e store T h e s outh
,
.

wall fell i n an d h e fel t th e oor go down under hi m

,
.

Th e darkn ess was intens e Th e timbers b eing ar .

ranged aroun d him in su ch a way that h e was not se

1 74 A M ODE R N H E RC U LAN E U M .

rio u s ly brui sed he w a s ful ly consciou s of his situa

,

ti on H e coul d work with h is ri ght hand only and

.
,

managed to d o a li ttl e cl earin g away b ut was u nabl e ,

t o sti r hi s body H e call ed l ou dly for h elp but no

.
,

on e seemed to h ear hi m H e sai d h e thought h e .

made an awful noise H e coul d h ear voi ces and .

,

kn ew that men were working H e h eard th em di g .

ging and after th ey h ad found M r Walsh th e voi ces

,
.

ceased and h e kn ew th ey had removed him from th e

,

ruins ; A fter a whil e work was ren ewed in hi s vi cin

i ty N ot fa r from wh ere h e wa s imp risoned match es
.

whi ch h ad b een stacked up on a sh el f i n th e back part

of th e store were i gnited by som ethin g whi ch w a s
di sl odged b v th e workers fallin g throu gh upon th em ,
.

I t was abou t th ree h ou rs b efore rescu ers rea ch ed him .

M r La m b din s dau ghter L avinia was empl oyed

.

, ,

i n th e W S Williams store Th e ir h ome wa s in the

. . .

south east part of th e city and was not i n th e direct ,

path o f th e cycl on e A s soon as th ose at hom e re.

a liz e d that th e bu si ness part of th e city had b een

l evel ed th ey went ou t t o look for M r L ambdi n and

,
.

Vinni e N ot ndi ng M r L amb di n in th e p o s t o f

. .

c e th ey were puzzl ed i n th ei r S earch

,
Vinni e was .

afterward s foun d d ead Sh e w a s a p romi sin g young .

woman dili gent an d faithful i n everything sh e n u

,

de rt o o k and a h elp ful lovin g dau ght er on e of th e

, ,

best o f our earn est C hri stian girl s .

M r and M rs Kel ly of Stanton with th eir sons and

. .
,

grand son ( ve or six years o fage ) were with oth ers , , ,

in th e A llian ce store wh en th e buildin g fel l M rs . .

1 7 6 A M ODE R N H E RC U LAN E U M .

carriages dead and dyin g h orses an d all wa s as qui et

, ,

as th e grave until I got to W S Wi lliam s store . .

.

Th ere I saw Willard Well s i n th e ruins Wh en I .

cam e up to him h e sai d : I s that y ou Wil l ? Yes , ,

I sai d Th ere were a doz en p eopl e standing al ong

.

th e wall of th e cellar I said : Willard I will stay .
,

h ere an d h elp you o u t I won t l eave you until you .

are out Well h e sai d I am gone ; but get me

,

,

out . H e prayed a s I n e ver h eard a man pray A fter

.

w e got him out w e lai d him o n a p il e of coats from

th e store By thi s tim e p eopl e were running th rough
.

th e streets screaming and cryin g and h e w a s p rayi ng ,

aloud I t was a terribl e scen e

. We mad e M r . .

Well s as comfortable as we coul d an d went to res ,

cu e others H e was afterwards taken to the C ongre

.

g a t io n a l ch urch wh ere h e di ed I s a w M r Wm
, . .
'
.

H u gh es city cl erk i n th e ruins o f th e B ank of N e w

, ,

Richmond building over whi ch h e had his la w o fce , .

H e was badly i nj ured and a man was at work th ere , ,

but th e bri ck k ept rollin g over M r H ugh es I spok e . .

to him and h e said I am al l right now
,
I placed a , .

board over hi s face i n su ch a way as to protect hi m

from th e b ri ck that kept rollin g d own A man came .

al on g and b egan to pound thi s board trying to break ,

i t not seeming to noti ce that every bl ow Wa s tor

,

tu re to M r H u gh e s Th e m an wa s evi dently con

. .

fused A s soon as I could get M r H u gh es out I car

. .

ri ed him to th e ruin s o f D r Epl e y s o f ce We we re

. .

there , wi th oth ers seeki ng sh elter on th e n orth ,

and east si de wh en th e second bl ow an d r ai n cam e : .

1 78 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

heard th e man yellin g as th e re n ear h im grew h ot

ter !

C ut o ff my foot ! C ut o ff my foot ! Th en h e

y ell ed : Kill me ! Kill m e b efore I burn to death !

There didn t seem to b e any way to h el p him th e

re Wa s so hot th ere Th ey coul dn t brin g water .

fast en ou gh P erhaps th ey couldn t n d anythin g

.

to do i t wit h o r p erhap s no one dared to cu t o ff hi s

,
~

o o t They tri e d to nd a doctor bu t th ey coul dn t

.
,

get o n e soon enou gh .

I took M r T atro to hi s home on E ast S econd
.

street H e was con sci ous of every j olt and sai d that
.
,

was th e rough est roa d h e ever traveled H e won .

d ered wh ere I was taki n g him I told hi m that I was .

pi ckin g out th e best road I coul d nd an d that th e ,

street was full of everythin g I d rove down th e .

O mah a Rail road track t o get to th e site of th e H aw

kins resi d en ce I n so m e pl aces th e stu ff was ten
.

feet hi gh M y col t i s u sually nervou s but that night

.
,

sh e behav ed j ust as i f Sh e knew that sh e had a duty

to p erform .

We found M illi e an d Van gi e H awki ns and took ,

th em to th e C athol i c ch urch I s aw Rob H awkins .

th ere and I went over an d spoke to him and asked

, ,

him to com e an d l ook at th e b odi es w e had brough t

i n I sai d A re th ese youn g, l adi es you r sist ers ?
.
,

H e di d n ot thin k at rst that th ey w ere but i t proved

to b e th e sad truth Th en early in th e morni ng I .

went with M r H oll enb e c k to hi s place There w e

. .

found M as o n his son a youn g man employed at the

, ,

O maha depot but who had been at home si c k with

,
 S T O RI E S OF THE PAR T I CI PAN T S .
1 79

th e m easl es
,
H is h ead w a s under some ti mbers
. .
.

P robably h e wa s killed ri ght away M rs H o lle n . _ . ,

f

beck h a d b ee n moved du ri ng th e n 1gh t and A rchi e , .

abou t t e n years old had not b een fou nd This i s a

, .

part of th e wor k that I did M r H illi er work ed ri ght .

al on g with m e most of th e t im e ,
.

Th e name of th e man who was bu rn ed referred to ,

by M r Frizz ell i s a matter of conj ecture M r C on

.
,
. .

rad states that h e spok e w ith a man wh o wa s pinn ed

down by th e foot n ear th e rear en d of M rs A l dri ch s .

store and that h e tri ed to pu ll hi m out Th e man

,
.

wanted som e o n e to u nj oint h i s l eg at th e knee M r .

Sam H orn wa s th ere an d was asked to perform th e ,

operati on ; but i t was t oo formidabl e I t i s s ai d that .

a revolver was procu red with th e thought tha t i t

woul d b e h umane to! put th e man out of h is m isery .

B ut th e deed w a s n ot consummat ed Wh en l ast seen .

th e man wa s up on one kn ee w rithin g about and try

i n g to get hi s foot out an d th e re b urni ng cl ose t o,

h 1m .

M r W J H il lie r witn essed th e st o rm from a point

. . .

n ear th e corn er of Fou rth an d A rch streets Th e wind .

took him o ff hi s feet twi ce as h e was running toward ,

h i s h om e Fi ndin g th at he coul d not reach home h e

.
,

h el d on to a small tr e e A runaway t eam came dash .

in g toward him H e b eat i t o ff w ith hi s umbrella

. .

H e s aw all s o rts of ti mbers porti on s of h ouses trees , ,

an d animal s ( some app eared to be chi cken s ) whirling

th rough th e ai r H e s aw al so what seemed to be
.

, ,

ball s of re mingl ed wi th th e blackness A tre e was .

1 80 A M OD E R N H E R CULA N E U M .

taken up by th e roots and hurled over D r M urdo c k s

.
,
.

house and the bel fry of t h e C ongregational chur c h

,

wa s carri ed S lowly to w ard th e east across th e street , .

Th en h e s aw it su ddenly and s w iftly s n atched back in ,

a n orthw esterly di recti on an d dashed down in front o f ,

th e chu rch up si de d o wn M r H illi er th en went home

, . .

t o see if hi s family were safe Fi nd in g them all right .

,

h e went down t own to h elp res cu e p eopl e from th e

ruins Th e rst o n e h e found was Kati e E arly Sh e
. .

lay i n th e street in fro n t o f M r Johns sh oe store

,
.

.

Sh e was carri ed to M r M al oney s h o u se wh e re sh e .

di ed i n about th ree h ours Th en h e h el ped at th e .

N i coll et H o use takin g o u t Kati e M c Kin n o n M r

, ,
.

C arey th e d ruggi st an d o n e of th e gi rl s supposed to

, , ,

b e M i ss Joh n son Th en h e work ed at P atton 81

C arey s dru g store

They took out Harry Water

h ou se wh o h ad hi s feet hu rt A fter th at h e went

,
.

h ome after hi s lante rn haunted by th e remembr ance ,

of th e col d han d that grasped M r Waterh ou se s coat .

b etween th e shoulders Thi s proved to be th e hand .

of T h omas M c C a b e wh o was dead wh en found ,

.

M r W H L ounsbury
. . . I coul d n ot see th e !

cl oud s on a c count of th e trees around M r P owell s .

h ou se but i t wa s bombarded by board s and limbs o f

,

trees o n e board co min g throu gh th e kitch en d oor

, ,

knocking i t from its hinges I immediately started .

fo r th e store wh en th e storm was past th e way b ein g ,

mu ch impeded by bran ches of trees Every fe w r o d s

-
.

it was n ecessary to stop and tak e one s bearings after
reachi n g th e W S William s corner i f trying to reach

. .
,
 1 82 A M OD E R N H E RC U LAN E UM .

d oubt a t ha nkfu l h eart A s s is t a n ce w a s h a rd t o get

'

.
,

as p e o p le w e re eith er lookin g for thei r o w n crazed , ,

or m erely curi ous I f on e su cceeded in gettin g t w o

.

o r t h ree o f th ese t o h el p th ey would go i n a f e w mi n

,

utes with out a word l eavin g you to your o w n fe ebl e

,

e fforts Ful l y an h ou r elap sed after gettin g d own

.

t o th e impri son ed vi ctim b efore th e m en wh o came to

my ai d nally compl eted t h e rescu e T h ese men
have ou r grateful thanks A s to th e image of a .

man who t o o k a dv a n t a ge Of the occasion to at t empt

'
'

robb ery th e L ord will d eal with him i n hi s ow n wa y

, .

O n e can n ever realiz e h o w puny hi s unai ded

strength i s unti l h e nds hi mself above an impri son e d
p erso n whose cri es and groan s are urgin g h im to
greater e fforts an d h e feel s hi s s tren gth gradually
,

going but still work s on i n sh ee r des peration Re

,
.

gardin g th e Wreck and ruin on ve ry hand a numb ,

n ess came over on e s s e n s ib ilit ie s t h a t shu t out al l

realizati on of property l oss L i fe and limb were th e .

rst) con sid erati on and p eopl e were content i f on

,

takin g an inventory th ey found th ese items intact .

O n reachin g home wi th th e rescu ed party we ,

foun d th e h ou se converted into a morgu e and h ospi

tal Everyone inj ure d and sound were dren ch ed
. , ,

with rain bu t thi s i n m ost cases could not b e rem e

,

di ed an d was scarcely noti ced A s th e night a d

,
.

v a n c e d an d relatives and fri end s arrived from ou t of

,

town and fail ed to nd th ose they sought wails a nd

, ,

shri eks rang out o n t he ni ght air making the S ituation ,

sti ll more h orribl e .

 S T O RI E S OF T H E PA R T I C I PAN T S .
1 83

I have written a simpl e abbreviated account of ,

my o wn p a rt i n that ni gh t s exp eri en ce whil e sittin g

i n a room watchi ng th e stru ggl es of a vi ct im to retain

th e li fe that was th en spared *
.

M rs M c Kin n o n h ea rd a n oi se on th e street whi ch

.

mad e h er think th e r e wa s a ru naway team goi n g by .

L oo kin g ou t of th e ea s t door sh e foun d th e di sturb

-

ance was cau sed by p eopl e runnin g and calling

H urry ! H u rry ! Get to your cellars ! Sh e sup
p os e s that those o n th e east si d e of th e street had
seen th e app roachin g storm more cl early than th ose
upon th e west P eopl e outsid e seemed to b e fri ght
.

ened but M r C arey and oth ers came in smiling as

,
.
, ,

i fn ot mu ch con cern ed an d sat down to supp er B ut , .

M rs M c Kin n o n said I am n ot sati sed about th e

.

,

l ooks of th e cl oud s and went to th e kitch en door , ,

on t h e west si d e of th e h ou se t o l ook o u t Sh e s a w ,
.

ti m bers an d parts of trees i n the air and exclaime d , ,

S om ethin g t erribl e i s goin g t o happ en an d ru sh ed ,

back th rou gh t h e dinin g room i n h er haste pu shi ng ,

asi d e tabl es and chai rs A travel in g man i n th e din .

i n g room wa s urgi n g s e rvants and others to go i nto

th e cellar Wh en she reach ed th e publi c parl or sh e
.

found M r M c K in n o n th ere H e had gath ered th e

. .

chil dren together and mad e th e t our of th e rooms ,

lookin g for M rs M c Kin n o n an d was j u st Sayin g

.
, ,

Wh ere i s your moth er ? Ju st as sh e entered Kati e

sai d L et s pray an d kn eeled down T hese were
,

,
.

*
Mr . and M P w l l and rs . o e M r L o u n s b u ry
. w a ll b l ig d
e re o e

to go s ou t h t S p e nd t h e w in t
o e r, on acc o u n t o f s ha tt e d h e a l th
re .
1 84 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

h er last word s Th e moth er had partly kneel ed w h en

.

th e h ouse wa s st r uck Sh e s a w a brick yin g in .

th rough th e window : th en th e h ou se fell .

M r an d M rs M c Kin n o n were rescu ed rst L it

. . .

tl e A lic e and N ina B arrett wh o were both sl ender . ,

g o t o u t throu gh a small ap erture A li ce cl imbed up .

,

and stood up on a bi g timb er proj ecting up int o th e ,

ai r until taken down She w a s above e verythin g O 1I

,
.

Mai n street \Vh en ask ed w hat sh e th ou ght wh en

. ,

sh e foun d h e rsel f up there sh e answered I th ou ght .

I wa s i n h eaven w aitin g fo r th e rest o f y o u t o com e

up .
99
B erti e was pinn ed down by d ebri s across th e
back o f h er n eck h er h ead pu sh ed fo rward u pon h er
,

breast Sh e call ed as l on g a s h er stren gth h el d o u t

. .

but h er voi ce was S O faint sh e coul d hardly b e h eard

A t l ength M r A C M y ers p ut hi s h ead do w n t o an
. . .

op ening an d cal l ed W
h o i s in th ere,
?
T hen h e

sai d B erti e i s i n th ere and th e rescu ers w h o had
, , .

been workin g about that plac e searchin g fo r M r T . .

N ewell divi ded i nto tw o crews o n e crew w orkin g

. ,

fo r B erti e an d o n e fo r M r N ewell It w a s th ree . .

h ours b efore th ey coul d get h er o u t H er e y es w ere .

bl oodshot and swoll en fo r w eeks and sh e tol d o f h er ,

a w ful exp eri en ce vomiting l im e an d bl ood an d
, ,

tryin g t o keep alive an d keep callin g Sh e al so s a w .

th e bri c k com e i n through th e wi ndo w b efore th e

house fell an d wa s h erself bl own a cross th e h ouse
,

i nt o a b edroom and noticed that all th e furnitu re had

,

al ready di sa ppeared from th e room M rs M c Kin . .

non A lice and B erti e N i na B arrett a ci rcu s man

, , , .
1 86 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

sid e o f th e cuttin g c o unter and b ur i e d in th e ruins ,

of th e bui ldin g I think I lay th ere ab out hal f an .

h our before I received h elp I h ave n o word s with .

whi ch t o d e scrib e th e t erribl e scen e whi ch m et my

eye a s I was h el ped out I rememb er seeing th e h ead .

of on e man and arms and l egs of oth ers sti cki ng out
from th e ruin s Shri eks and call s for h el p came from .

ever y wh ere Th es e are th e facts of my exp eri en ce

.

a s I rem ember th em .

T he roof of M r O le s o n s h ou s e was carri ed acro ss .

th e river a di stan ce of hal f a mil e

, .

Whil e M r E A Gl over an d Mr D H D odge

N

. . . . . .

were working at th e rui n s n ear th e tail or S h op o f O l e

son L egard th ere was o ne man exceedi n gly in ,

p ati ent H e seemed t o b e i n a great hu rry and to

.
,

feel th at hi s case ou gh t to b e attend ed to b efore any -

oth er ; H e not only ki cked accordin g t o slan g ,

parlan ce but h e cursed an d swo re at th e rescu ers

, . .

Wh en th ey got down far enou gh so th ey coul d see

him M r Gl over th ou gh t th ey had h eard enou gh of
, .

su ch tal k an d tol d him so H e was a stranger t o

-

th em A s th ey k ept on working h e kept o n S wear

.
,

in g A t last M r Gl over coul d stand it no l on ger

. .
.

Now h e sai d I want you to shu t u p D on t l et
,
-

, .

m e h ear anoth er word o fsu ch tal k o r we ll l eave you ,

.

Y o u ought t o be than kin g God that o u are alive

y .

P resently th ey took him out L ookin g down at hi s .

besmeared an d torn cl othin g h e exclaimed M y God ! ,

Just l ook at those six dollar pant s I j ust bought !

M r E A Gl over : I n t h e southwest I noti ced a
. . .
 S T O RI E S O F TH E PA R T I C I PAN T S .
1 87

'

very bla ck cl o u d e x t e ndin g fro m th e earth to the

,

s ky. I t w a s narrow and its si des were parallel and

,

perp en di cular I s a w no col or b u t black I was

. .

n ot fri ghtened for it wa s som e di stan ce away I

, .

went back into th e store and afte rward s went ou t a ,

second time A t that tim e th ere was no win d nor

.

rain I retu rned t o th e store and stood n ear my o f

.
,

c e not knowi n g j u st what t o do

, Just at that mo .

m ent a farmer cam e i n at th e front do o r di rectly t o

wa rd s m e I fel t at once that h e w a s mak ing for th e
.

cella r door at my l eft and i n th e rear o f th e store

,
.

A C l erk behin d th e counter divin ed hi s m otive an d ,

followed in hi s wake T hi s arou sed m e t o acti on

.
,

and catchin g my ei ght year ol d boy ( w h o had j ust

-

com e in ) by th e arm I arriv e d at th e cellar d o o r r s t

,
.

T o my h orror I foun d that I coul d n o t enter althou gh ,

th e door was Open and th e way cl ear I coul d see no .

on e in th e cellarway and n o current of ai r prevented

,

m e from enteri ng but I coul d not go down T h ere

,
.

was nothin g to d o but to stand th er e with my son

and await th e results T h e C l erk an d th e farmer stood
.

j ust b ehind m e T urnin g half w a y aroun d I coul d

.

see ou t doors throu gh th e ba c k wi ndows My horse .

and wa gon sto o d i n plai n vi ew T h e h orse was

plunging as thou gh b eing severel y goa d ed T h ere .

w a s th en a stron g wind and i t w a s gettin g darker ,

A great swirl of wind cam e i n at th e open front door

( east ) an,
d I felt that an awful moment was at hand .

I coul d see al thou gh it w a s very dark an d looking up

, ,

t o th e ceilin g i n th e rear of th e store I s aw it p a rt

1 88 A M OD E R N HE R C ULA N E U M .

about mi dway The d eafenin g crash wa s up on u s .

,

an d th e bui ldin g collap sed th e wall s falling outward ,

s o that n o b ri ck cam e down upon ou r unprotected

h eads T h e roof was fortunat ely bl own away Th e
. .

oor remain ed u nd er o u r feet an d th e timbers fell ,

ab out u s formin g a littl e coop around u s four p eopl e

,

about e igh teen in ch es wi d e an d four feet lon g We .

had to climb up ab out four feet We were th en on .

th e mai n oor o f th e store with th e buildin g gon e ,

.

A s far as I coul d see everythi ng was at M y rst .

thou ght was of my wi fe and littl e dau ghter three ,

bl ocks east but I reas o ned that th ey mu st b e safe as

, ,

I th ought wh ere th e store was mu st b e about th e cen

ter of th e storm M y state of min d wa s something .

fri ghtful M y wi fe must know rst of al l that We were

.

safe Takin g my b o y by th e hand an d goin g by a

.
,

circuitou s rout e mad e necessary by a worl d of d ebri s , ,

i n whi ch lay dozen s o f d ead and dyin g animal s and ,

seein g p eopl e coming out o f cellars and calling an d

cryin g for th ose whom th ey coul d n ot nd I at la st ,

reach ed h om e an d foun d my family uni nj ured A , .

col d driving rai n had commen ced to fall I spoke .

to my wi fe of th e dreadful state of things an d th en ,

went back down town rememb erin g th e call s for ,

h elp .

M rs Glover h ad c a lled h er son but as h e di d not

.
,

com e at h er call took h er littl e girl in h er arm and

paced th e oor Wh en M r Glover cam e pantin g in . .

with th e boy h e took M rs Glover down cellar wh ere

, .
,

sh e had not th ough t of goin g and tol d h er h e wanted ,

M Gl v pa d a pa t f th w in t i th h p it a l
r . o er s se r o e er n e os on ac

cou n t f h t t d h a l th
o
'

s a e re e .
1 9 0 A M O D E R N H E RC U LAN E U M .

t wo , or at most three could work th ere ; but at l ength ,

all were taken out an d carri ed to th e sch oolh ouse .

M rs B ro c k b a n k w a s afterwards removed to th e h o s
.

pital at St P aul Sh e di d not see h er children again

. . .

M r E O Kaye says : H avi ng l eft m y store for an

. . .

early dinn er with my wi fe an d children wh o had come ,

t o m eet and wal k hom e with me we noti ced h eavy ,

cl oud s gath eri ng an d in fact waited a fe w mi nutes , , ,

fo r a h eavy S h ower to pass over We th en h urri ed .

hom e and ate ou r dinner whi ch was awaiting 115 , .

We arose from th e tabl e a fe w mi nutes before six '

.

My wi fe t w o babi es and mysel f repai red t o t h e fro n t

,

porch where I sat i n th e hammock my wife in a littl e

, ,

rockin g chai r an d th e chil dren playin g about u s

, .

A noth er sh ower came up and th e chi l dren w ere amu s ,

i ng th emselves with th e large hail stones whi ch w ere

then fallin g wh en n oti cing that i t was growi ng ver y
, ,

dark for that h our I sai d I woul d tak e a look ,

up stai rs and see i f th e windows w ere cl osed In .

cl osing one on th e south si de I glanced out an d was , ,

startl ed at th e si gh t that met my eyes I s a w th e .

d emon in cylinder S hap e som e two or th ree mil es

, ,

distant and h eard a r o ar that soun ded lik e that of a

,

railroad trai n rushin g over a trestl e whil e you are u n

de rn e a t h I sh outed Get to th e cellar ! and slid down
.

stai rs hardly knowin g h o w Th e girl took th e baby

,
.

and started an d I took th e oth er child to th e cellar

,

step s wh ere I gave him t o my wife and th ey hurri ed

, ,

i nto a corner I remai n ed o n th e t op step for a mo

.

ment with th e door partially op en watchin g until I

, ,

s a w th e kitchen door blown in and th e windows come

 S T O RI E S O F TH E PA R TI C I PAN T S .
1 9 1

yin g in foll owed by branch e s timb ers bri cks etc

, , , ,
.

I then cl osed th e cellar door and h urri ed t o wh ere th e

rest of th e family w ere h uddled togeth er I only re .

main ed th ere fo r a fe w m o ments an d th en went up ,

to th e second story wh ere upon seein g th e s k y with

, ,

that yell owi sh green an d th e ai r smellin g of a p e c u

,

liar gas I coul d n o t h el p b u t exclaim M y God ! I S
, ,

thi s n ot enou gh ? A s I turn ed to go back to th e cel

l ar a fou r foot pi ece of 2 x 4 timb er came yi n g

th rou gh th e O penin g once a wi ndow and crash ed ,

th rou gh th e partiti on abo ut th ree fe e t from wh ere I

stood warnin g m e o fmy dan gerou s positi on I went
,
.

t o th e cellar a gain wh ere I found t wo oth er famili es

,

b esides my o w n cr ou ch ed i n corn ers I n a minute or .

t w o I went back up stai rs t o n d windows and doors

'

gone and fri end s an d comrad es carrying th e d ead an d

,

dyi n g i nto th e rooms that were at all habitabl e where ,

som e o f th em were comp elled to li e wrapped up i n ,

th e wet rugs al l ni ght O n goin g down town after

,
.

medi ci n e and bandages to reli eve th ei r su fferings and

bind up th ei r wounds I b eh el d not only ou r st o re, ,

utterly d estroyed but al so P atton , C arey s an d M rs

.

A l dri ch s togeth er with every pla ce o f bu sin ess O f

,

any d escripti on i n th e ci ty Fortunat ely a s I was re .

turnin g I foun d i n th e st reet a packa ge contai nin g a

b o ttl e of li q u or with whi ch I ha stened home an d
, .

we divi ded i t amon g th e wou nded and used i t to; th e

b est advantage That bottl e was worth a fortune
.

that ni ght A fter th e chil dren had cried themselve s

.

to sl eep my wi f e and Mi ss Gilb ert cam e up stai rs and

, ,
1 92 A M O D E R N H E RC ULA NE U M .

we wash ed t h e w o un ded and w h erever w e coul d lo

,

cate a sliver of wood removed it i n spi te of th e groans ,

and cries of the po o r creatures .

I n early forgot to mention th e feelin g of aw e
that m u st have fall en upon every p erson that beh el d
th e sun set o n that scen e of desolati on a n d death about ,

7 3: 0 that evenin g A S for.myself I coul d have

-

almost ,

cursed t h e sun for sh eddin g li ght as i f in mockery on , ,

that awful s c en e .

O n th e foll owin g da y we noti ce d some of t h e '

peculiar results o f th e storm O n e was a two i nch .

-

screw driven h ead rst int o th e soli d wood of th e

casin g whi ch we were unabl e to p ull out with a cl aw
,

hammer : al so nail s an d pi eces of bri ck i n th e doors

,

in sid e of th e h o uses We al so noti ced th e t rees e n

.

t ire ly stripped o f bark and th e south S i de of th ese

.

tree trun k s woul d ma k e good sand ston e board .

P ieces o f small i ron wh eel s an d extras for binders

were carri ed from Tobi n s store thr ee b lo c k s a w a y

, ,

and imb edd ed in th e sid e of th e h ouse and som e '

th rough th e roof Th e chair i n whi ch M rs K aye sat

. .

j ust b efore th e storm canno t be foun d O n e of th e .

pi tiful things I s aw o n th e street Tu esday w a s an O ld

pi g burned and evi dently dyin g and a littl e young
, ,

one ,with its h ead n estl ed u p to th e moth er s not

,

seeming to understand why sh e took no noti ce o f it .

M rs A G B oeh m sa ys : T h e mornin g of th e
. . .

1 2 t h of June dawned a s usual on N e w Ri chmond ,

W i thout any parti cular chan ge in th e weath er appear '

in g n oti ceable o r wa rnin g of what was to come \V e

,
.
 S T O RI E S OF TH E PA R T I CI PAN T S .
1 93

aros e at th e usual hou r prepared o u r S impl e break ,

fast I going to chu rch t o p erform my d evotions as

,

was my custom , and M r B oehm goin g to hi s shop . .

B efore l eavin g after breakfast h e informed me h e was

likely t o drive t o Sta r P rairi e in th e afternoon im ,

m ediately after dinn er A h if h e had gon e ! H ow .

,

ever as th e h ou rs passed th e weather b ecame variabl e ;

,

an omi nous darkness oversp read t he rm a m e n t littl e

eddi es o i win d woul d rai se and whirl th e dust of th e
-

ro a d s occasi onal ly Then again rain and nally an

.
, , ,

in tense calm D p rin g th e forenoon I practi ced o n

.

my pian o littl e thinki ng i t woul d b e th e l a st tim e

, ,

placin g my gol d Watch u pon i t i n o rd er not t o exceed ,

t h e tim e re q uired to p repare dinner M y watch a .

,

very valuabl e one I n ever s a w again thou gh several

, ,

times I have o ffered th rou gh th e papers rewards , ,

fo r its recov ery M y pian o wel l it shared the same

.
, ,

fate with oth ers thou gh strange t o say alth ough

, , ,

th e case was d efaced an d d estroyed ( a compl ete

wreck ) th e work s were u ninj ured and as p erfect as
,
.

when rst made Th e C onover C a bl e C ompany

.
-

from wh o m it was purchased sent for the i nstrument , ,

an d i s b oo m in g th e Kin gsbury pianos on accou nt o f

th e wond erful strength of th e work s whi ch coul d Wi t h
stand th e awful p res sure o fth at terribl e cycl one D ur .

in g dinner M r B oehm casually remarked that h e

.

feared a rai n st orm woul d prevent his d rivin g t o Star

P rai ri e that aft ern oon yet i f it cl eared o ff h e woul d
,

go B ut as the hour s passed th e darkness increased

.
,

a n d occasi onally I would ri se from th e book I was

13!
1 94 A M OD E R N H E RC U LAN E U M .

reading to go to look at th e weath er I s aw M r . .

B oehm an d oth ers do th e same .

I t was p m b ut strange to say I thought
. .
, ,

i t was an hou r lat er , so I prepared supp er and lighted

lamps for darkness continued I felt that a terribl e
,
.

storm was approachin g so I cl osed windows and ,

doors Th en I l ooked at th e cl ock and found I was

.
,

an h ou r t o o soon A s I waited a fearful unknown

.
,

drea d seemed to tak e possession o f me I prayed .

a n d revi ewed my li fe thinkin g h ow frail we are ami d

,

th e convul si on s of nature ; for I was always afraid o f

sto rms Yet not fo r a m oment di d I real iz e th e fearful
.

calami ty about to fol l ow I l ooked at th e cl ock once .

m ore ; i t wa s ten minutes t o 5 1 x That wa s th e last . .

Th e darkn ess b ecam e m ore i ntense Th en cam e a .

l oud roaring as of mi g h ty winds whi ch I took fo r th e

, .

n oi se of th e trains th ou gh I thou gh t it was l ouder

,

than u sual that even in g P resently M r B oeh m came . .

dashing in th e door foll owed by hi s d ogs callin g

, ,

in great excitem ent T O th e cellar ! To th e cel
!

ar ! ! uick ! ! ui ck ! P ut o u t th e li ght s ! I re

pli ed q uit e calmly Why A lb ert i s th ere danger
,
: ?
, ,

Yes ; qui ck ! q ui ck ! foll ow m e D own th e cellar we .

w ent H e pl aced hi s ba ck to th e southwest angle

. .

drawin g m e toward s h im Th en I p rayed as I never .

,

di d b efore to God to save ou r town an d p eopl e for

, ,

I reali zed by th e deafenin g n oi se th e calami ty was -

u pon 115 M r B oehm stood perfectly cal m with hi s

. .
.

h ead bowed an d hi s arms stretch ed over m e O h I .

,

wi ll n ever forget th ose awful m oments expectin g ,

 1 96 A M OD E R N H E R C U LAN E U M .

wounded and dying Were brough t i n M rs B artlett s .

dainty carpets an d mattresses were utiliz ed for beds .

M an y o fth e latte r were wet for th e cyclone damaged ,

th e whol e west S i d e of th e h o use knocki ng th e cupola ,

of f: h ence th e rain came through O n e of my car

"

.
,

pets whi c h w a s r e scu ed from th e ruins of our h o me

, ,

an d wh ich was a seaml ess one served as an e ffective ,

.

co vering fo r th e h ol e in th e roof left by th e topp ling

of t h e cupol a .

M r B o ehm di d goo d servi ce for t h e wo u n de d

.
a

I d id all I Coul d for t hos e brought t O M rs B artl ett s ~

.

dwellin g M r B oehm s and my c l othin g bei ng soa k

. .

in g w e t M rs B artl ett g a v e m e a annel dressin g

,
.
.

go w n and I beli eve th at s a v e d my li fe M r B oehm

, . .

suf fered afterward s from t he e ffects of th e exposure .

O ur pet do gs w oul d n ever co me d own into t h e
c ellar at any time so th e ni gh t of th e cycl on e th ey
'

remained in th e h ouse an d th e valuabl e brown spaniel ,

,

w hi ch had a record wa s killed M r B oehm whistl ed

'

.
, .

for th em afte r th e storm and Tessi e o u r black , ,

poi nter respond ed comi ng from under a h e a p o f

, ,

d ebri s and sitting on the top of i t put up h er t w o

, ,

front paws and begged for forgiveness as though sh e

, ,

w ere guilty M r B o ehm sai d ch eerily to h er Tessi e

. .
,

y o u did n o t cause th e cyclone S O she was h a pp v

.
.

I regret very much that I l ost with all I possessed , ,

b ooks I had borrowed I f i n th e futu re I can pos .

s ib l
y replace th em I wil l do so with pl easure , .

O u r h eroi c and most energeti c pastor Rev D r

-

, . .

D egn an passed through M r : B artl ett s to see wha t

,

,
 S T O RI E S OF TH E PA R TI CI PAN T S .
1 97

assi stance h e cou ld rend er to th e wounded and dying .

T w o days later kin d friend s from St P aul came and .

t ook m e away P revi o us t o my l eaving I procured

.

a skirt from M rs B ak er a hat from M rs B artl ett .

,
.
.
.

and a cap e from M i ss V B e u le r Th us e q uipped I . .

,

arrived in St P aul an d was u sh ered into th e carriage

.
,

of K e rw a n whi ch was i n waitin g at th e depot for

,

I im s e lf and daughter T h e form e r walked to make .

room for M rs M eal ey an d my s el f I n St P aul I re

. . .

m ai ned tw o m onth s receiving eve ry attent ion an d ,

sympathy from m y kind fri end Whil e th ere I vi sit ed .

th e h ospital an d s a w many of th e N e w Ri chmon d

.

su fferers .

Thi s i s but a bri ef synopsi s of my e xp eri e n c e

M rs O akes says : I was at h ome al on e all th e
.

a fternoon Wh en th e rain and hail ca m e at six o cl ock

.

I rememb ere d that th e hail correspond ed in appear

anc e with that Whi ch fell i n River Fall s previou s t o
th e small tornado that occu rred th ere a S hort time
before ; that i s it was very un even and app arentl y, ,

weld ed togeth er I watch ed th e C l ou ds and s a w di s .

,

t in c t ly t w o funnel sh aped cl ou ds approach slowly .

M r O akes came runnin g h o me from t h e o fce and

.
,

I said we were goi ng to have a bad st orm from indi

cati on s and su ggested ou r goi n g down cellar H e
, .

sai d H ave you a re i n t h e kit ch en ? I said Yes

, .
,

H e sai d We shall b e b u rn e d a n d tri ed to put out th e
, ,

re
.
O u r n e xt d oor n ei ghb or M rs P atton With her
-

, .
,
-

littl e girl Ma r garet ran over and sai d I a m goin g

, , , ,

i nto the cellar with you I turned o n th e el ectri c .

1 9 8 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

li gh t on my way down th e stai rs all th e time ,

callin g M r O akes to come d own W e had j u st got

.
.

to th e cellar wh en th e c ellar window bl ew i n and

sti cks e w past outsi de M r O ak es fell down th e . .

cellar stai rs t h e wind takin g hi s hat o ff and away a s

,

h e came We found o ur s elves h oldi ng each other

.

ti ghtly Th e h ou se w ent with out our knowi ng it

.
,

except for th e pelting w e received from sti ck s ston es ,

and dust M y feelin g was that if w e coul d stand it

.

a minute it woul d b e all o v e r I reason ed that i t wa s .

a cycl one an d I fel t only thankfulness that M r O ak es

,
.

was with me I was not i n th e l east afrai d nor di d

. ,

I think of death I t seemed only a short ti me ( a mi n .

ut e or so ) till t h e s t o n e s an d sti cks ceased yin g M r . .

O akes took M argaret P atton and carri ed h er out of ,

'

th e c ellar and M rs P atton and I fo llo w e d Su ch a

,
. .

scen e ! From all alon g our street form s rose from th e

cel lars a s from graves on th e resurrecti on m o rnin g .

M r O akes help ed carry M r Gould who was badly

. .
,

hurt to M r Kni ght s whose hou se remained stand

, .

i ng although b ereft of al l windows and roof th en

, ,

cam e fo r m e D urin g th e h eavy wi nd and rai n that

.

c am e immediately afte rward s w e clung togeth er to a ,

stub o f a tre e lyin g at on th e ground to avoi d being

,

bl own away When th e wi nd had abated a littl e we

.
,

too k refuge i n M r Tobin s cellar whi ch h ad some

-

protecti on l eft o v e r it an d th ere M r O akes left m e to , .

seek hi s pa rtner whom h e supposed was i n th e barber ,

shop down town I wen t a cross t o M r Knigh t s
,
. .

soon where I stayed ti ll M r O ak es b ro u gh t m e to M r

,
. .
200 A M O D E R N H E R C U LAN E U M .

room Sh e pl aced h er s o n u po n th e oo rand covered

'

him with h er body to p rot ect hi m M i ss N e it ge was .

franti c and ran from on e d oor to anoth er trying to

, ,

op en them d esp erately w renchin g at th e knob s and

,

p u llin g but coul d not get on e op en A part of th e

,
.

h ouse was carri e d away but t h e dinin g room was ,

l eft N ext M rs T obi n set out t o n d h er husban d

. . .

Sh e went to M rs Kni ght s and alth o u gh M rs .

, ,
.

Kni ght wanted to k eep th e chi ld th ere th e moth er ,

cl un g t o him and ran on down street until sh e m et

,

M r Tobin Th ey th en return ed to th ei r hou se and

. .
,

as th e s econd bl ow cam e up th ey h asten ed to th ei r

cella r bul kh ead n ot kn owing i t was ll ed up and call
, ,

ed to those wh om th ey saw on th e street
-

Thi s i s
a c ellar ; com e in ! S everal hast ened that way ,

among th em M rs C ummer and h er sons carryin g .

, ,

th e faintin g M r H urley and M r Edward N e it ge who

.
,
. ,

h ad l eft M r Garrity as h e supposed d ead but only

.
,

un con sci ou s at th e Stout pl ace A ll wh ose hand s

, .

were di sen gaged cl eared o u t th e bul khead so th e ,

party went i n th ere for awhil e th en sou gh t dri e r ,

q u arters .

The family o f M r Geo Well s were at th e su pp er . .

tabl e wh en th ey h eard th e noi s e of the storm Th ey .

l eft th e tabl e and went to th e cellar M rs Well s takin g ,

.

Kath eri ne ( aged ve ) Jenni e Am m o n s o n th e baby , , ,

an d M r Well s l eadin g hi s moth er wh o was mu ch

.
,

di sturb ed and fri ghten ed M rs Well s snatch ed a . .

shawl an d carri ed i t al on g thinking to protect th e

, ,

chil dren ; from th e dampness o f th e cellar I t was .

 S TO RI E S O F TH E PA R TI CI PAN T S .
20 1

pul l ed away from h er whil e on the st air s M r Well s .

.

j ump ed down th e l ast s tep s j u s t a s th e hous e went l

.

L ookin g up M rs Well s s a w t h e cl ou d rolling over

.

th em Sh e s aid sh e felt as i f sh e we re in th e depth s

.

of th e s e a an d that thi ck bla ck waves were rollin g

,

over th e m Sh e f e l t damp an d col d N o on e in th e

. .

cellar was seri ously inj ure d al th ou gh th e old er M rs

.
,

Well s w a s th row n Over an d covered with debris and ,

su stai ned som e b rui ses M 1 s Well s sai d Th e h ou se

. .
,

i s gone ! Yes h er h u sban d said ; everything !
,

A nd th e tone of hi s voi ce an d th e expression o f hi s

face as h e rai sed u p an d l ook ed over th e town were
, ,

convincin g p ro ofs that h e realized th at th ere had b een

t erribl e havoc wrou ght .

T h e famil y of M r W S Goul d fath er of M rs . . .

,
.

Geor g e W ells lived i n th e h ou se n ext to th em Th e

,
"

rst thought of th e W e ll s family was to l o o k fo r M r .

and M rs Go u ld T h ey had al so been at t ea wh en th e

. .

roarin g wa s h eard M rs Goul d said What S hall . .
,

we d o ab out m oth er ? M rs G rea t o n h er moth er .
, ,

a ged nin ety three years was up stairs an d was in feebl e

,

h ealth M rs Goul d h ad j ust been up t o see h er and

. .
,

sh e lay comfortabl yi n h er b ed M r Goul d start ed . .

after h e r but th e storm stru ck th e front o fth e h ous e

, .

an d M rs Goul d cri ed I t s a cy cl one ! C ome to th e
.
,

cellar q ui ck !
, M r Gould di d not reach the cellar . .

M rs Goul d was stru ck by a yi n g timber j u st as sh e

g t down stairs
o M r G oul d was found about fty
. .

feet from th e h ou se all in a littl e h eap H e seemed , .

like a chil d h e was so curl ed up and l ooked s o smal l

, .
20 2 A M OD E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

H e did not l ose consciousn ess alth ou gh t erribly ,

brui sed an d w ounded an d talked some a s h e wa s as,

si sted to M r Kni gh t s cellar j ust a s th e se cond

.

bl ow came up Th ey remain ed with hi m ab out

.

t w o h ou rs i n th e cellar then t ook him to th e M r ,

.

B osworth s H ere h e su ffered for ten days th en di ed

.
,

of septi c m eningiti s H e wa s pati ent gentl e and

.
, ,

hopeful until th e last H e sai d th at i f h e had b een

.

kill ed by th e bl ows h e received at th e tim e h e woul d

not have realized th e cau se o f hi s death Th e h ouse .

went so qui ckly after h e turned t o wa rd t h e cell ar that

h e was carri ed outdoors li ke a ash M rs G re a t o n . .

,

th e aged gran d m oth er was n ot found unti l th e n ext ,

mornin g thou gh M r O rri n G re a t o n h er son mad e

,
.
, ,

an early an d careful search for h er M rs Well s went . .

th e n ext morning and located the portions of h er

grandmoth er s room They were n early w est of th e.

foundation abo ut fty feet Th en others went an d

, .

found M rs G re a t o n Th e outer wall had fallen over

. .

h er a s sh e l ay on h er mattress h er head on th e pill ow , .

A bri ck lay upon h er chest but S h e wa s only sli ghtly ,

brui sed Sh e apparently had not sti rred since her

.

daughter h ad l eft her S leeping For m any weeks Sh e .

had s ai d sh e was ready to go wh en ever th e L ord

,

call ed h er S o thi s b el oved O ld C hristian was lai d
.

t o rest and but fe w o fher many fri end s knew the tim e
,

o f her burial so ab s orbed were all the p eop l e of th e

,

place in sorrow and a fi ction so great wa s th e con ,

fu sion and so meager were th e co nveni ences for in

formation Even th e church bell whi ch sh oul d have
.
,
2 04 A M O D E R N H E RCULAN E U M .

move I foun d I wa s pinn ed down by th e rocks A s .

soon as I coul d q uiet C lyd e sh e cl eared th e rocks from ,

me and I found I had b een prot ected by th e mattress

,

from i nj ury We each took m oth er by th e arm and

.

went out over th e debri s O h God ! What a si ght .

,
(

m et o u r gaz e ! We made o u r w a y as b est we c oul d .

mother constantl y falling ov er th e wi res and oth er

Ob stru cti ons unti l it b e c a m e evi dent that sh e w a s b e
comin g exhau sted We had only reach ed th e eastern
.

corner of o u r o w n yard wh en a man app eared an d , ,

C l y d e cri ed to him : VV t you h elp u s We ca n t
o n ?

get grandma an y furth er A n d th e n o bl e man with .

the bl ood streaming over hi s face cam e to th e rescu e ,

and h elp ed u s to reach M rs Kni ght s wh ere we found

,
.

many people wound ed h omel ess and i n som e ca ses

, , , , ,

th e only surviving m ember o f som e happy family .

B ut we as a family had mu ch to b e thankful for

, ,
.

We were unharmed We think it remarkabl e that .

moth er who i s ei ghty o n e years ol d wa s abl e to e n

,
-

dure th e S hock Sh e i s as well as b efor e th e storm

.
,

a n d has b orne it all s o sweetly often remarkin g that ,

S h e s a w th e ri se an d fall o f N e w Ri chmond O ur .

family came h ere in 1 8 5 5 wh en th ere wa s but o n e ,

oth e r h ou se i n what i s n o w th e city th e place th en ,

bei ng call ed Foster s C rossin g

.

T h e family of D : W C ummer agent o f the Wis

'

.
,

consin C entral Railroad l ived i n a n e w h ouse north ,

o f th e o n e occupi ed by th e T obi n family Supp er .

wa s bein g prepared wh en they n oti ced th e storm a p

p ro a c h in
g T.h ey t h ought of M r H u rl ey th e ni ght .
,
 S T O RI E S OF TH E PA R T I CI PAN T S . 20 5

op erator wh o wa s asl eep upstairs C h arl es C ummer

,
.

went up to call him an d foun d that h e had been ,

awakened by an al arm clock that had been set to go

off at i n th e mor nin g Fo r some reason it had .

failed to go o ff in th e morni ng but started to ring

"
,

j ust in tim e to get M r H u rl ey into th e c e llar not .

,

enti rely dressed h owever havin g time to p ut on but

, ,

on e sh oe Th e h ou se went down i n th ree distinct

.

crash es th us prol ongin g th e mi s ery of th e inmates of

,

th e cellar and giving them time t o wi sh that each

,
-

crash woul d b e th e last Th e rocks from the fo u n da .

tion wall cam e rolling i nto th e cellar an d cru sh ed M r , .

H url ey s foot Wh en th e cl oud had nal ly passed

.

over i t was di scovere d that M r H u rl ey coul d n ot .

walk an d was fainting with pain M rs C ummer and

,
. .

on e of h er son s were badly cut but i n th e terror o fth e ,

moment after seein g h er h om e carri ed awa y i t seemed

, ,

that the y mu st ee Th e t w o youn g men m anaged .

to t rail M r H url ey alon g by placin g hi s arms over

.

th ei r sh oul d ers T h ere seemed a provi dence i n th e

.

a cti on of th e alarm clock that waked M r H url ey as .

,

h ad it b een n ecessary to wak en him it is probabl e

that th e wh ol e h ouseful w oul d hav e been d elayed
goin g to th e cellar until t o o lat e Th e bed springs .

from that particul ar ro o m w ere found away o ff in th e

elds a mass of melted wi re M rs C u mmer came . .

th e next mornin g early to see if sh e coul d pi ck up

,

som e of th eir b elongings Sh e foun d a fe w things .

,

an d p laced th em i n a pi l e taki ng what sh e coul d with ,

h er in h er arms i t being impossibl e for her to get

,
206 A M OD E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

a wa gon a s all that cam e in sigh t were so q uickly put

,

to work Th e C umm ers had b een taken i n by M rs

.
.

H el en D avi s and th ey were obli ged to carry wh at ever

,

th ey found across th e river eith er goin g by th e rail ,

ro ad b rid ge or a round by th e dam som e di stan ce fur ,

th er south A m on g th e arti cl es l eft to b e taken at

.

anoth er ti me were a carp et th e h ead of a Wheel er 81 ,

Wil son sewin g machine an d a numb er of fruit j ars ,

from th e cellar W hen th ey returned after th e rest

.

o fth ei r things th ey had all been tak en away and were ,

n ever recovered Thi s illu strates th e di fculti es an d

.

di scouragements m et with on e very hand Early i n .

th e m orn in g b efore it was fai rly tim e for p eopl e to

,

be about men were seen carryin g arm ful s o f things

,

a cross th e el ds Th ey coul d be plainly see n by p er

.

son s livin g across th e river and i t app eared that th ese,

g o ods were b ein g put into box cars standin g on th e

C entral track I t was th ou gh t at th e tim e that th e
.

peopl e wh o were ta k in g th e good s were th e rightful

owners but l ater i n q uiry fail ed to prove thi s and i t
, ,

i s n o w th ou ght that th e box cars w ere u sed for a hi d

i ng place until ni gh t wh en th e arti cl es were removed

,

Th e foll owin g i s a record of th e exp eri ences o f

M r and M rs N W Edwards and M i ss Jul ia John son
. . . .

Th e rst i ndi cati on w e had of th e approachin g dan
ger wa s th e oppressiveness of the atmosph ere to ,

geth er with th e darkn ess whi ch d eepened unti l w e ,

coul d not see to work and so h ad lai d asid e o u r s e w

,

ing an d went out to wat ch th e clouds I t began a s .

an ordin ary thund er S hower with still rain and an o c ,

208 A M OD E R N H E R CU I ! N E U M
. . . .

h ead and th e bones of on e hand were brui sed I re

,
.

c e iv e d n o i nj uri es ; only a f e w bruises a n d a sli ght cut

o n th e l eft han d A s th e stones piled around our

.

feet we climbed on top of th em A s soon a s th e storm .

ceased w e walk ed o u t on th e ston es an d a b oard

whi ch h ad been th rown in with th em. M y rst .

th ou ght w as t o l ook to t h e north sid e of town and ,

seei ng the trees and houses standing felt assured that

M r Edwards wa s safe A t th e s am e glance I s a w
. .

M r L ynch s horse Standin g i n a crouching p ositi on

.

with a foot badly cut I t gav e a pained groan but .

,

stood i n th e sam e spot unti l l ed away th e n ext day

. .

Th e r st person s w e s a w were M r and M rs O akes . . .

N e x t w e h eard th e cryin g o fth e children in M r W ell s

'
'

cellar Jo in e d b y M r an d M rs O ak es we rushed
.
'
. .
,

t o see i f anyone was h urt th ere N ext w e h eard a .

Call for wa t er and saw M rs C ummer and th e b oys

,
.

supp ortin g th e nigh t Operator H e had fainted and .

-

I start ed for water Every pump I pa ssed ha d been

.

pulled out I succeeded in getti ng a bowl and dipp ed

.
,

some water ou t o f a rain barrel and hasten ed back .

Thi s was scarcely done before th e wind and rain cam e

o n so h ard that w e sou ght safety in M r Kni ght s cel

.

lar M r Edwards and th e day op erator watched th e

. .

storm unti l i t was v ery n ear th en ran i nto th e cella r ,

way O f the N orth ern Grain C o s o fce A fter th e .

.

storm was over they c ame out congratulating them ,

selves that it had gon e aroun d u ntil th ey had pro

c e e de d severa l rod s Se e in g t h e town l ai d at M r
.
, .

Edward s h as t e n e d h o m e w a rd I n th e vi cinity of th e .
 210 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

west of M r L yn ch s h ou se was thrown i nto hi s
. .

k itch en .

The dinin g room oor of our house was car
ri ed almost a bl ock northwest Som e of M rs Vye lls .
.

cl oth es were carri ed ab out three bl ocks north east A .

carp et from ou r east room u pstairs wa s carri ed abou t , ,

two bl ocks northwest and th e pill ows t wo bl ocks

,

n orth east Some of th e clothin g from th e bureau in

.

th e north room o n th e rst oor were foun d on a l ot

north and some under th e stones where th e woodsh ed
,

stood west of th e h ou se M any of the trees i n our

,
.

bl ock were stripp ed of th ei r bark and small limb s an d ,

l eft standin g I rem emb er seeing a pil e of books

.

with a littl e dead pi g among them M r T re n h o lm . . .

divi sion sup erintendent of th e O maha Rai lroad ,

stayed h ere a week to h elp .

A t th e h ome o fGeorge C Knight j ust t w o bl ocks .

,

east of th e N i coll et H otel th e little son of nine years ,

of age was i n th e yard and by th e tim e h e was gotten

,

i nto th e h ou se an d M rs Kni ght had p ut out th e .

kit ch en re and th e lamp ( whi ch had b een lighted on

account of th e sudden darkness ) th e storm wa s upon ,

th em an d all attempts to get i nto th e cellar for safety

,

were too lat e The worst soon passed and with it

"

th e wi n dows and d oor ; yet th e h ouse stood rm upon

th e foundati on but was badly wrecked bein g partly
, ,

u n roofed t h e do u b le windows on th e north si de hav

,

i ng frames and all tak en out The family of seven .

escaped wi thout any i nj ury ex cept L ee a boy four , ,

teen years o fage who h ad hi s arm i nj ured sligh tly by

,

fall in g bri ck .
 S T O RI E S O F TH E PA R T I CI PAN T S .
21 1

T hi s h ouse be in g th e onl y o n e l eft standin g a d

,

j acent to th e d evastated terri tory n orth and west was ,

th e rst refuge fo r q uit e a n umb er W h o esc ap e d death

by g oi ng i nt o thei r cellars M any of th ese w e re seri .

o u s ly inj ured and all were dren ched by th e h eav y

,

downp ou r of rain T h e i nj ured gath ered h ere as far as .

,

known w ere ,James Vail wh o ha s sin ce di ed from ,

his inj uri es whi ch were internal ; M rs A nton L egard

, .
,

wi th a broken arm collarbon e an d i nj ured about th e ,

h ead ( thi s lady l ost h er dau ghter and hu sband by

th e cyclon e ) ; th e family of Ward S Gould wh o l ived .
,

in h ou se nearest to northwest ; M r Goul d wh o was .

,

discovered by M r Kni gh t s son in th e ruin s of hi s .

h ou se ; M r S everen O l eson wh o was inj ured ab out

.
,

th e back and al so had a bad esh woun d ; M rs A very

,
.

and son J B A very ; H u gh M ini er ; M ary O rdahl ;

,
. .

Emma N e it ge ; M rs A Tobin and littl e son M al col m ; . .

M i ss Julia Johnson of M i nneapolis a tea ch er in th e ,

N e w Ri chmon d sch ool s ; M rs N W E dwards ; M r A . . . . .

J. N elson ; M rs John P atton and littl e daughter

.
; Geo .

A Well s wife an d t w o chil dren ; M rs H M Jam eson

.
,
. . .

an d dau ght er C lyd e ; Grand m a Foster eighty on e ,

-

y ear s of age w h o had m ade h e r,

w a y through t w o

bl ocks o f ruins ; four E lge e chi ldren ; M r Wm . .

H u gh es and t wo children ; M r an d M rs M ark C asey . .

an d t w o Chil dren ; M r an d M rs Geo O aks ; M rs . . . .

D W Cu m n e r an d two boys Frank and C harl es ;

. .
,

M r H url ey ; M r Joyce and t w o or three M i sses

. .
,

Rin gs Th ese p eopl e mad e thi s h om e a temporary

.

refu ge till th e vi ol en ce of th e storm had passed M any .

212 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

o fthem crowded i nto M r Knigh t s cellar even taking

.
,

som e o fth e inj ured with them A ll except James Vail .

afterwards m ad e th ei r w a y to th e h om es of p eopl e
more fortunate and w h o had dry quarters Vail w a s .

taken away by fri end s th e f o llowing day Thi s h ome .

and family were won derfully spared and although , ,

th e h ou se wa s wren ch ed and twi sted th e family were ,

abl e to b e Of mu ch h elp to many wh o were entirely

W ith out p rotection o f any ki nd .

M r O tto En gstrom engi n eer at th e sawmill : I

.
,

ran in an d sh u t down th e steam after I s aw th e storm

comin g I saw two pil es o f cl ouds o n e c o m in g do w n
'

.
,

from th e w est an d on e from th e south Th ey m et .

,

and th e colli si on was lik e that of gu n powd er Th ey .

th en b e g an t o whirl an d were al l min gl ed togeth er

,
.

Th e W hite cl ou ds se e m ed t o rol l up on top a s th ou gh ,

th ey w ere lighter Th e n oi se it made was enou gh to

.

kill yo u Wh e n that thing go t ab out th e mid dl e of

.

Main s treet I saw re ash from i t as though it fell ,

lik e a ball out o f th e center onto th e earth Th en I .

s a w D r Joh nson s house li fted bodily into th e ai r an d

.
,

th en coll apse an d scatter to th e groun d That .

made m e th ink of my o w n h om e n ear th ere Th ere .

was a man lyin g und er th e brid ge wh o k ep t callin g ,

O tto com e down ! a n d I j ust took o n e j ump an d hud

,

dle d down th ere with him From wh ere we were w e

.

coul d see th e cyclon e come al ong Wh en it struck .

-

Willow river i t pi cked up th e l ogs out of t h e water ,

whi rl ed them in th e ai r and lan ded th em fully ve hun

,

dred yard s from wh ere th ey had b een I t struck th e .

21 4 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

A fter a l on g tram p through mud and water an d ove r ,

th e wal ls o f h ou ses I cam e t o wh ere I th ough t th e

,

street I had lived on wa s B ut I foun d that I was

.

t w o blo cks o u t of th e w a y for th ere wa s a cellar near

,

by full o f p eopl e wh o k ept callin g m e to C ome
, , ,

down ! T hi s was M r Tobi n s Th e y cri ed to m e

.

.

that there was anoth er on e comin g but I coul d not ,

stop I must hunt for my home Wh en I cam e to

. .

th e street on whi ch I lived I had to count th e cellars ,

u ntil I came to my own ; th at was th e only way I

coun d nd it Th ere was nothin g l eft aroun d that I
.

coul d t ell by I received s everal scratches by being

.

th rown down by th e erc e win d that bl ew AS bad .

as i t was so far I had not seen th e worst yet I stum .

bl ed aroun d blin dly and th e rst p erson I h eard an d

,

s a w wa s my el dest girl H er arm was broken but so

.
,

great was h er cou rage that sh e sai d sh e wa s not hurt ,

bi ddin g m e look for th e oth ers T h e n ext on e I

found wa s m y wife Sh e di d not know m e at rst
.
,

n eith er would I have known h er except for a littl e bit

of cl othing whi ch I recogniz ed Sh e was inj ured ter .

rib ly .I found th e rest of my family that ni ght with ,

th e exception of on e whi ch I recovered th e next day

, .

M r Engstrom l ost tw o children

. .

M r P H e ffron : I l eft th e Willow River C o s
. .
.

lumb er yard and started for hom e Wh en I got .

about to th e center of th e wagon bri dge I s aw that

to go fu rth er m eant certai n death and ran back and ,

w ent i nto th e mill Thi s place app eared t o be but a

.
 S T O RI E S O F THE PA R T I C I PAN T S .
21 5

I t ravel ed about half th e way wh en I saw that th e c y

clon e w a s c o min g directly toward me I th en ran .

b ack and into th e shin gl e yard and t ri ed to cross a ,

wi re fence but was so exhau sted from runnin g that I

,

d rop p ed down b esi d e it I lay th ere and s a w th e c y .

cl on e pass ab out ei ght rod s away and fully exp ect ed ,

to be taken up With it I t appeared to b e a soli d wall .

,

comp osed of boar ds trees cattl e horses and human , , ,

b eings I lay th ere about half a mi nute Wh en I

. .

arose th e smok e sta ck o f th e mill was j ust b ein g car

ri ed o ff I thou ght from th e terribl e roarin g sound
. .

that th e clou d was maki ng a channel throu gh th e

earth grindi n g u p all th e rocks i n it s path
,
.

M r A l ex L e v e rty : I was i n t h e m ill yard an d
. .

tri ed to get into an ol d boil er whi ch had been taken

out of th e mill Th e u e was too small so I had t o
.
,

g ive i t up Th e cl ouds were dark li ke black coal

.
, ,

an d were l i ke t wo revolvin g column s I s aw ball s o f .

re ash from th em You mi ght imagin e th e gure .

o f a man with an arm extendin g toward th e east

,
.

We stood on our feet until w e s a w th e cars l eave th e

tra ck then I slid d own th e s awdust banks to th e edge
,

of th e water There wa s littl e win d not enou gh to

.
.

bl ow my hat o ff bein g about twelve or fteen ro ds

,

from wh ere th e cars were l eavi n g th e track . A s it

passed by th ere was sli gh t su cti on stirring the s aw ,

du st around con si derabl e Wh en th e sawdu st quit .

bl owi n g I crawl ed up th e bank and looked around for ,

E n gstrom H e wa s about fou r rods west of m e in

.
,

th e dump lying i n th e bl ock wood I s a w that there

, .
21 6 A M O D E R N H E R CULA N E U M .

was n o wa ter n ear m e but that th e Wat er st ood li k e a

winrow of hay i n th e mi ddl e of th e pond I looked .

at my watch at that time and s a w i t h a d b een but on e ,

and on e hal f minut es sin ce I h ad seen th e rst build

-

in gs s tart Th ey app eared to ri se u p about as hi gh

.

a s th e upper windo w s a n d th en go t o pi eces Wh en

, .

I got d own t o th e L i nk place n ear mi ne I saw M rs , ,

.

L in k h er m oth er and th ei r littl e boy T h en I s a w

, .

M r B urden s fol ks H e said that h e had taken hi s

.

.

chil dren t o th e cella r and Sa t down on th em , b efore,

th e house went M rs B urd en asked m e wh ere my

.

.

w ife w a s '

I di d n ot know
. T h ere was n othin g .

where th e house had been Supposi n g th ey had gon e .

across th e st reet i n th e di recti on of th e storm I went ,

th a t way I s a w M rs O tt o En gstrom H er le g
. . .

was b roken I h elped h er u p on th e oor of h er

.

h ou se and placed hal f a d oo r b ehin d h er to keep th e

,
.

rai n o ff and a pill ow behind h er h ea d I went about

,
'
.

twenty or thi rty feet fu rt h e r a n d found h er littl e girl , .

.

I pi cked h er u p a n d lai d h er h ead i n h er moth er s lap

wh ere S h e di ed i n a S h ort tim e I foun d A nth ony .

L ynch trying to prot ect M rs L egard b ehin d som e .

stu ff h e had put up fo rprot ecti on H er eye was cut .

an d h er arm brok en H e ask ed m e to go to hi s cel.

l ar and inform hi s folk s that h e was all right as h e had ,

l eft th ere a fe w m oments b efore th e storm I di d so . ,

and foun d fteen in that cellar al l wel l Then I ,

.

started back to m y o wn place and found my wife sit ,

ting near wh ere th e barn had been wi th th e baby , ,

C l ose to th e i ce h ou se whi ch w a s l eft I took some ,

.
21 8 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

n ot take all at on ce so I start ed with th e doctor I , .

met M r Wm B u rden wh o sai d h e woul d t ake th e

. .
,

doctor to th e H oover H ou s e I went back to my .

wife an d found th ere M r C arroll an d M r Whippl e

,
. . .

M r C arroll h el ped M i ss M ini er wh o se hom e had

.
,

b een i n th e T unis house an d I took th e baby and , ,

went with M r C arroll to their r o oms i n M rs L ibby s

. .

h ou se wh ere w e got dry c lo t h in g a n d wh ere I l eft

'

my wi fe and baby I th en wen t to th e H oover H ou se

.

( pi cked up a hat on th e w a y w h i ch I put o n

) to see ,

D r Joh nson H e again inquired wh ere h e was at
. .
,

and i f h e wa s not i n Je w e llt o w n H i s dau ghter s .

husban d came and took him to hi s hou se i n the coun -

try L ooking after m emb ers of my o wn family in

'

di fferent places I coul d not get to th e D unbars until

,

about ve o clock th e n ext mo rnin g M rs D unbar

. .

was lyin g a s I had l eft h er but sh e wa s d ead Sarah ,

.

and h er fath er had b een moved during th e night .

A fter about three days D r J ohnson w a s s u f .

c ie n t ly recovered to com e back to town H e sai d .

I cannot tell wh ere I wa s abou t si x O cl ock I can t

.

remember b ut I think I must have b een sittin g by th e

,

west w ind o w readin g a s I frequ ently sat th ere and ,

read wh en at home M rs L e v e rt y wh o was th e house . .

,

keep er was gettin g supper

,
Sh e thinks sh e ha d .

picked th e baby up and gone i nto th e buttery Sh e .

does not rememb er wh ether sh e had started th e

kit chen re o r not P robably sh e had as sh e i s a .
,

prompt hou sekeep er ; but i t mad e no i mpression up on

h er min d B oth M rs Le v e rty and h er baby and D r
. . .
 S TORIE S OF THE PA R T I CI PAN T S .
21 9

Johnson we re
found by M r L e v e rt y a short tim e .

M rs Le v e rty sai d sh e indi stin ctly rememb ers

.

that h er baby was un der a plank S omeon e came and .

tri ed to m ove it then gave i t up and went away T h ese

, .

p eopl e evi dently di d not noti ce th e approach of th e

storm a nd afterwards were entirely un con scious as to
,

what happ ened b efore arrivin g at th e pla ce wh ere th e y

were foun d Th e doctor says h e does n ot feel a s badly
.

about losin g hi s h ou se as h e does about th e l oss of a

sui t of cl oth es h e got in C anad a th e last tim e h e wa s
th ere H e woul d lik e hi s b u ffal o rob e an d hi s ri e
.

an d ri e ca se too ; becau se h e thinks som eon e el se

,

has th em took th em aft er th e hou se went to pi eces ,
,

an d hop es althou gh it may not b e ri ght that th e

( )
man wh o pi cked up th e ri e will get hi t in hi s sh ooting
eye th e rst tim e h e tri es to re it o ff H e hop es .

the bull et wil l go ba ckwards i nst ead o f forwards H e .

says : I have l earn ed on e t hin g an d that i s that I can ,

cry I am seventy Six years o ld and do not recoll ect

.
-

ever sh eddin g tears b efore B ut thi s calamity has .

made m e cry .

Th e fami ly of M r T homas P orter were mu ch con .

cerned for th ei r son D wi ght whom th ey kn ew had

-

b ee n in from th e farm that afternoon M rs P orter . .

says '
I kn ew that i f h e h ad n o t gon e hom e h e
woul d h av e driven i nto the M eth odist ch urch S h ed .

O f cou rse wh en we go t down th ere and s a w th e shed s

,

were all gone we didn t know wh ere to look We

.

search ed a l ong tim e i n th e directi on w e thought h e

>k
See a cco un t of Mr . L e v e rt y
.
2 20 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

would have been carri ed bu t nothi ng coul d be found , .

I ask ed many i f th ey woul d h el p m e but all seemed ,

t o pa ss on and l ook for th ei r own M r P orter . .

search ed all ni ght I went h om e thinkin g I Ou ght to

.

be th ere to tak e care of inj u red on es I lit u p m y .

h ou se for p eopl e to com e in A bout fou r o cl ock I .

wen t out a gain M r P ort er had found D wi ght s

. .

whip ( a peculiar one whi ch had been presented t o

,

him ) n ear th e sit e of th e sh ed B etween Six and seven .

h e was found tw o or three hundred feet north ea st of

,

th e chu rch foundati on T h e ch urch had b een th row n

.

northwest H e mu st have been kill ed instantly as

.
,

h i s brain was bare T h e horse w a s found d ea d not far

.

from him with out a bi t of harness on and not a strap

,

lyin g n ear him Th e b u ggy has not been foun d I t

. .

all cam e so sudd enly tha t w e can hardly reali ze it .

M rs C ummings :
. Speakin g of cycl on es my ,

mind tu rn s back to th e year 1 88 4 I wa s th en livin g .

at C layton a small town twenty mil es north o f N e w

,

Ri chmon d i n th e lumb er di stri ct

,
We were j u st .

washin g di sh es wh en al l at onc e we h eard a terribl e

roa r like th e fall s of N ia gara We so o n di scovered
, .

a t erribl e s to rm c re e pin g u pon u s and had hardl y

'

tim e t o S hut th e windows and doors b efore i t struck

u s I n l ess tim e than i t takes to tell i t seventy v e
.
-

li ght s of glas s were broken by hail Then I supposed .

most of th e storm was over but aft er some wo rk at ,

pi ckin g u p I stepped out o n th e south porch and w a s

, ,

su rpri sed t o see a secon d storm still greater than th e ,

rst coming with gr eat rapidity I shal l n ever forget

,
.
222 A MO D E R N H E RC ULA N E U M .

c reepin g again We went to mak e everything as se

.

cu re a s we coul d We stati on ed ourselves in th e

.

k itch en as it wa s not so hi gh a s th e rest of th e house

, .

an d th ou gh t w e Stood a b etter chan ce fo r our lives

i f th e h ouse went down becaus e th ere was n ot so mu ch ,

ab ove u s Th ere wa s n ot a soun d of rain until th e

.

h ou se wa s st ru ck Th en in a hal f minut e s time o n e

.

h undred l ight s small si z e of gl ass were broken b y hai l

, .

and th e whol e hou se d el u ged I t only lasted seven .

minutes but it seemed a mu ch l on ger time as we were

, ,
'

e x p e c t in g e v e ry instant to b e bl own away Th e front .

of th e h ouse was t orn so far from th e wall s that a cl ock

up stai rs was h eard ti ckin g b ehi nd th e wainscotin g i n
th e o fce o n th e rst oor I thou ght I coul d n ever .

pass th rough a worse storm an d live but th ese ex ,

p e rie n c e s were only a drop i n a bu cket compared with

th e N e w Ri ch mond c v c lo n e .

A bout six o cl ock p m o n June 1 2 1 8 9 9 I w a s

. .
, , ,

lvin g down in my room on th e south east sid e o f th e

h ou se M y d au ghter cam e to my room and said :
.

What n oise i s that I s it a train o i s i t i n th e sky

? ? r ?

I very d eliberately went out o n th e south porch Th e .

sky was hidd en from vi ew by trees I sai d to mysel f : .

That sound s lik e a l ong very h eavily l oaded frei ght ,

train runnin g w ild a t li gh tning sp eed down grad e

, ,
'

, ,

and shaki ng li ke a fannin g mill hopp er

I l istened .

some moments and th e noi se grew l oud er and l oud er

, ,

th e train moving as I supposed faster and faster

, I , .

turned and went into th e h ou se as unconcerned as i f I ,

had really seen th e train M ert Bigelow ( a boy ) came

.
. .
 S T O RI E S O F TH E PA R T I C I PAN T S .
223

runnin g in and sai d : Get to th e cellar ! Th ere i s a c y
cl on e M y daugh ter M rs D avi s had already deci ded
.

, .
,

that it was best to go to th e cellar before youn g B i ge

lo w came in We all ran to th e cellar none too soon a s
.
, ,

th e broken glass cam e i n on th e l ast ones goin g down .

I n on e minu te after startin g fo r th e cellar a po rtion o f

a t ree came i nto my room th rough th e east window ,

took a tu rn north and carri ed o ff th e foot of th e b ed

wh ere I had been lyin g I t th en tu rn ed west taking .
,

out th e en d of a commod e an d th en took from i ts ,

hinges a door o n th e west si de o f th e room a littl e ,

to th e south o f th e commod e maki n g kindling wood ,

o f th e l ower h al f and knockin g th e partiti o n o n e an d

,

o n e half in ch es into th e oth er room

-

Th e door an d .

tree landed exa ctly wh ere I stood wh en th e b o y ran i n .

A plank shot th rou gh a west window int o th e h ouse

an d out at an east window Th ose moments o f h or .

ro r can n ever b e erased from memory I n th e cellar .

i t was dark as mi dni ght Th e timb ers o f th e hou se .

creaked shutters win dows an d window sa sh were

, ,
-

crashin g an d all were expectin g every second to be

,

bl own away N o ton gu e can tell n o p en d escribe th e

.
, ,

exp eri ence God grant n on e o f u s may b e u n fo rt u

.

n ate enou gh t o have su ch anoth er ! I n ever s aw such

d estru cti on as was wro u ght by thi s cycl one u pon N e w

Ri chm ond and th e adj a cent country .

M r Ripl ey s a w th e cl oud and h eard at th e sam e

.

t i m e the terri bl e roar H e says : I went o u t t o .

cl ose th e barn door and as I turn ed fro m th e barn I

,

wa s i n full V i ew of the c l oud whi ch app eared to b e ,

2 24 A M OD ER N H E R CULAN E UM .

comin g directly toward my barn I rst go t m y .

family i nto th e cellar th en took m y p osition under a ,

-

tree T h e cl oud moved sl owly enou gh so that I in

.
,

t ended to watch my chan ce to mak e th e cellar ; b u t

after sweepin g throu gh M r Wel sh s pla ce it veered .

more i n an easterly directi on took M r A l exander s , .

.

place th en farth er to the east and w e were safe I

, ,
.

call ed them from th e cellar to watch th e great mo nst er

( to me it appeared to be h v ery representati on f

t e o

h ell ) as it travel ed within a half mi l e of our place

, ,

tearing up everythin g in its cour se I t was black as .

i t cam e towards u s funn el shaped an d of monstrou s , ,

siz e I t seemed to hav e tw o moti on s on e turnin g

.
,

and twi sti ng an d anoth er reachi n g from th e cl oud s

,

( by whi ch i t seemed to feed ) to th e earth and throw ,

i n g o ff from th e ou tsid e what wa s tak en u p i nsi d e .

We watch ed i t fo r s everal mil es as it w ent b ell owin g ,

like a d oz en monstrous en gin es al l at work at on ce

across th e prai ri e I t i s a si ght I h op e n ever to wi t
.

ness again .

G W Ripl ey says that wh en M rs Ripl ey rst

. . .

look ed from h er w in dow attracted by th e n oi se an d ,

darkness sh e had j u st put som e eggs on to boil Th e

, .

tim e w a s ve m inutes t o six

'

Sh e th ou gh t then that .

i t was N e w Ri chmon d goi ng down Th e coin c iden ce .

i s strikin g that this wa s th e exact time n oted by Mi ss

D oty b efor e sh e went into t h e cellar at B oardman
,

There i s n o q u esti on of th e veraci ty a nd exac tn ess o f

eith er Th e tim e pi e ces may be at faul t A t M r
. . .

Wel s h s pla c e a granary was thrown s ou th a nd t h e

,
'

,
,
 D E S T R U C T I ON O F D R . E PL E Y S H O M E

.

F OUNDA T I O N AND C E LLA R O F D R J O H N S ON S H O M E

.

.

H O U S E D I S APP E A R E D .
 S T O RI E S O F TH E PA R TI CI PAN T S .

grain dump e d out ; th en th rown n orth again wh ere i t ,

was found .

M r C has J P hillips
. . Th e ev ening after th e
.

storm seems lik e a d ream to m e Wh en I h ear it sai d .

that certain things happened at seven o cl ock or nine

o cl ock I cannot recall th e succession of th e h ours .

I t se emed li ke one lon g mi dni ght from th e tim e tha t

w e left the E pl ey h ome until dayli gh t Came again .

Steppin g forth from th e wi ndow to th e porch an d ,

turning t o assi st M rs E pl ey I sai d You must come
.
,
:

to our h ouse H ow do yo u know you h ave any
.

ho u se C harli e ? sh e replied H o w many times I h ave

,

.

recal led th e pi cture of that li ttl e g roup hastily throw ,

ing about th em whatever coul d b e fo und framed i n ,

th e s pace l eft by th e window crossed h ere an d th ere ,

b y b roken boards A s I stepp ed out an d H oyt ran

.
,

for Jack to th e blacksmith sh op l eavin g a group of ,

ladi es and chi ldren in th e dining room I wish I could -

paint th e exp ressions of those faces A s M rs E pley . .

sp oke sh e p u t aroun d h er shoul ders a gentl eman s

,

coat and he s itated j ust a m oment i n th e act whil e th e

, ,

Whol e grou p with myself seemed to b e t h inking :

, ,

Su re enou gh ! H ow do you know that you have a

h o me P Everythin g seemed to be oatin g b efore me

as I thou gh t of moth er an d father and th e oth er i n

mates of my h ome H owever th e destru cti on i n that
.
,

direction was not as great as t o the west so I di d not

thi nk they had been hurt ; but I turned an d ran cl ear

hom e and into th e h ouse to mak e sure with my o wn,

eyes that th e p e opl e w ere a ll ri ght I di dn t merely

,
.

2 26 A M O D E RN H E R C U LAN E U M .

u se my j udgmen t and simply lo o k t o see i f th e hou se

'

was th ere as my broth er Frank di d T h e oors were

,
.

wet and covered with brok en w ind ow glass but th e

,

house w a s a ll th ere Th e secon d wind was j ust com .

i ng up and moth er wa s tryi ng to h o l d th e south door

,

shut I tol d h er to l et th e d oor go and get down cel

.
,

lar for I th ough t w e w ere goin g to get th e tornado

,

again I thou ght p erhaps i t had returned a s its name

.
,

indi cated Fath er w as u p in th e atti c h ol ding onto th e

.

scuttle door to k eep it from bl o wing away I sh outed

,
.

to h im to come down but h e sai d : Th e rai n will ,

d rive i n and wet everythin g spoil th e h ouse I .

shouted : Th e p eopl e down town h a ven t any houses

l eft ; ours may go too B ut I coul dn t get him to , .

bud g e H e i s q uite deaf and of course th e h ouse

.
, , ,

didn t go th ou gh it got a good drenchin g th rough th e

,

b rok en wi ndows Th en moth er ask ed m e ab out .

things dow n town an d sh e sai d : O h you mu st go , ,

and brin g p eopl e here You must go an d l ook after .

o u r fr iends I ran down th e street I don t know

. .

why I ran A s I ran al on g past M r D ensmore s I

.

s a w a man lyin g i n th e street near th e M eth odi st par

s o n a ge Ral ph B ently came al ong from th e Opposite

.

directi on an d ( without speakin g to each oth er) we

,

both approach ed th e p rostrat e form l ifted him up , ,

carri ed him i n to M r D ensmore s and lai d him on .

th e oor The peopl e th ere beg a n to do for him and

. ,

we went out again each going in di fferent direction s ,

,

n ot sayin g anything Thi s was M r P N ewell wh o .

. .
,

was afterwards taken to S t Jos eph s hospital in St .
.
2 28 A M O D E RN HE R C U LAN E U M .

struc k T ea box es will a lways b e very suggestive

.

to h im Frank was i n th e photograph gallery back

.

o f Mr D awl ey s confecti onery store P eanuts were

.
.

his favorite reli sh and by chanc e he fell i n with th e

,

p eanut roaster and bags of roasted p eanuts Wh en

, .

uncovered h e was foun d comparatively uninj ured an d ,

h e h el d up a bag of p eanuts to b e taken out rst Wh en .

haul ed out himself h e d eman ded his booty an d on ,

reachi ng home said I got a bag o f p eanuts , any:

way .
3)

Th ere are tw o gi rls al so wh o will recoll ect havi ng , ,

received th e m ost lively hustling that will ever fall to

th ei r lot M i ss Emma M i n i er and M ary M c Sh a n e
.

were on th e street h astenin g h omeward A young , .

man Wh ose real name I h ave n ot l earn ed b ut wh o i s

, ,

call ed Swift h urri ed Emma al on g up th e rise of
, ,

ground as sh e n e ared h er h om e almost exhausted

, , .

Sh e saw th e shin gl es yin g from the barn and trees ,

furi ou sly lashin g th e ground before sh e entered h er ,

h ome with a bound an d h er fath er cau gh t her and ,

j umped down th e cellar stai rs at th e i nstant th e hou se

crashed down M ary w a s hurri ed fa irly dragged a s
.

,

h er strength gave out b y M r Jay D en smore into his .

cellar Th ere pantin g an d excited wh en th e din

.
, ,

roll ed by and wh ere later refugees we re driven i n by

,

th e second blow th e cry was raised Th ere s anoth er

, ,

o n e comin g ! littl e M ary cried out bol dly to Rev M r . .

Tull : P ray ! P ray ! Why don t you pray ? It

seem ed to h er that i f anyone had any standin g at th e

throne of gra c e n o w was th e ti me to u se i t
, .
 ST O R I E S O F T H E P ART I C I P AN T S .
229

I t was not eas y to laugh durin g those d ays but ,

th ere were a fe w thi ngs whi ch w e w e re o b lige d to s e e

'

th e lu di crousn e ss of M r John Sn o wb a n k e r wh o i s
. .
,

not easi ly di sturb ed was su fci e ntly aroused on thi s

,

o ccasion to drive into th e livery stabl e j ump out o ff ,

hi s milk c art an d dive i nto th e oat bin bel ow stairs ,

.

T h e barn w en t away l eavin g only th e oor ,

Mr . .

Sn o wb a n k e r crawl ed out of his hi din g place and ,

foun d hi s h orses an d mil k cart ri ght si de up on th e ,

street n o t a milk can upset H e drove home and .
,

hi s only comm ent to hi s wi fe was I guess w e had ,

quite a win d up th ere

O n e o f th e hom es whi ch wa s l ook e d upon that

'

nigh t as all ri ght will serve as a sam pl e of all each ,

on e bein g su fci ently distu rb ed to mak e a startli ng -

column in th e daily news i n an a ccount of a severe ,

wind storm M rs A ll en an d M i ss Th ayer felt th ei r

. .

h ou se trembl e an d th e dining room appeared to lift

,

a s th ey passed th rough to th e cellarway ( T h e house .

was actual ly moved about th re e in ch es north on th e .

foundation ) A moment later thud s were felt upon

.

th e wall s an d th e j oi sts creaked an d groan ed O n

,
.

comi n g up stai rs from th e cellar t hey found th ei r west ,

windows blown i n th e casing and t h e p a n e l b elo w

,
-

m oved i nto th e room S eve ral in ch es pla n ts chairs ,

and other furniture thrown across th e room and glass ,

an d mud spattered ab out T h e rain b egan to beat i n . ,

and getting togeth er th e cak e board th e ironin g ,

board ( th e only b oards avail a bl e ) an d th e step ladder , ,

th ey tri ed to x them at th e windows

-
-

A n eighbor .
2 30 A M ODE RN H E RC U LAN E U M .

cam e in franti cally wri n ging h er hands followed by

, ,

h er t w o chil dren O n e o f th e children imm ediate ly

.

had a chill P la cin g on e o n th e cou ch an d cat chin g

.
,

th e oth er up to save h er from bein g cu t by broken

glass Mi ss Thayer i nadvert ently placed h er on th e re
,

c lin in g chai r up o n a pil e o fbroken pl ant j ars

,
Th en .
,

feelin g th e draft from upstairs Sh e ran up exclaim , ,

i n g i n h er perpl exity O h ! O h ! O h !
,
A h eavy ba rn
,

S ill wa s thru st in th e roof p enetratin g th e ceiling and , ,

water was p ourin g down it into th e room Th e win .

d ows were b roken furniture tossed ab out an d ch oi ce

, ,

paintin gs bl own from th eir frames Sh e made several .

j ourn eys u p an d d own stairs i n th e e ffort to s ecure

th e h ouseh ol d g oods from b ein g spoil ed by water .

F o r an hou r an d a quarter th ey continued thi s work .

T h e v h eard p eopl e screa ming and runnin g th e l ion s ,

roarin g and th e el ephant trump etin g o n th e circu s

grounds an d th e tim e seemed a sorry on e for th em
, .

O n e an d an oth er pu t th ei r h ead s i n at th e door an d , ,

stoppin g only to say I m gl ad to see yo u are a ll ,

ri ght went qui ckly away D r E ple y c a m e a n d as k ed
. . .
_ , ,

i f anyon e w a s hurt the re

N o th ey were n ot hurt .
.
,

T h e doctor s face wa s very pal e M rs A ll en said

. .

A re yo u si ck doctor ? N o h e sai d I am well

,
.
, ,

We are all well and vani sh ed like a gh ost of himsel f

,

into th e rai n an d darkness M rs A ll en was greatly . .

concerned because M r P atton had not b een i n to see .

th em a s was always hi s custom wh en th ey were i n

,

troubl e an d as soon as sh e coul d get away started

, ,

to go to th e P a tton home not knowing i t was gone ,

.
 232
'

MOD ERN H E RC U LAN E U M .

C H AP TE R V I I I .

LO O K I N G O V E R T H E S I T UA T I O N .

O w o e is m e
,

To have see n wha t I hav e see n; to see wha t I see .

S h a kes pea re.

A dj utan t Ge neral B o ardman and Surgeon Gen

eral Edward s were ord ered to N e w Ri chmond T h e .

foll owing t el egram s were reported Jun e 1 4 th :

A rrived h ere at I I Temporary wants of d esti
.

tut e an d si ck su pplied Great est want n o w in ready

.

mon ey for cl earin g wreckage an d cl eaning o r Si ckness ,

will follow A m arran ging for organizati on to handl e

.

work B O A R D M A N
. .

T h e Min n ea polis Times .

N e w Ri chmond Wis Jun e I 4 Governor S co

. .
, ,

eld Madi son Wi s

, ,
T h e work O freli ef progressing
rapi dly and becomin g m ore systemati c C ity crowded .

with sightseers and some su spi ciou s chara cters but ,

C ompany C i s d oin g good guard duty and th e s h eri ff ,

i s swearin g in d eputi es to suppl ement work D ead .

 LO O KI N G O V E R THE S I T UA T I O N . 2 33

are b ein g rap idly buri ed an d worst of th e i nj ured are ,

being sent to St P aul L aborers are scarce but have

. .
,

mad e arran gements to have fty sent here and have

ordered tents an d suppli es for th em Finan ce commit .

tee has received so far as I can l earn ab out $5 0 0 0

, , ,

mostly from M inneapoli s and St P aul M uch more . .

will b e needed P ri ce M osh er an d B ell are in charge

.
,

O fth e nance D o yo n h a n dle s th e quar t ermaster and

'

commi ss ary departm ents and th e work of cleanin g ,

up ha s b een pl aced i n responsi b l e han ds D r F W . . . .

Epl ey is i n charge O fmedi cal d epartment Th e n ews

'

paper rep orts o fth e situati on are a ccurate Will stay .

h ere until to morrow unl ess you direct oth er

-

wi s e B O A R D M A N .

T h e M in n ea polis T im es .

M ad iso n Wi s Jun e 1 5 ( Special) Governor

, .
,
.

Sc o e ld to day received the followin g di spat ch from

-

A dj utant General B oardman :

N e w Ri chmond Wi s Jun e 1 5 Governor Sco . .
, ,
i

eld Madison Wi s : E v e ryt h in g h ere i s p rogress

, ,
.

i n g as satisfa ctorily as can b e expected Suppli es are .

pouring in A l l energy S h oul d b e di rect ed t oward s

.

rai sin g mon ey as that i s th e greatest n ee d B O A R D

,

l e E ven in g Wis con s in .

B oth lines of rail ro a d s runnin g throu gh N e w

Ri chmon d were very p rompt an d gen erou s in ou r
b ehal f Th eir a gents at thi s pla ce and promin ent o f
.

c ia ls gave evid ence of th ei r interest M r C umm er (

. .

of th e Wi sconsin C en tral had been planning a vac a

2 34 A M ODER N H E R CULAN E U M .

tion to b egi n Tu esday an d the ag en t to tak e h is place

,
-

was already h ere M r C ummer di d not go and . .

,

th ere was pl enty of work fo r him thi s agent and ve , ,

o th er additi onal h elpers for several weeks ; Th e ,

N orthwest ern work was al so done at th e C entral d e

p ot u ntil a box car for whi ch a si de track wa s buil t
, ,

O pposit e reli ef h eadquart ers coul d b e utilized as a ,

t emporary depot T h e early tel egrams sen t by D i .

vi sion Sup erintend ent H orn h ave b een m enti on ed .

I n many w ays h e sh owed hi s personal interest i n h i s

many N e w R ic h m o n d frie n ds C rews O f men were .

sent wit h boardi n g cars or wit h dinn er pail s by both

, , ,

roads Fi fty I talian trackman from th e C entral force

. , ,

were sent t o ai d in bu ryin g th e carcasses of animal s ,

whi ch it soon b ecam e i mp erative t o di spose of A .

large t ren ch w a s dug n ear th e river n orth east o ftown ,

for th e purpose and hundreds Of h orses cows pi gs

, , , .

dogs etc were haul ed O ff an d buri ed th ere O ne

,
.
, .

h und red men from th e H udson s a w mill h eaded by ,

M ayor D e L ong an d tw o hundred from th e O maha ,

sh op s h eaded by Superi ntende nt P reston mad e a

, ,

telling rai d on th e ruins A ll wore bad ges H udson .

,

H el p ers and each c arri ed a willin g h eart a s well and
, ,

O ffered assuran ce Of a h opeful futu re i n store for us .

O n e gentl eman w h o had com e as an indivi dual h el per

"

, ,

l ook ed u pon th e spli ntered furnitu re chai rs pianos . , ,

bedsteads torn curtains etc o fa h om e h e had known

, ,
.
, ,

al l pil ed in a promi scuou s mass with th e parts o f th e ,

h ou se and said j oki ngly
,
I don t think mu ch of
,
!

you r h ou s ekeeping M rs Well sh e repli ed
,
.
, ,
2 36 A M O DER N H E RC ULAN E U M .

situation A dditi onal crews wer e sent to cl ea r th e

.

tra cks and li ft th e derail ed cars from th e riv er T h e .

work of th e great d erri ck was of interest to Si ght seers -

I n thei r report n o w compl eted th e reli ef commit

, ,

tee stat e th at th e A m eri can an d N ational Express

C ompani es an d th e West ern U ni on Tel egraph C om
pany a lso rend ered free servi ce to su fferers .

Th e p ostal servi c e wa s greatly i mpaired owing to ,

th e d estruction of th e p o s t o f c e and th e necessity

Of puttin g up with cramp ed quarters and lack Of facili
ti es O n th e north si d e of th e river ac cessibl e only b v
, ,

a bridge t emporarily con stru cted on th e mill da rn ,

runnin g partly paral l el with th e track ; Wagon s car ,

ria ge s bi cycl es and foot passen gers were compell ed to

,

mak e th ei r way across a s b est th ey could i n some ,

dan ger O fb eing hu rt by horses fri ghten ed by th e pass

in g train s T h e di stan ce was consi derabl e and th e
.
,

road hard t o travel For a tim e no mail coul d be given

.

o u t becau se th e keys to th e mail bags were l ost and

, ,

i t was n ecessary to wait for an i nsp ector to open th e

mail For many days ( weeks ev en ) th e p o s t o f c e pre
.

se nted a very confused appearance M ail w a s stacked .

upon th e oor and i t was n ext to imp ossi bl e to sort

,

it i n su ch l imited space B oth th e postmaster and hi s

.

assi stant had l ost members o f th ei r famili es an d A s ,

s is t a n t W T L ambdin had been painfully hurt

. . Res .

id ents fail ed t o receive l ett ers s ent th em and th e o u t ,

goin g mai l wa s sl ow i n rea chin g it s d estinati on D ay .

after day newspap ers remain ed undi stributed i t being .

simply imp ossibl e to un snarl th e tan gl e

'

.
 LO O KI N G O V E R TH E S I T UA T I O N . 237

A dded to th e l ocal hindrances i n the matter of se

curing mail an d getting l etters sent was th e fact O f th e
tremendous rain storms whi ch ha d prevail ed th rough
o u t N orth ern Wi scon sin maki ng bad wash outs and ,

d elaying trains A c cordin g to th e weath er bureau

. .

D u ring th e rst fteen days of Jun e th e rai nfall was

in ch es T he average for th e entire month dur
.

ing th e pa st twenty years i s inch es T h e entire .

month s fall i n 1 8 9 7 th e year of th e great oods Was

, ,

ni ne i nch es T h e rst m e ssages callin g for reli ef had
.

to b e sent i n a roundabout way M u ch delay was .

consequ ent upon th e i n creased number O f m essages ,

an d the d estruction O f on e t e l egraph station h ere and

al so on e at B oardman Fr 1 ends i n distant places b e
.

came greatly di s tressed I hav e i n mind a lady in

'
.
.

N e w Y o rk awaitin g i nformation after th e rst report

,

i n regard to M r H H Smith a n d a family i n LO S

.
. . .
,

A ngeles who received th e rst ( erroneous ) reports

,

of D r Epl ey havin g bot h l egs broken nothin g b eing

.
,

said con cernin g thei r famili es ; and oth ers quite as

disqui eti n g I nquiri es received su ch tardy answers
.

that a gentleman writing from C lark c ounty says !

A m 1n fo rm e d that it i s u sel es s to try to wire you .

Thi s was on th e l 6 t h Th e lack of inf o rmati on l ed to

.

the b eli ef that th e ones from whom no response was

received ha d b een di sabled or were among those ,

wh ose fate had not y e t b een ascertained N ews pap er .

reports gave li sts O f d ead an d inj ured but invari ably ,

stated th at search for bodi es was still going on and ,

th us gav e intimation that th ere mi ght b e omissions ,

238 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

and i n fact noted som e errors fro m day to day Th ese

, ,
.

were unavoidabl e i n th e confusi on and b ecau se th e ,

reporters w ere not wi dely ac q uainted wi th th e peopl e

and pl ace T h ou gh this was true th e reports were
.
,

in th e main correct an d i n n o sense an exaggeration

,
.

Th e West ern U ni on Tel egraph C ompany had con

n e c t e d up th ei r wires on th e evenin g O f th e 1 3 th by ,

st ri nging th em o n fence p osts o r any availabl e sup ,

port I n sulation was i mp erfect and th e wires did

.
,

not work wel l wh en w et whi ch was frequ ently th e ,

case an d sometimes fa il ed altogeth er I t was Several

, .

days before th e repai rs were compl et ed as n early ,

every part of th e lin e had to b e rebuil t from North

Wi sc on sin Jun cti on and p ol es and wire coul d n ot b e
'

Obtai ned promptly .

I t was known that there had been consi derabl e

damage don e in t h e country towards th e n orth east .

Farm h ou ses had been destroyed and barn s and out ,

buildin gs splintered o r swep t away Th e cl oud had .

b ecome more fragm entary after passing th e mil l pond

o n Wi llow river and had not mad e su ch a cl ean swee p
,

o f everythin g i n th e line O f its progress a s previ ously ;

but it still retained great force and fury wh erever

i t stru ck th e ground .

M essrs O F and Frank H e m in w a y vi e wed th e

. . .

cloud from its n orthw est S i de a s i t th rew up what a p ,

p ea re d to b e a spray O f mud ; as woul d b e th e case i f

a stream O fwater were proj ected forcibly from a nozzl e
i nto a b ed of dust cau si n g it to y up T hey O b
,
.

served th e cl oud t o divi d e o n e part continuing about,

2 40 A M OD E R N H E R C U LA N E U M .

and S F Fi lmore w as entirely destroyed B arns and

. .
.

buildings with out number are wrecked N early every .

store front on Ea st T hird street was bl own i n Th e .

th eat e r bl ock an d op era hall are sli ghtly wreck ed .

John M arti n s bi cycl e S hop was wip ed o ff th e earth

.

Th e upper half O f th e front O f A E H o rs t m a n s fur . .

M rs L C Mc N u rlin S

n it u re store was blown out . . . .

millinery store su ffered likewi se Th e front of E N el . .

son s store in the op era h ouse bl ock was blown i n

, ,
,
.

T h e T hi rd ward schoolh ouse was m oved from its

foundation an d nin e box cars were bl own o ff th e
,

tra cks : M rs C randall s resid ence was wrecked and

.

numerou s oth er dw e llin gs a n d buildings are out O f

pl umb as a result O fth e storm The el e ctri c light and .

t el ephone wi re s are down U p t o four O cl ock n o .

casualties were reported P ion eer P res s . .

C l ear L ak e Wi s Speci a l Jun e 1 5
,
.
, ,
.

would und er ordinary ci rcumstances b e c onsi dered

, ,

a cyclone but w hi ch was S O comp letely o v e rs h a d

,

owed by th e horribl e a ffair at our s is t e r t o w n of N e w

Ri chmond occu rred h ere M onday evenin g T h e same
, .

storm that l evel ed N e w Ri chmond also swept through

h ere but with l ess force and only in places wa s i ts
, ,

fury unl oosen ed and at th ose places d eath and d eso

, , ,

lation i s th e result The main portion of th e wind .

travel ed about on e mil e from th e village i n a north

easterly direction through a small settl ement call ed
,

P in evill e At this point th e most damage wa s don e

. .

Th e home O f Sam O l son was blown d own and
M r O l son instantly kill ed hi s wi fe probabl y fatally
.
,
 LO O KI N G O V E R TH E S I T UA T I O N 2
4 1

inj ured and one son b a dly hu rt A dj oining his place .

wa s th e h om e O f T o rge r T o rge n s o n Thi s al so was ;

comp let ely d emoli sh ed b ut th e family who had tak en , ,

refu ge i n th e cellar escaped i nj ury N ext was th e , .

h ome of J C Wal s w orth H e a n d hi s family escaped

. . .

d eath in a marvel ou s mann er Th e family had taken .

refu ge in th e cellar an d were sca rcely i n wh en th e

h ouse was li ft ed O ff a n d d estroyed M r Wal sworth
'

. .
,

wh o is th e general a gent for a farm m a chi n ery c o m

pany had a numb er O fm owers an d binders an d rakes
,

on th e premi ses an d a numb er of th ese were bl own

,

into th e cellar co m pl etely l li n g i t ; but eve ry m emb er

,

O f th e fam il y Of seven escap ed with scarcely any in

,

j ury
Th e n ext was th e h om e O f William L ewi s Th e
.

hou se , with h i s barn w a s d estroyed A l arge town , .

hal l n ext m et th e sam e fat e N orth O f thi s about a .

mil e an d a half were th e h om es O f John and Reub en

H al e B oth togeth er with th e barns an d oth er farm
.
,
'

buildings w ere l evel ed to th e gro u n d an d a M r R o s

, ,
.

e n q u is t seri o u sly i nj ured Fred K e n n e tz s home was .

th e n ext Everythi n g h e owned w a s demoli sh ed and

.

M r K e n n e tz kill ed .

The h om e O f P L Tayl or on e mil e north of . .

,

town was also bl own down and M r Taylor very bad

,
.

ly hurt D irectly west of th e vi llage th e home of Hans

.

J. Johnson m et th e sam e fate Th e family l ost every .

thin g Th e sch ool h ous e two mil es north of town

.
,
.

w a s blown to atoms an d th e h om e of M r Grant ,

.
,

forty rod s i n th e rear d estroyed ,

.

16
2 42 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

East O f th e villa ge th e storm wa s also terri c O ne .

family w h ose name ha s n o t been l earned ha d th e

, ,

grea ter porti on o f th ei r h om e li fted O ff over th ei r

h ead s but Of th e family O f S ix n on e were inj ured Th e
,
.

fath er wa s bl own twenty rods an d wh en h e recovered ,

his feet was surp ri sed to nd a son d eposi ted al ong

si de O f him B oth went towa rd th e h ouse to meet
.

th e moth er wi th three chil dren l ooking for a refu ge .

Th e large barn O f Joh n E Glover at \V illo w v ille was

.
, ,

d emoli sh ed M any h orses an d cattl e are kil led

. .

A t l east fteen famili es a re h omel ess and som e .

are ab solutely d estitute B arn s an d wi ndmil l s are

.

bl own down on n early every farm i n th i s vi cinity .

Many peopl e are i n n eed o fimmediat e assi stance and ,

a m ovement i n that directi on wa s b egun to d ay A .

tel egram wa s sent t o Governor Sc o e ld cal lin g h i ,

s

attenti on t o th e stat e of a ffairs .

C umberland Wi s Special June N ews

'
, .
, 5 ,
1 .

reach ed this city to d ay from A rlan d an interi or ,

farmin g section O fthi s county that M onday s cyclon e ,

did untol d damage in that regi on Th e small village .

O f A rland w ith h al f a d ozen bu si ness h ouses wa s

, ,

wiped out O fexi sten ce an d twenty or thirty farmers in

th e vi cini ty su ffered great l oss O fbuil din gs and stock .

Two children were pi ck ed up by th e wind and carri ed

n early half a mil e but n eith er was kill ed M any p eo
,
.

pl e were i nj ured but n o d eath s are reported

,
.

P ion eer P res s .

2 44 A M ODE R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

Ja c ob Kododa l os t barn $5 0 , ,
.

'
H M eyer lost roof O fhouse an d barn $ 1 00.
.
, ,

Jo seph Vonda l ost h ouse ( has two chil dren ) , ,

$1 00 .

C harl es P arl o l ost barn $5 0 , , .

A u gust B u e rgs t ro m lo s t barn $2 5 0 ,

'

,
.

O l e B u e rgs t ro m l ost barn ma chin ery c o w , , , ,

granary $5 00 , .

A G A nderson l ost h ou se barn and machi nery

. .
, , ,

$3 5 0
R IC H A R D S O N .

Fr ed Ki cker l ost everything ,

.

Frank N i ch ol s lost everything $5 00 , ,

.

B utl er H ulbu rt lost everything ( h as wi fe and on e ,

chil d ) ,

Gust Robinson total l oss ( has Wi fe and four chil ,

dren ) $800, .

Gust R a s k ie total loss ( has wi fe an d three chil

,

dren )
C anut e E verson total l oss ( has wife and four or ,

ve chil dren )
John H al e l ost everythin g $2 0 0 , ,
.

A M Ros enqui st t o tal l oss ( has wife and two

. .
,

children ) $2 5 0 ,
.

R ub e n H a le third l oss , ,

William L ewis ( h as w ife and th ree chil dren ) $3 0 0 ,

.

Simon L ewis ( has wi fe and ve chil d ren ) $3 0 0 ,

.

G H Felland total l oss ( has wife and eight chil

. .
,

d ren ) $ 1 00 0
, ,
.
 LO O KI N G O V E R TH E S IT UA T I O N . 2 45

Joh n A P aul son ( has w i fe and six or s even chil

.

dren ) $60 0
,
.

Wi lli am L arson total loss ( Singl e man ) $4 5 0 , , .

Mrs Sarah Gulli ckson to tal loss ( wi dow d esti

.
, ,

tut e three c hil d ren )

,

H G L ee total l oss ( has no chi ldren ) $ 1 5 0

. .
, , .

E mma H ermanson t o tal l oss (e ighteen years O ld , ,

cari ng for seven o rphan children destitut e ) , .

C W Swanson lost hou se an d barn $3 0 0

. .
, ,

C hri s O lson total loss ( has wi fe and t wo children )

, .

John Allic k s o n total loss ( ha s six children ) , .

A l ex Knuds o n t o tal loss ( has ve i n family ) $2 0 0 , , .

H a lvor L ee t otal loss $3 0 0 , , .

A nd rew B Ki ttl eson l ost hous e and barn ( has.

,

wi fe an d on e chil d ) $20 0 ,
.

O laf A n d erson lOs t barn granary etc $3 0 0 , , , .

, .

D W H u rlbut lost b ar n h ouse dam aged $2 75

. .
, , , .

C hri s P eterson lost everythi ng ( has wi fe and four ,

chil dren ) ,

Gu st Rask e lost everythin g ( ha s wife and four ,

children ) $ 1 5 0 0 , ,
.

A DJ A CE N T To C L E A R L AK E .

P L Taylor ( wi dower h a s t wo chil dren ) $6 0 0

. .
, ,
.

A n drew Grant lost everything ( has wi fe and fou r ,

chil dre n) $8 0 0 ,
.

T o rge r Torgerson total l oss ( ha s wife an d ve ,

chil dren ) $4 00 , .

H ans J Johnson total loss ( ha s wi fe a nd three

.
,

children ) $60 0 ,
.
2 46 A M OD E R N H ERC U LA N E U M .

E R Tomran lost barn granary an d impl e men t s

. .
, ,

( has wife and four chil dren ) ,

Fred Magnu son l ost barn $2 5 0 , ,

.

C has San db erg l ost granar y etc $2 5

.
, ,
.
,
.

Sam O l son fami ly l ost everythin g 5 00 , ,

.

O l e H agen l ost barn and granary ( has wife and

,

t w o ch ildren ) $2 00 ,
.

O l e O stenson lost barn $ 1 00 , ,

.

Thomas B o din e r lost barn and damaged hou se , ,

$ 1 00 .

Je ff Wadsworth total l oss ( has wife an d ve chil ,

dren ) ,

C harl es S wan son l ost ba rn an d impl ements ,

M ike M c D o n a ld ( h a s wi fe and ve child ren ) $2 0 0 , .

Fred K e n n e t z family property l oss ab out $5 0 0 , .

K I LL E D IN P O LK C O U N TY .

Fred K e n n e t z .

Sam O l son .

INJ U R E D IN P O L K C OU N TY .

A M Rosenqui st
. . .

M rs Sam O l son
. .

O l e O l son .

P L Tayl or
. . .

B utl er H urlbut .

M rs C arolin e P abst
. .

Gust H P eterson . .

Total p rop erty 105 3 ,

2 48 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

I t wil l b e obs erved that t h e destru ctio n do e s fn o t

compare i n degree with that exp eri enced in th e earli er
path O fth e tornado a s far as the village of C l ear L ake
,

i s con cern ed th e greatest destru ction in th at vi cinit y

,

b ein g to farm h o u ses further east .

Th e condition O fth e farming p eopl e wh o had lived

i n thi s somewhat sparsely settl ed regi on i n P ol k
county was p itiabl e i n t h e e x t re m e M any of th em
p
.

had possessed but th e simpl est S h el ter fo r th eir fam

ilie s either l og or small fram e cottages and lo w straw
, ,

thatch ed S h eds for th ei r cattl e A lthou gh industri ous .

and fru gal th ey ha d barely sub si sted on th e produ cts

,

o f thei r f e w acr es O f lan d D r Kin g relates th e case

. .

O f a youn g woman wh o had been workin g away from

h om e but had lately returned for a vi sit bri nging with
, ,

h er a numb er o f arti cl es whi c h sh e had pu rchased by

h er labor and whi ch w ere to have b een h er wedding
,

outt H er mu ch priz ed wardrob e ha d been packed

.
-

i n a trunk togeth er with about on e hundred dollars

, ,

i n money whi ch sh e ha d saved Sh e had ta ken refu ge

, .

i n th e cellar with h er fath er s family T h e h ou se wa s

.

carri ed away an d a reap er throw n i nto th e cellar

, .

Fortunately th ere were no d eath s am o ng th e number ,

but som e brui ses and th e trunk m enti oned with its
, ,

cont ents w a s gon e l eavin g th e young woman with

,

n o t h in
g b u t th e on e garment whi ch th e wi d had
fail ed to strip from h er p erson .

A t on e place D r Kin g s a w a family of orphan

. .

chil dren c ared for by an Ol der S i s t er Th e Ol dest mem .

b er O f th e family was a boy bu t hi s mi nd appeared to,

 LOO KI N G O V E R TH E S I T UA T I O N 2 49

be impaired so that h e was no h elp to h er T he young

, .

woman ha d put some boards Over th e cellar to shelter .

th e child ren There was nothing l eft to eat excep t

.

som e w e t ou r T h e girl had at last mil ked a c o w

,
.

and got some mil k ( I t i s a fact known h ereabouts .

-

that many cows were so a ffected by t h e storm that

th ey di d not give mil k for a day ) Sh e had sti rred .

our i nto th e mi lk an d g1v e n i t to th e chil dren in a

, ,

di sh whi ch sh e happ en ed to nd A t some distan ce .

from nei ghbors and supp osin g that th ey were all in

,

equal distress sh e kn ew n othin g el se t o do b ut t o stay

,

th ere and try h er b est t o keep th e littl e ones alive .

I t wil l thu s be seen that both n orth and south O f ,

N e w Ri chm on d th e farmers u pon whom SO mu ch O f

, ,

th e prosp erity of that market town d ep ends were al so ,

impoveri sh ed an d a fi cted and in all th e call s for h el p ,

and distribution of suppli es an d mon ey th e y had a

ri ght to th eir prop orti onate share and were included , .

T he n umb er O f lives lost outsid e of N e w Ri ch

m ond to th e southwest was fou r and to the north east
, , ,

two The p rop erty losses O ffarmers t o the sou thwest

.

were proporti onally greater than th e l osses O fth ose t o

th e north east as years O fcultivati on and imp rovement
,

had enabl ed th em t o p ut up more sub stantial and

valuabl e buil dings .

D W E LL IN G S DE M OL I S H E D IN TH E C I TY OF N EW R I CH M O N D .

A very C ath erin e r esi den ce Fi rst street

, , ,

B all George resi d en ce Fi fth stre et ; tenant H

Wel ls
.
, , , ,

.
250 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E UM .

B ell C harl es ten ement n e ar L Taft place ; tenant

, , ,
.

F L a P oi nt
. .

B ell M S t en em ent Fi fth street ; t enant C H

,
. .
, , ,
. .

Kni ght .

B ell Robert estat e tenement Sixth street ; ten

, , , ,

ant E lvin L evings

,
.

B urden L W resi dence A r c h street , . .

, , .

B eal A n gi e resid en c e Fi fth street

, , , .

B enj amin E lla ten ement A rch street ; t enant , , , ,

M rs George . .

B artlett F W tenement Second street ; tenant

, . .
, , ,

D . Kuh n .

B artl ett F W t enement S econd street ; t enant

,
. .
, , ,

A G B oeh m
. . .

B urton Wm estate tenement Green street ; ten

,
.
, , ,

ant L V Spri n gstein

, . . .

B urton Wm estate tenement Third street ; ten

,
.
, , ,

ant Timothy N oonan

,
.

B rown A ndrew resi dence A rch street

, , , .

B rown A nd rew t enem ent Green street ; tenant

, , , ,

M rs M B rown. . .

C lifton A B resi den ce Fi fth stree t

,
. .
, , .

C rowl ey James tenement Fourth street ; tenant , , , ,

J. B rass .

C asey James resi den ce Fi fth street

, , , .

C osgri ff M rs resi den ce Fi fth street ,

.
, , .

C hil ds ; H A residence Fi fth street . .

, , .

C asey M J resi den ce Green street

, . .
, , .

C lapp B etsey M residen ce Fi fth street

,
.
, , .

D e n n e e n A nd rew tenement A rch street ; tenant, , ,

D unbar .
25 2 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

Jameson H M residence Main street ,

. .
, , .

Johnson J D r resi den ce A rch street ,

.
,
.
, ,
.

Kane Ri chard residen ce Fi fth street

, , , .

Kel ly M rs M i cha el resi dence M ain street

, .
, ,
.

Knapp L L D r residen ce T hird street

,
. .
,
.
, , .

L yn ch E d , resid ence Green street

, ,
.

L ewis J H W residen ce Mai n street

,
. . .
, , .

L ink Wm H resi den ce A rch street

,
. .
, , .

L ink Jas H resi den ce S econd street

,
. .
, ,

L yn ch A H res iden ce Green street

,
. .
, , .

L anph ear C harl es resid ence Third street , , , .

L egard M rs A nton resi d ence A rch street

,
.
, , .

M c D e rm o tt M rs M argaret resi dence Fi fth ,

.
, ,

street .

M c N a lly W A rch street,

. .

M u rdock H N D r ten ement A rch street ,

. .
,
.
, ,
.

M c C a rt n e y Georg e resi dence southwest part Of , ,

Fi rst ward .

M ethodi st parsonage Green street ,

.

M c H e n ry Sarah First ward

, ,
.

M c H e n ry Sarah tenement First ward ; tenant , , , ,

F L etellier
. .

M artin Gertrude residence Green street

, , ,
.

M ini er D H residen ce A rch street

,
. .
, ,

Manufacturers B ank tenement M am street ; ten

i

, ,

a n t L T urn ow
,
. .

O B rie n Jas tenem ent S econd Street ; tenant S

.

,
.
, , ,

C B oardman
. .

O l eson S evren re s ide n c e G re e n street

, , ,
. .

O B rie n M N resi d en ce Fourth street

.
,
. .
, ,
 LO O KI N G O E V R TH E S I T UA T I ON .
25 3

P erry E H resid en ce First ward

,
. .
, , .

P eterson Iver tenement S econd street ; tenant

, , , ,

M rs M c Ca rty
. .

P hillip s Jas resi dence , Fifth street

,
.
, .

Rowe T N resi den ce Fi rst ward

, . .
, , .

Rowe T N ten ement Green street ; t enant G e o

,
. .
, , ,
.

O akes .

Rowe T N ten ement Green street ; tenant Jn o

,
. .
, , .

P att o n .

Rowe , T N tenement Green street ; tenant N . .

,
.

E dward s .

Rowe T N t enement Gre en street ; t enant D

, . .
, , , .

C umm er .

Rosebrook estat e resid en ce M ain street , , , .

Roberts Gri fth resid en c e Fourth street

, , , .

Rutty J L resid en ce Fourth street

,
. .
, , .

Rob erts H W residence Fourth street , . .

, ,
.

Ro s e b ro o k s M B residen ce A rch stre et ,

. .
, ,
.

Ri chards Tho m as resi dence , Fi rst ward , ,

-

S cott Jan e resi d ence Fifth street

, .
, ,

Stapl es estate t en ement Fi rst street ; tenant A

, , , , .

Tobi n .

Smith , G N estate t enement Fourth street ; ten

. .
, , , ,

ants D oty
,
M c G ra t h
Smith G N estate t enement Third street ; ten
,
. .
, , ,

ant Mr O dgers
, . .

Smith G N estate Fourth stre et ; t enant

,
. .
, , ,

D av is .

Smith G N estat e t e n e m e n t F o u rt h street ; t en

,
. .
, , ,

ant Jn o C lark
,
. .
25
4 A M OD E R N H E R C U LAN E U M .

Starr M E resid ence A rc h street

, . .
, , .

T re a s u r H resid en ce Green street , .

, , .

Thompson O estate tenement S econd ,

.
, , ,
street ;
tenant J Joyce ,
. .

Thomp son O estate tenement Secon d ,

.
, , ,
street ;
tenant C Ca S On av a , .

Taft L eon residence Fi rst ward

, , ,
.

Taft E H resi den ce Fi rst ward

,
. .
, ,
.

Taft E mm et resi den ce Fi rst ward

, , ,
.

T uni s M rs Frank residence A rch street , .

, ,
.

Willi ams M argaret residence n ear O maha , , ,

depot .

Wells M rs A nni e resi dence Fi rst ward

, .
, , .

Well s George resi d ence Green stre et , , , .

Ward C ath erine resi dence Sixth street , , ,

.

Th ere may b e some omi ssions .

B arns sh ed and i ceh ou ses were d estroyed

,
to th e
number O f forty
B U S IN E S S P LAC E S DE S TR O YE D .

Ward S Williams general store .

, .

William B ixby C O furniture .

,
.

B ank of N e w Ri chmond .

E O Kaye. C o d ru g store
. .
, .

P add en H u gh es hardware ,
.

J B. H i cks gro ceri.es ,

.

H W Fink bakery
. .
, .

O J Wi ll iams hardware
. .
, .

B E A l dri ch drugs
. .
, .

M J S cott restau rant

. .
,
.

M rs J J Gavin millinery. . .
, .

D r L L Knapp O fce
. . .
, .
25 6 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M

D r Sh erman d entist
.
,
.

Ca s o n a v a C o saloon .
, .

Smith O akes lawyers ,

.

C ullen Greel e y sal oon ,

.

M c Ca rty Tann ey groceri es ,

.

O dd Fell ows L od ge .

W H Fri ssell paint shop

. .
, .

A nd rew D e n n e e n general store ,

.

C O F L od ge
. .
,
. .

Sam Johns boots and S h oes , .

John H agan Op era h ou se bloc k ,

.

M N O B rie n barb er
. .

,
.

J. H W L ewi s blacksmi
. th sh op. .
,

M rs L ewi s milli n ery .

, .

A nd rew Tobi n general machinery ,

carriages .

R W B entl ey bi cycl e repai rs

. .
,
.

P atri ck H enry Fa rmers H otel , .

Rose Early dressmaker ,

.

M rs M c Ca rty dressmak er
.
,
.

T h omas Farrell carp enter , .

H B eal 81 CO groceri es
. .
,
.

B arrett 81 H enry saloon , .

M c G rat h B roth ers b lacksmiths ,

.

O maha d epot .

M erchants H otel .

D r Epl ey O fce.
,
.

S t C roix Rep ubl i can

. .

P B D ay express
. .
,
.

A G B oehm cigar fa ctory

. .
,
.

D r F S W ade O fce . . .
,
.
25 8 M O D E R N H E R C ULA NE U M .

C H AP T E R I X .

WORK TO Do .

Wha t s ees t t h l
o u e se ?

S h a kes peare Th e T e mt es t .

Wh at w e re th e p e p l e d o in g ?
o

A q u es tio n a s k ed o f o n e wh o h a d v isi te d N ew R i ch mon d upo n h is re tur n h o me .

S ome O f ou r m erchants found a li ttl e salvage ,

wh ere th e re had not run throu gh and tri ed to take ,

care Of it by S pread in g it o u t in Open places wh ere

, ,

i t coul d be sorted dri ed an d cl ean sed and storing i t

, ,

i n S h eds o r barns scarcel y obtainabl e n ear by Soon .

a medley O f soil ed sulphu r scented goods were ( fliS

,

played on porches and S h ed roofs S ome were gath .

ered into t ents P ermanent and reliabl e h el p was

.

hard to get T O some extent th e moral sense a p

.
,
s

p e a re d to be overtaken by th e confusi on whi ch rei gned

sup reme A woman who had carri ed h ome S ilver
.
,

ware t o a n ot very di sta nt ci ty was reprimanded b V ,

o n e O f th e men in th e family wh o sai d You have ,

n o ri ght to thi s Why did yo u take it

.
? Sh e replied :

Those peopl e will have no use for su ch thin gs T hey .

have no h omes T h e poli ce of St P aul had a cted at
. .
 WO R K To DO .
25 9

rst on th ei r own cognizance until t h e sh eri ff of th e ,

county had sworn i n a numb er of deputies A fter th e .

arrival of C ompany C Tenth B attalio n N ational ,

Guard u nd er C aptain H artwell th e deputi es acted i n

, ,

conj un ction with th e mili tia for a coupl e O f weeks ,

wh en th e guard was removed an d th e enforcement ,

of th e la w returned t o local authoriti es D uring th e .

t w o weeks a pi cket lin e wa s established around th e

bu si n ess blocks and at i nterval s a guard was seen out

,

si de thi s portion ; but thi evi ng was not altogeth er

prevented E ven wh en th e ruins were ransacked by
.

cl e a r u p gangs under foremen some cases O f di s
-

, ,

h onesty were susp ected B y detective s ervi ce som e

.

were b rou ght t o j u sti ce but i t i s thou ght that ar ti cl es

,

amounting to consid erabl e in valu e were tak en a way

'

I ndeed thi s i s certainly known T h ere were i nstances

, .

wh ere strangers took good s and cl ean ed th em an d ,

th en restored th em to ri ghtful owners O ne person .

,

desirin g to do j ust ri ght fared ill i n th e attempt ,

.

L ookin g over th e ruin s O f on e of th e O l dest h omes h e ,

found a copy of P ilgrim s P rogress H e hu nt ed up

.

th e own er and paid two dollars fo r th e souvenir A i

,
.

t e rw a rds h e foun d a l arge B ibl e for whi ch h e O ffered

"

to pay ten dol lars N ot havi ng th e money with

.

him h e promi sed to send a ch eck whi ch h e did H e

, ,
.

al so removed an d returned a Family Record whi ch ,

was i n th e B ibl e B ein g seen with th e book s h o w

. ,

ever b efore l eavin g tow n h e was arrested h e says

:

, ,
,

but o n askin g to b e tak en b efore th e former owner ,

h e was rel eased .

2 60 A M OD E R N H E R C ULAN E U M .

M i ss W M c c l ellan was tol d that someon e wa s

.

seen pi cking up S ilverware about th e hom e of M rs .

Geo Well s wh o was at th e b edsid e of h er father

.
,

H avin g b een an inmate of th e Well s h om e M i ss M c ,

C lellan hasten ed to t h e spot She s a w a p erson put .

ting di fferent arti cles into hi s p ock et whi ch she recog

n iz e d as belongi ng to M rs Well s Workin g h er way
. .

t oward him and j oinin g in hi s occupati on sh e thrust

, ,

h er hand i nto hi s p ocket and said : ,
L et s count

what we have M rs Well s will b e so glad to get

. .

th ese . Sh e seiz ed hi s plunder so a drio tly that sh e
had it well i n h er somewhat trembling possessi on b e
fore h e coul d cl ap hi s h and onto hi s p ock et whi ch h e

tri ed to d o O th ers arrived at th e pla ce j u st th en

.

who were known to M i ss M c Cle lla n and th e fell ow ,

ma d e O ff with out p rotest .

O n e p e rson h avin g secured a ni ce paintin g blown

, ,

from i ts fram e went b ol dl y into a h ou se o n th e ou t

,

ski rts and asked for a paper to wrap it up i n e v ide n tlv ,

un co n sci ou s O f doin g any wron g Those who owned .

nothi n g in th e worl d except what lay scat tered Over

th e country woul d rath er ha v e ha d th e privil ege o fex
a m in in g th e arti cl es th emse lves worthl ess as most of ,

th em appea red o n th e su rface and began t o feel some ,

what unkindly toward th e souveni r h unters who in

fe s t e d th e pl ac e as it was only i n i solated cases that
,

p ermi ssi on wa s asked to tak e things away Th ere .

were really enough illu stration s o f th e ext raordinary

force Of th e storm with out takin g unauth orized arti
-

cl es of val ue A group of person s were h eard di scu s

.
262 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

ga ments and bedding sent by th e Jobbers U nion O f

r ,

St P aul had at rst been given out at h eadquarters

.
,
,

and i t was no un common sight to see ladi es wh o had ,

b een fasti diou s in form er days about th e styl e and t

o fth eir garments cl oth ed in a

,reli ef wrapper One .

remarked We all l ook ali ke ; and i nd eed i t seem ed , ,

as i f all had committ ed some mi sdemeanor and had -

been pu t i nto reform s chool atti re Surely a dol eful .

,

si sterh ood !
L at er on cl othi n g an d furnitu re of all sorts were
,

given o u t at th e sch oolhouse u nder sup ervi sion O f ,

M r J A A ndrews of H udson at rst an d later und er

. . .
, , ,

l ocal management L adies of th e l ocal Women s Re

.

li ef C orps did e fci ent servi ce h ere especi ally M es ,

dames R ipl ey L oomi s an d M B ri ckl ey M rs C F

_
,
. . . . .

Talmadge assi sted in thi s an d a ny oth er w a y possibl e

, ,

d eemin g it a privil ege to work rath er than to give way ,

to h er sorrow I f anythin g coul d b e more wearisom e

.

th an sorting mat chin g and tryin g on for a n ervou s

,

th rong bewailing th eir n ecessity for appearin g in th e

,

ranks of th e n eedy I ha v e yet to l earn what it i s

, .

Th e coll ecti on Of garm ents wa s su ch I suppose as i s , ,

usually seen where th e n eed exi sts for coll ectin g so

many in ha st e and wa s both u seful an d interestin g
, ,

especially i n th e numb er and v a r1e ty of its shirtwai sts .

Th ere were a fe w whi ch sh owed a stri ct conformity to

recent styl es but th ose with th e really mammoth
,

sl eeves bore so plai nly th e mark of th e sch oolhouse

that i t was di fcul t to di spose O f them You were .

too prou d i t will be said and was said I n defen ce
, ,
.
 WO RK TO Do . 26 3

Of more than reasonabl e pri d e mani fested I can only ,

say that th e rol e of paup er w a s an unexpected one to

thes e p eopl e an d th ey were not prepared to act it
,

prop erly N on e of th em were at that time support

.

in g an establishment whi ch woul d give th em social

standing and th ei r personal app earan ce was th ei r o n lv
,

ai d i n that resp ect Th e remark wa s heard S eem s
.
,

to m e i f I had lost ever ythin g I possessed I

, ,

S h o ul d b e glad to get any O ld thin g ; but
th e auth or Of su ch sentiments has sunk into Oblivi on ,

not applyin g for a copyri ght M u ch better at that

.

tim e wou l d it have been to Ob serve a C ranford like

S il en ce to p e c u la rit ie s of dress and pretend to feel

,

ourselves quite prop erly atti red n otwith standin g h o w

,

we mi ght app ea r to oth ers This perhaps w e could

.

have don e m ore gracefully i f th e garm ent s had been

taken from th e recesses of o u r o w n garrets or i f su ch ,

i ndi fference were as p reval ent i n th e west as i n som e o f

th e sequ estered nooks of lon g settl ed N e w England
-

wh ere on e may wear wh at h e pl eases i f h e bel on gs to a

good family Thi s l eads m e to re ect on th e u sel ess
.

n ess of storing away out dated cl othi n g in thi s change

-

abl e a ge Th e garm ents whi ch in th e hot summe r

.

days app eared cumbersom e were lai d asi de by th e far

si ghted for remod eling when wint ery winds S h oul d
nd u s reinstated at our o wn re s ide s and S ewing ,

machines and conveni en ces had b een restored to u s .

I f th e donors could know what satisfacti on many su ch

gi fts have a fforded an d with w hat thankfuln ess th ey
,

have been received it woul d groun d th em d eeper in

,
2 64 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

th ei r convi cti on that i t is b etter p ass worth whil e to -

ga rments around t o th ose wh o can mak e u se of t hem ,

rather th an store th em away wh ere moth and rust

d o corrupt and make them u nt for thi eves to steal .

We feel ce rtain that in th e b estowment O f su ch char

,

i ty some mu st hav e found th ems elves i n th e condition

,

of th e d ear O ld I ri sh lady wh o havin g received a , ,

small fortune expended it for one and anoth er of h er

,

fri ends wh ose small wi sh es sh e d esi red to gratify l eav

,
,

in g unti l th e la st th e purchase of a warm cap e for h er

sel f B ut wh en Sh e had provi ded for oth ers h er
.

m on ey had been spent l eavin g h er more than sati s ,

e d in th e pl easure sh e had given Th e intenti on o f .

a lady livi ng i n th e south ern part o f thi s stat e was

commendabl e S oli citin g cl othin g S h e was answered
.
,

by o n e wh om sh e asked : I d on t know that I have

any O ld cl othin g to send O l d cl othin g ! excl aimed
.

M rs W .

I do not want O ld cl othing I want .

su ch thin gs as you like t o wea r a nd u se yourselves .

You must rememb er that some of th ese d esti tut e peo

,

pl e were a sh ort ti m e ago livin g and dressing a s well

, ,

as yo u d o I t i s needless t o ay that h er dainty col
. s

l ecti on was a b oon and a deli ght to those who received

i t B ut in th e st ri ct a dh e ra n c e to such a rul e at su ch
.
,

a time th e average collector mi ght mi ss in quantity

,

what was balan ced by q uality T h e circumstances .

p eculiar to th e sort of calamity exp eri en ced h ere

seemed t o call for ready to us e arti cl es i n th e a b -

s e n c e 0 f utensil s for cleaning and repairing Thi s

~
.

was th ou gh t of by some donors an d those who mad e ,

266 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

th e outl ook was dubiou s th e country t rad e was bound

,

to com e here as b efore an d fresh parti es coul d easily

,

n n ll
have driven our a c ia y ruined merch ant s from th e

une q ual contest T akin g i nto consi d eration th e l oss
.

su stai ned by so many woul d future prospects warrant

,

startin g i n o n borrowed capital ? C oul d th ey borrow ?

With only th e foun dation of th eir stores l eft th e en ,

c o u ra ge m e n t was sm all I f any ha d vacant l ots oth er

.

th an on e that h e S h oul d sel ect to bui ld on h e coul d ,

not hop e to get mu ch fo r th em M r Yep Ye th e . .

,

C hin ese laun dryman seemed to think th e matter of

,

hi s abidin g h ere h ad b een deci ded adversely H e was .

a great deal fri ght ened and somewhat hurt in th e

fall Of hi s laundry an d h e an d hi s son were cared for
,

at th e resid ence O fM r B la n ch er A s soon a s h e came

. .

to himsel f h e sai d N e w L ic h m o n go I go an d
, , ,

then h e added as i f to excu se himsel f for hi s departure

, ,

N e w Lic h m o n stay I stay B u t those whose
,
.

longer resid en ce h ere had a t t a c h e d t h e m to th e place

did n ot wi sh to b e separat ed from th ei r companions i n
di stress L i ke sail ors wh o h ad fa ced p eril s togeth er
.
,

they were willing to try th ei r fate again in th e sam e

b oat Th ei r circumstances woul d be known an d u n
.

de rs t o o d b etter h ere than el sewh ere and th ei r former .

standin g woul d atta ch to th em th ei r former fri end s

Wh ether th e retrosp ective V i ew of S O much that i s
di sastrou s and sorrowful will prove benecial remain s ,

t o b e proved but there were fe w wh o felt abl e to V e n

,

ture i nto untri ed el d s T h e intenti ons exp ressed di f

.

fe re d some were u pon convi cti on and oth ers caused ,

 WORK To Do . 267

by distraction according to vari ed temp erament s

, .

Som e declared they had no i nterest in accumulating

prop erty whi ch mi ght at a ny tim e b e snat ch ed awa y;
,

but because th ey must have somethin g t o live on ,

woul d do SO an d would spend as fast as earn ed every

,

cent for transitory comforts T h ey re gard ed th e

.

promi se of li fe as small O th ers were more h op eful O f

.

long life i n j ust thi s place than anywh ere el se i n th e

worl d T hey declared it most unli kely that a great c a
.

la m it y certainly n ot a cyclone woul d vi sit h ere for
a term of years N otwith standing thi s speci ous l ogi c
.
,

all h ours of th e day and ni g ht found these l atter sages

ready to get below th e surface of th e earth on short
noti ce and throu gh out the summer heavy rai ns a c
, , ,

compani ed by rumbling thu nder and vivi d li ghtning ,

Often followed by cumulating clouds woul d send

th em scu ddin g to thei r rendezvou s with th ose wh o had

op enly expressed th eir fear .

A fe w hastily built sh eds of whi ch M r E O

, . .

Kaye s dru g store was th e rst cau sed numerous com

m ents o n th e cou rage of our bu si n ess men in resum

ing busi ness Su rely it di d imply courage ; but the
.

kind of buil dings di d not recon cil e u s to th e l oss o f

th ose wh ose pla ces th ey occupi e d an d our streets bid
,

fair t o take on a far western boom town appearance

-

A ft er scores of workm en had com e and gone some ,

impression had b een mad e up on th e debri s Streets .

had been only su fci ently cleared to allow teams to get

throu gh S om e trees had been h aul ed O ff and p ol es
.
,

and snarl s of wire moved asi d e T here was still very

.
2 68 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

m u ch more t o b e don e b efore p erm anent buil din gs

coul d be started Even wh ere what had o rigin a llV
.

occupi ed th e ground had been carri ed O ff oth er d ebri s

encumbered i t an d mu st b e carted aw ay and burn ed
, ,

and th e cellars and grounds scraped as a sanitary

m easure Farmers h auled away som e splintered tim
.

ber t for wood an d sai d th ey coul d have done all

, ,

th e cl eanin g up i f th ey had b een given a ch ance at i t

b efore th ey had to att end t o th ei r corn Th ey h o w .
,

ever k ept at work even at a di sa dvantage t o th e corn

, .

as many preferred th e assi stan ce of m en known t o

th em Resid ents wh o had h omes l eft al so mani fest ed
.

as mu ch int erest p erhaps more than th ei r o w n a ffairs

,

woul d warrant F o r ill ustrati on : T h e family O f M r

. .

O F H e m in w a y rose at fou r or ve o cl ock each

. .

m orning an d th e m en went o u t t o work at on ce to

,

th e dinin g t ent ; to Star P rairi e for suppli es ; home ,

t o breakfast wit h a large family of homel ess ones

,

wh om th ey h ad taken i n Th en again at n oon th e .

, , ,

younger m emb ers o f th e h ou sehol d with su ch others ,

from out of town as th ey came across willin g t o per

form th e servi ce repaired again to th e dinin g tent to
, ,

wait upon th e laborer s wh o took m eal s there and th e n ,

h om e a gai n for th eir o w n dinn er S o i t was m eal .

,

after meal and day after day as l on g as th ey coul d be

, ,

of u se i n that w a y T h ey entertain ed besi d es nu

.
, ,

m e ro u s peopl e w h o cam e t o l ook up fri en ds o r a ct fo r

soci eti es and tw o o r three workers from th e sch ool
,

h ou se T h ei r team and wagon and h orse and bu gg

.

were i n almost con stant u se haulin g d ebri s or carry

.

, ,
2 70 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

ti me h e declared M r .O leson had but a sh ort ti me

,
.

before six O cl oc k on th e 1 2 th o f June Secured hi s

, ,

papers whi ch brough t him a good sum of i nsuran ce

,

money .

Wind storms of great d estructive power are in fre

qu ent in thi s section of Wi sconsin I t h as b een rare .

even for chimn eys to b e blown down A lthou gh at .

l on g i ntervals thi s has happened th e area covered was

,

small an d th e results in no ways comparabl e with what

has taken place h ere Su f ci ent alarm has not b een
.

fel t to impress m en with th e expedien cy of insurin g

agai nst thi s parti cular el ement
B y th e I st of A u gu st th e work of rebuilding per

man ent buildings was w ell un der way P remi ses were .

cl eared over an d over again ; rst of th e larger stu ff

, ,

that could be pi cked up ; th en of th e slivers that coul d

b e raked up an d th e smok e of bonres scented th e
,

air ; an d t h en came th e layer of earth that must b e ,

scrap ed o ff or else covered over Lo w places were .

lled in with broken bri ck an d plast er and earth ,

hauled over th em B oss carp enters and buil ders
.

were th e nabobs of th e h o ur and white capped stone

,
-

masons an d h o dc arrie rs were given th e ri gh t of way .

S ton e boats an d w a go n s c ro s s e d wh ere law n s had

-

b een o r anywh ere through the labyri nth of bui lding

, ,

material There was mu ch shouting of drivers ba ck

.
,

ing and hawi ng a s th ey dump ed th ei r loads Th en

, .

arose th e fragrance of slacking lime an d fresh paint ,

rej oi cin g our h earts as a harbinger of h ome I t will .

b e doubtful i f w e ever Se e as mu ch work don e h ere in

 W O RK TO DO .
27 1

th e sam e l ength of tim e aga in Main street was d e .

stroyed by re som e years ago and th en rebuilt b ut ,

i t wa s don e more gradually Wh ere can anoth er city

.

be found wh ose entire b usi ness porti on has b een b uilt

and e q uipp ed with mod ern appointment s i n three
month s time ? A bout one thi rd of th e h omes d e

-

stroyed have b een rebuilt and oth ers wi ll b e In re

,
.

installin g th e el ectri c power from th e time th at M r

,
.

E H Ma s k re y sup erintend ent an d en gin eer pri ed

. .
, ,

th e h ors es ou t whi ch were wedged in b etween th e

machi nery a t th e central station to th e compl eti on of ,

constru ction h e has revel ed in O bstacles an d hinder

,

a n c e s su fci ent even for his energy H e h im self lived .

i n a tent wi th hi s littl e family until th e chilly wind s o f

autumn drove th em into th ei r still unni shed h ouse
Thi s reconstru ction wa s mad e possibl e i n its ini
tial steps b y th e charity of individual s largely suppl e ,

m e n t e d by th e gen erous i nterest o f soci eti es and c o n ,

summated by th e pl u ck of th e i nhabitants many of

.

whom h ave h ad a great nancial stru ggl e not yet ,

over E ach one has endeavored to r einstate himsel f

.

in his former pla ce Thi s h as b een th e rul e and th ere

.
,

ha s been very littl e tenden cy to cr owd each oth er or ,

take unfai r advantage of th e untoward situ ati on Th e .

gen eral ton e i s that of kindlin ess an d h el pfulness

amon g ou r bu si ness men .

I wish some d e vice h a d b een evolved whi ch woul d

ha ve e nabled u s to make buildi ngs tornado proof -

Thei r character p erhaps averages bett er than those

destroyed a lthough th ere are marked excepti ons
,
2 72 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

i n b oth di recti ons s om e b ein g deci dedly b et

,

ter and some d ecidedly p oorer A s to being secure .

-

from such a vi sitation as We h ave experi enced we do ,

not think i t possi bl e We almost b eli eve that l ike

.
,

li ghtning tornadoes do not strike th e s a me place

,

twi ce th ou gh w e do n ot know that anyon e i s s u f

,

c ie n t ly i nformed to assure u s of th 1 s P ossibly w e

migh t have c o n s t ru c t e d u n de rgro u n d dwellings wh ere ,

w e coul d hi e ourselves away coming to th e surface ,

o c c a s I O n a lly for light and ai r and after th e manner

, ,

o fprai ri e d ogs hard beaten path s extendin g from one

, ,

u nd ergroun d dwellin g t o anoth er woul d have S h owed ,

u s b oth social and n ei ghb orl y O r since th e bank .

,

vaults remai ned intact w e mi gh t perhaps have con

,

stru cted small i ron framed and b ri ck covered houses

- .

B ri ck buildi n gs of ordinary S iz e went to pi eces com

p le t e ly an d di sastrously H owever . no o n e appears ,

to have mad e any notabl e i nn ovati on u pon th e con

v e n t io n a l m eth ods of archi tecture You know p eopl e.

priz e n othin g in thi s worl d SO much as wh at th ey have

lost O ur h omes n ever seemed so d ear to us as wh en
.

we noted th eir abs en ce and each d esired to recall th e

,

h ome snatch ed away an d at th e sam e time to b e suf

,

c ie n t ly comfortabl e to forget th e abj ectness of th e

C yclone Summer . S o th e n e w h ou se usually has th e
changes i n arran gement whi ch each On e thinks con
du c iv e to that end . Th ere still r emain some hulks of
bui ldin gs som e cl uttered l ots an d some unsigh tly
, ,

stump s whi ch we do not like to see .

 S TATE A I D .
273

C H AP T E R X .

S TAT E AI D .

R e ad , ma rk l e a n and inwa rd l y d ig e s t
,
r ,
.

B ook of Co mmon P rayer .

A s h e that wrestl es with u s strength ens our

nerves an d sharp ens o u r S kill so th e gravi ty of the ,

outlook arou s e d th e energy of o u r p eopl e M eeti ngs .

w ere h eld and vari ou s prop o s it io n s discussed wh ere

,
-

by ai d could b e furni sh ed t o a denite extent Whil e .

a ckn owl ed gin g that great generosity had b een shown

by i ndivi dual s and by communiti es an d expressing ,

th e d eep est gratitu d e for h avin g present necessiti es

suppli ed by d emands upon th e ready b en evol en ce of
interested fri ends an d n ei ghbors to continu e to de ,

p en d up on su ch charity was h umiliatin g an d un certain .

P res s n o ti ces to whi ch w e were so mu ch indebt ed

, ,

woul d soon give place to later happ enin gs and con ,

trib u ti o ns to th e reli ef fund whi ch was at th e end of a

,

week entirely inad equate to even provid e sh el ter fo r

th e numb er o f h om el ess p eopl e so wi dely separated
from ea ch oth er w oul d pr obably cease C onden ce
,
.

was expressed in th e ability and intention o f th e state

to restore to us i n a m e asure th e comfort and pros
, ,

p e rit y from whi ch w e had b een deposed by an acc i

d ent o f nature an ac c i dent for wh ic h no h uman

18
2 74 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

foreth ough t coul d prepare u s and from whi ch no ,

i nventi on o f man coul d shi el d u s St P aul s del ega . .

ti on o f bu sin ess m en a gain came t o th e rescue as ,

h eartily a s th ou gh th ey had forgotten wh eth er th e

changes in b oundary Of 1 8 4 6 4 7 had l eft N e w Ri ch -

mon d i n M inn esota o r S t P aul i n Wiscon sin and O i

,
.
,

fe re d information drawn from th eir knowl edge o f

,

similar emergen ci es always with b ecoming m o de s t v

,

an d with no d esire t o i nterfere with any sch eme ori g

in a t e d within o u r o w n b ord ers T h e busi ness men
.

and citiz ens assembl ed at th e resid ence o f M r M P . . .

M c N a lly and made A s semblyman M osh er th ei r rep

,

re s e n t a t iv e i n th e matter of th e appointment of a state

committee t o be mad e u p o f ni en from se v eral di ffer

,

ent n eighborin g citi es an d M r C hannin g S eabury of

, .
,

St P aul accompani ed M r M osh er t o Madi son to ask

. . .

fo r it s app ointm ent . Th e l ocal committee had been

informally con stituted and it was beli eved that th e
,

appointm ent o f a state committee would give n e w

life to th e reli ef movement as well a s b e a guarantee ,

Of th e j udi ci ous di sb u rsement o f th e fund preclude ,

any charge o f favoriti sm and pl ace u s i n th e more

.

secure attitu de Of a state rath er than a l ocal charge .

Th e governor s second appeal t o th e peopl e followed

.

an d Jun e 1 9 th th e committee was appointed whi ch

, ,

had i n han d th e matter o f di stributi on and disburse

ment o f fund s an d suppli es t o th e end o f th e work :
A P R O CLA M A T I O N B Y T H E G O V E R N O R .

T o th e P eopl e o f Wi scon sin :

N o w that th e full extent of th e disaster whi ch a
e k a go b efel l th e city of N e w Ri chmond an d sur
276 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

p eopl e gen erall y may b e informed o fth e extent of th e

di saster w ork ed by th e st orm and th e d emand w hich .

i s thereby mad e o n th ei r generosity an d sympathy .

T h e rst reports o f th e c y cl one did n o t a s i s usuall y ,

th e case exaggerate th e dama ge w rough t ; in fact

, .

th ey h a ve only hal f t ol d th e story w hich a s w e , .

l earn it n o w proves the storm o f Jun e 1 2 th to be the

,

most seri ou s di sa ster that ever befell \V is c o n s in o r ,

that has even b een known i n th e \Vest .

M oney i s n eeded above all but building material ,

an d hard wa re al so are required I am condent that .

w hen th e peopl e o f th e state come t o und erstand

cl early th e d evastation w rou ght th e n eeds o f th e u n .

fortunate su fferers w il l b e fully and generou sly met .

U ntil thi s committee has organized and mad e

"

other arrangements contri butors t o the relief fund are

,

ask ed t o continu e sendi n g th ei r d onations o f m o n e v

t o th e First N ational B ank o f H udson .

E D WA R D S C O F I E L D ,

Governor .

O n th e 2 2 d o f Jun e sub committees were el ected-

by an d from busin ess men o f th e vi cinit y w ith power .

t o empl oy h elp and all t o look t o th e state committee

,

fo r inst ru cti ons T h e sub committees were as fo l

.
-

l ows
P oli ce ( t o have authority over ruins and t o keep .

th e time o flab orers empl oyed i n excavatin g and cl ear

i ng ruins ) : Thos ears mayor ; M P Mc N a lly
f
. . . .
,

Jas O B rie n
.

.

Reli ef an d H ospital ( t o have charge of all otmen t

o ffood supplies and stores ) : A n drew D e n n e e n A l ex ,

Russell C has P hillip s M rs G W R ipl ey

, .
,
. . . .
 S TA T E AI D . 2 77

Em ergen cy R efreshm ent ( t o h a v e ch arge o f fur

n is h in
g temporary m eal s ) : M S W ell s M rs J B . .
,
. . .

H oxi e o f St P au l an d M rs H a ll ett
.
,
. .

B uildin g committe e ( t o h ave c h arge o f repai ri n g

and erectin g bui ldi n gs fo r n eedy su fferers ) : T h os .

M ul roo n ey M S B ell G A Well s J \V C hu rch

,
. .
,
. .
,
.
I
. .

H en ry T ra s ie r .

In f ormati on C ommi ttee ( t o mak e a th orou gh can

vass o ft h e ci ty o f N e w Ri chm on d an d th e enti re area ,

damaged by t h e st orm i n St C roix P ol k an d B arron

,
.
,

counti es a n d m ak e reco rd o f con diti on s past a n d

, ,

p resent o f eac h famil y tha t su ffered l oss ) : H C

,
. .

B ak er H u d son ; John Sa k ris o n D eer P ark ; A rthu r

, ,

Spe n cer B oardman ; Th os Stou t Jr C l ear L ak e

, .
,
.
,

G e o O ak s Wal d o M osh er O G L ibby Th os M u !

.
, , . .
,
.

roo n ey N e w Ri ch m ond
,
.

A fter th e appointm en t o f th e stat e commi tt ee

greater h opefuln ess prevail ed and m ore activi t y wa s ,

m ani f est ed in puttin g u p bui ldin gs P eopl e e n c o u r .

a g ed th em selves wi th t h e h ope th at ab out o n e thi rd -

o f th ei r loss wou ld b e m ad e good t o th em i n average

cases ; a lth ou gh o f cou rse th e larger th e l oss th e l es s

, ,

th e p roporti on wou ld b e Very fe w as a matter Of .

,

fact di d receive su ch prop orti on o f th ei r l oss bu t

, ,

thi s was j u st aft er th e dai ly pap ers n ear th e seat o f

state governm en t h ad m enti o n ed favorabl y th e callin g
fo r su ch a sum as woul d do thi s We took courage .

t o h op e that we sh oul d at lea st h ave places t o l ay o u r

h ead s again an d th at buil din gs su f ci ently s u b s t a n
,

ti al t o suit o u r pu rposes fo r bu sin ess woul d tak e th e

place of temporary sh an ti es and fel t assured that som e ,
2 78 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

money woul d b e gi v en to ai d th e most impoveri sh ed

on es T he idea had gon e forth that th e preference o f
.

o u r state was t o take charge o f th e matter an d th e ,

Opi ni on w a s q uit e gen eral that S h e shoul d mak e ade

q uate provi sion for a certain amount say ,

to whi ch would cover one third to o n e half

actual l oss l eavin g o u t of consi deration l oss o f time i n

,

busin ess T hi s coul d b e apportion ed amon g c o m m u

.

n it i e s accordin g t o populati on o r accordin g to v a lu a

,

tion of property ; th e latter o f course ndin g l ess fa

, ,

v o r amon g large prop erty own ers than small on es It .

w a s b eli eved that th e situati on was so unu sua l that .

the state shoul d make an appropriation to ai d h er

stricken an d impoverish ed subj ects an d at that time , ,

s o great w a s th e ood of sy mpathy and so earn est ,

and wh ol e h earted th e desi re of th e masses o f peopl e

-

to see a community whi ch had su ffered so u n t o w a rdlv

i n th e loss o fits m embers restored to 1 t s former stand ,

in g s o far as cha rity coul d do i t that a n arrangement

, ,

Of th e kind woul d have met wi th very general appro

b a t io n . O th er plan s were di scussed ; I cannot say
w h o ori ginated them O ne w a s that th e stat e tru st
.

fund mi ght b e availabl e fo r loans Secured on th e prop

e rt
y t o b e improved O n e. gentl eman suggested that
a con cert be given in e v e rv city l arge and small on . ,

a day appointed by th e govern or N o t with th e n o

,
.

ti on o f bei n g tenaci ou s o f a n y given plan but with a .

great d esire fo r de n it e n e s s o n th e part of th ose w h o

were t o re embark in business th e B u sin ess M en s A s
,

sociation call ed a mee ting t o su ggest w ays an d m ean s

o f rai sing mon ey as th e committee appointed by th e
,
2 80 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

as b us in ess m en t o assist a set of oth e r busines s men

,

who are embarrassed beyond h op e of self redemption

by an a ct o f God whi ch no b usin ess acumen coul d

avert .

B v such app eal s an d by organizing in other
,

towns i f p ossibl e h e hop es to s ecure enou gh ca sh

, ,

contributions to pla ce N e w Ri chmond practi cally

wh ere i t wa s b efore th e storm destroyed i t D r E p . .

l ey is p repared for discouragement s and rebu ffs but ,

h e has the interests of hi s fel low town smen so th or

'

oughly at h eart and i s p ossessed of su ch unfailin g e m

,

t h u s ia s m that h e may b e successful ab ove what his

,

fri end s h ope or expect .

Th e meeti n g was given p erman ent form by el ect
ing M P M c N ally presi dent and L A B aker secre
. . . .

tary D r Epl ey w a s given full credential s as a re p re

"

. .

s e n t a t iv e o fN e w Ri chmond and h e started o n hi s pil ,

grimage at on ce taking th e afternoon train for St

,
.

P aul w hen ce h e will go t o C hi cago and th ence t o

,

M ilwaukee and other Wi sconsi n c iti es A s a former .

pr esi dent o f th e state medi cal so ci ety an d a contrib ,

uter to many o f th e p romi nent professi onal j ournal s ,

h e will have no tro u bl e i n Obtaini ng resp ectful h ear

in gs wh erever h e may go .

L ater o n hi s plans wi ll in clud e a national cyclon e
fund for th e reli ef o f all wh o su ffer from cycl ones or

hurri canes .

A l l fun ds were to b e deposi ted i n th e First N a

t io n a l B ank o f H u dson fo r th e u s e of th e state c o m
m it t e e an d to th eir credit
,
A rmed with l etters and.

credential s from th e mayor and m emb ers o f th e ci ty

 ST AT E AI D .
28 1

coun cil and othe r citizens this messen ger set o u t o n

, ,

hi s mission T wo o r three days were sp ent in c o n

.

ference with m embers of th e Jobber s U nion o f St

.

P au l M r L owry Fath er C l eary S enator D avi s H o n

,
.
, , ,
.

M E C lapp and oth er M inn esota gentl emen Th e

. .
, .

note system by whi ch mon ey for emergen ci es had

,

been rai sed in that state was favored by th em T hose , .

taki ng th e resp onsi bility were reimbursed at th e n ext

sessi on of the l egi slature O f th ese gentl emen two .
,

whose names are familiar Fath er C lea ry and Gen eral ,

C lapp were willing to give th eir tim e and tal ent i n

,

sp eaking on th e subj e ct throughout th e stat e if de ,

sired L etters w ere given D r E pley by well known

'

. .

men an d di fferent railr o ads furni sh ed him with trans

,

p Ort a t io n over th eir lin es fo r th e furth erance of his

work on th e assurance that h e held n o stat e o fce
,
.

Th e measure o f su ccess resulting from hi s e fforts ,

an d the reason s for th ei r disconti nuance may b e ,

drawn from th e followi ng synop sis as reported to th e ,

business m e n b y D r E pl ey : .

O n Fri day the 2 3 d of Jun e I call ed at th e capitol
, , ,

and met M r A nd erson th e governor s p rivate secre

.
,

tary who inf o rmed him of my mi ssion M r A nder

, . .

son took m e at on ce to th e governor s room and in

t ro du c e d me I tol d him that I was there i n th e inter

.

est o i th e N e w Ri chmon d su fferers and had called ,

to urge a deci sion upon som e d enite pl an for rai sing

.

adequate fund s t o assi st i n rebuil din g th e city T he .

rst poi nt to be deci d ed was h o w mu ch shoul d be

rai sed Th e governor h ere stat ed that h e had in v e s
.

t iga t e d th e matt er and from au thoritative sources had

,
28 2 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

received i nformati on by whi ch h e was convinced that

w e ough t t o have at l eas t th ree hundred and fty
thou san d dollars T h e plan whi ch in th e j udgme nt
. ,

O f m y c oun sel lors promi sed m ost whi ch had b een

'

adopted by Mi nnesota o n several occasion s and had ,

p roved su ccessful and p erfectly sati sfactor y w a s th en ,

reh earsed t o Governor S c o e ld as foll ows : L et each ,

count y rai se its proporti onat e share o n th e assessed

valuati on o f it s property th e cash t o b e obtained b v
,

i ndividual n otes numerou sly si gned s o a s to make ,

th em bankabl e th e banks t o ad van ce th e mon ey t o

,

th e state o n th ese se c uriti es T h en o n th e re c o m

-

.
,

m e n da t io n Of th e governor th e next l egislature w oul d

,

b e exp ected to l evy tax to rai se funds with whi ch t o

pay th ese amounts T h e governor im m e dia t e lv took
.

th e matter under advi sem ent and at my re q uest , , ,

a sk ed th e secretary o f stat e t o prepare a tabulated

statement o f th e amounts whi ch would b e required
from each county according t o th e last tax l evy T hi s .

list wh en compl eted was handed m e an d i s as fo l

, , ,

lO W S '

A d am s
A s h l and
Ba rro n
B a y e ld
B wn
ro

B u ff a l o
B n tt
ur e
"

C al m t
u e
C h ipp wa e
Cla k r

C l u mb ia
o

D an e
D o d ge
Door
D o ug l a s
2 84 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M
A ccording t o agreement I met th e governor On ,

M onday mornin g Jun e 2 6 th and at hi s request again

, , , ,

in th e afternoon with hi s private secretary A t these

,
.

intervi ews Governor Sc o e ld expl ained that h e coul d

no t see his w a y cl ear to adopt th e n ote plan for rai sin g
th e but that h e woul d mak e a strong appeal
to each county t o rai se its share o f that amount and ,

that h e felt p erfectly cond ent th ey woul d respond

with even more than th e sum asked H e knew hi s .

o w n county ( O conto an d Wi nnebago an d oth ers

) ,

which h e mention ed woul d do so and that en ough

, ,

others throu ghout th e stat e woul d d o so th at th e pres

sure woul d b e s o great that th e wh ol e state would fall
i n lin e A t these int ervi ews whi ch lasted fully three
.
,

h ou rs h e seem ed mu ch m oved an d j u st b efore I l eft

, ,

him h e h el d my hand whil e assuring m e agai n of faith

i n thi s plan and that it sh oul d b e a cted upon with a
, ,

stron g app eal immediately ,
.

S o our o fci al e fforts were pi geonh ol ed and all ,

ou r h op es fo r aid comm ensu rate with th e calami t y

centered in o u r governor
Thi s was Govern or Sc o e ld s plan as outlined by

th e M ilwauk ee J on rn a l

L et a committee o f respon sibl e men b e formed
w h o shall d etermin e what amount i s immedia tely
wanted an d h o w mu ch i n al l L et th em th en a p p o r
,
.

ti on th e s u m amon g th e variou s communiti es o f th e

state Then th e organi zation sh oul d b e extended
.

fo r th e purpose of inuen cing each community t o rai se

i ts share and a littl e more t o meet decienci es T h e
, , .

n ewspap ers sh oul d be active Every one woul d then .

 S TATE AI D . 285

feel that h e i s called up on to do somethin g What .

ever i s given in thi s way an d in thi s spiri t wil l b e wi th

o u t taint i mm ediat e and accep tabl e to all
, .

Fu rth er quotation from th e sam e columns say

I n O pp ositi on to th e plan to provi d e for an a p
prop ria ti o n it i s stated that su ch a move woul d cut o ff
,

many donati on s by i n divi duals that th e plan i s wron g

,

i n its elf an d that th e stat e as a state shoul d not b e

,

cal led up on to repai r losses that shoul d app eal to th e

gen erosity of th e citiz ens as su ch .

I n regard to th e matter D r Epl ey sai d to a .

J on rn a l rep resentative as follow s :

I beli eve th a t something sh oul d b e don e at on ce
fo r th e relief o f those poor stri ck en p eopl e of o u r
,

city I p rop osed th e state ai d plan becaus e th ere

.

,

was not Su f ci ent ai d extended under the present s v s

tem or lack o f it . I am not tenaci ous o f the appro
,

p r ia t io n plan but
,
i n th e event that th e present system
fai l s to provi d e adequate returns a s i t has so far I b e , ,

li eve th a t w e are j u stied in urging that an approp ri a

tion b e m ade For instan ce I wa s tal king to o n e Of
.
,

th e most p romi nent men i n M ilwauk ee in regard to

subsc ri ptions H e sai d that h e noti ced that i n al l
.

cases i n whi ch a call w as made fo r subscrip ti ons th e ,

burd ens fell up on a certain fe w whil e oth ers j ust as ,

abl e t o make contribution s as thos e w h o did mak e

them went free This i s not right he sai d a n d i t
.
, ,

woul d b e m o re equitabl e t o have an appropriation

made an d th e appropriation come out of th e taxes ,

whi c h are l evi ed upon all alik e .

I think that about $3 should b e raised by
app rop ria t io n by th e s tate and ab out th e s am e
,
286 A M OD E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

amount by private sub scripti on I t i s very hard t o .

convin ce th e p eopl e i n gen eral o f th e utt er need o fth e

lib eral appropriation s that are sought F o r in stan ce . .

it will tak e over o n e thi rd o f all th e mon ey recei ved

-

thu s far to cl ear away th e debris o fth e tornado Fifty .

ei ght city blocks we re destroyed and o f th ese ft y ,

ei ght bl ocks o fbuil din gs twenty ei ght were so utterly

,
-

d em oli sh ed as t o mak e th e d ebris t only for kindling

wood T h e d estroyed porti on o f th e city covers 1 7 5
acres .

D r Epl ey s report furth er continu es

.
:

A t my rst i nter v i ew with th e govern or I asked
h im i f th ere wa s n o t s om e fun d upon whi ch h e coul d
draw for th e rel i ef o f su fferers by such a cal amit y as
thi s H e sai d : N o : that th e onl y emergency fund
.

was o n e o f subj ect t o th e ord er o f th e stat e

board o fh ealth fo r th e prevention o f th e introdu ction
,

Of A siati c ch ol era o r oth er dangerous and infecti ou s

di seases i nto th e state I s a i d I could see no good rea
.

s o n w h y some o fthi s coul d n o t b e used fo r clearin g up

th e city a s th ere certainly woul d b e great dan ger o f

,

epi demi c di sease i f th e lth coul d n ot b e go t at and

removed A ft er som e thou ght h e said h e wa s in
.

c lin e d to beli eve it could an d unh esitati ngly sai d that

.

h e woul d endorse i ts u se i f th e state b oard Of h ealth

auth orized it O n Saturday th e 2 4 t h I call ed upon
. . .

D r \V in ga t e secretar y O f th e board and found h e

. , ,

had j u st received several l etters from H ud son detail .

in g th e unsanitary conditi on o f thin gs in N e w R i ch .

m ond and wirin g th e board o fh ealth t o act p ro m p t lv

.
.

to prevent p estil ence b ein g added to th e awful calam

288 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

creased to fty or sixty an d kept at work with few

,

intermi ssions u ntil th e 1 2 t h of Au gu s t wh e n all work ,

by th e board of h ealth ceased Th e wor k auth orized.

by th e stat e board and accomplish ed b y th e local

board wa s th e removal of al l rubbish n ecessary t o e n
abl e th e workmen to get at an d remove all animal and
vegetable matt er an d scrap e and di sinfect the sur
,

face of th e groun d wherever any lth was found in

th e track of th e tornado and all such matter eith er
,

burned o r buri ed .

Th e pay roll s for thi s work were pai d by th e re
li ef committ ee an d th e amount charged again st th e
,

city w h ic h in tu rn mad e dupli cat e bills an d presented

,
'

them to th e state board o f health for payment out of

th e emergency fund Th e bill s aggregated
.

but owin g to a tech ni cali ty only Wa s pai d

o u t o f thi s fund l eavin g a de ci t
,
whi ch
cam e o u t o fth e reli ef mon eys contributed Thi s rep .

resents th e sum total o f al l mon eys received th rough

O fcial chann el s .

O n July 1 3 th Governor Sc o e ld i ssu ed an appeal

to th e seventy county board s o fth e state a copy being .

sent t o each chai rman statin g that . more wa s

n eeded t o furni sh important and n ecessar y rel ief I t .

was stated that all th e committee proposed to do o r ,

woul d do was to h el p those wh o had become tota lly

,

d esti tut e by th e storm t o get into a positi on wh ere

th ey coul d b ecome sel f s u s ta m m g A fter th e date
-

of thi s ap peal ,
wa s contributed to th e reli ef
fund .

T he work o f the state and sub committees wa s -

burdensome an d intr ic ate as it h ad to do w ith th e con

,
 si de rati on of every kind of material and suppli es and ,

all sorts and conditions of men B ut all thei r duti es .

were p erformed for p urely human e consi deration s and

.

gave Ve ry general sati sfacti on D i fferent memb ers

. . .

al so made large contrib ution s to th e fund Th eir .

bri ef report i s i nteresti ng an d I tak e th e liberty to

.

make some sel ecti on s from i t :

A fter h avin g reli eved th e immediat e n ecessi ties
of al l for food and cloth ing and p rovi ded temporar y
,

h omes an d business places ; we di d not attempt a n y

apporti onment of fun ds u ntil t h e in fo rm a t io n com
'

m itt e e had ni sh ed its canvass wh en th e losers were

,

c lassied selecti n g from th em as a preferred class

,

th ose wh o were entirely with ou t resources a n d wh o , ,

by a reso lution publi sh ed were m ade preferred claim

,

ants upon th e fund s I n our han ds We found ma ny

Worth y peopl e wh o had been l arge losers bu t Wh o
.

still had ampl e reso u rces to secure them agai nst su ffer
in g S om e o f th ese in si sted that th e fact o f th ei r
.

great loss sh oul d e n titl e th e m to a share o f th e fun ds '

i n o u r h an ds in proporti on to th ei r lo s s e s a n d to su ch ,

i t was a great di sap pointment an d to som e it seemed

,

even an inj u sti ce that th eir claims shoul d b e deni ed ;

,

but in thi s matt er a s in fa ct in all m atters coming

,

b efore u s ou r committee Wa s fo u n d un animou s in i ts

,

d e cisio n that i t Woul d reg ard th e funds a s a trust for

charitabl e dis t rib u tio n a c c o rdin g to needs and not ,

an insuran ce fun d for l osses .

From th e character Of th e homes destroyed and ,

the fa ct that in most cases a good found ation remained

upon th e l ot i t was early deci ded that we woul d not
,
290 A M O D E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

a tt e m p t buil d dwellings but that we wo uld a pp o r

t o ,

tion to each n eedy loser a certai n amount i n money or

material and trust to each one to plan and s u p e rin
,

tend th e erection of hi s own work and so avoi d th e ,

di sa greeabl e sameness n ecessarily seen wh ere a num

ber of houses are built upon similar plans I t w a s .

found that a number of l ots were m ortgaged and ,

wh ere su ch mortgages were i n excess of th e val ue of

th e bare lot w e insi sted i n eve ry case b efore giving
, ,

any ai d toward buil ding up on it that th e amount of ,

th e mortgage be reduced to th e valu e of th e l ot after

th e storm it b ein g o u r Opini on that th e owner Of th e
,

m ortgage shoul d su ffer su ch share of th e loss as th e

i mpairment of th e security woul d occasi on him i f h e
were to forecl ose I n al most all cases we fou nd that
.

th e own ers o fth e mortgages were entirely i n harmony

wi th us and that th ey vol untarily redu ced th e deb t
,

even more than we woul d h av e d emanded I n cases .

where th e mort g a gee was not so willin g we advi sed ,

th e l oser to abandon th e prop erty to th e mortgagee ,

and i n su ch cases w e aid ed in th e pu rchase of n e w

buil ding sites as we di d n ot beli eve that a generous
,

publi c had contributed th ese funds for th e benet of

th e well to do own ers o f th ese mortgages
- -

O ne hundred and fteen persons were kill ed i n

th e storm two l ost an arm each o n e lost th e si ght of
, ,

on e eye an d seven l ost th e u se o f one l eg and are

,

n o w upon crutch es T wo h undred and thi rty th ree

.
-

persons residents of N e w Ri chmond regi stered with

, ,

u s as l osers representin g i n thei r famili es eight hun

,
292 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

these wh o had b ut littl e earning capaci ty a s much

, ,

as eight hundred and fty dollars for rebuildin g resi

de n c e s and furni shin g same and to som e merchants ,

as high a s s e v e n hundred dollars toward establi shin g

th em a gai n in bu siness .

Th e ci ty with hal f its taxabl e p roperty wiped
,

o u t its waterworks
, city h all e lectri c li ght plant an d
, ,

bridge rui ned and no mon ey i n it s treasury for th ese

,

publi c n eces siti es n o r fo r th e publi c sch ool s was from , ,

th e rst a s ou rce of concern I t was early resol ved

, .

that we rebuil d th e pumpin g stati on an d water tower ,

as an imm ediate necessity fo r h ealth Th e cit y .

b ridge was lat e r o n repai red and erected again ,

th rough th e l iberality o f th e C hica g o B ri dge I ron

C ompany an d th e railw ay compani es at a compara ,

t iv e lv smal l exp en se t o u s and ai d was gi ven i n r!

,

storin g th e el ectri c li g h ts an d in th e o p enin g of th e

publi c sch ool s A ll of thi s work was o f p ressin g im
.

p ortance an d th e committee seeing th e city with n o

, ,

resources n o power t o b orrow th e n ecessary funds

, ,

and n o possibility o f rai si ng th em by taxes c oul d d o ,

n o l ess than i t di d ; fo r i f th e city wa s to h ave a chance

with n ei ghborin g towns its merchants and property,

h ol ders mu st n ot b e over burden ed with taxes and -

n ewcomers mu st not b e fri ghtened away b y th e pros

-

of h eavy taxation We have l eft th e city with

'

p e c t .

its bonded i ndebtedn ess up to th e ve p er cent l egal

limit bu t oth erwi s e i n good condition
,
.

Th rou ghout th e enti re peri od we w ere mindful ,

o f th e u n fortunat e ones w h o were to come back from

th e hospital s with th e probabl e l oss of th e u se of

,
 ST AT E AI D .

limb s for li fe an d we h e ld alwa ys i n reserve a fund to

'

b e app o rtioned amo n g th em Thi s was don e at our .

l ast m eeting and i f any other lo ser think s h e was not

,
-

so lib erally t re a t ed as som e of th ese l et him remem ,

b er that any o n e o f th em wou l d gladly g1v e all h e

has and more too for th e u s e agai n of a paralyz ed

, ,

limb
We foun d i n th e city of N e w Ri chmon d many
re insuran ce p oli ci es but Only tw o tornad o polici es
,
.

A s p re v iOu s ly narrated re was undoubtedly Se t by

'

li ghtnin g i n th e storm an d thi s spread throu gh ab o ut

,

o n e half th e wreckage O i merchants stores destroy

-
-

ing all t h e goods whi ch were l eft in th e basements

-

and th ese had b een mostly uninj ured ; al so all th e ,

goods l eft amon g th e d eb ri s of th e upp er parts o f th e

buil dings whi ch goods were val uabl e as prov ed by
, ,

the salvage from stores wh ere n o re spread A care .

fully p repared stat ement O fth e damage by re to m er

c h a n dis e covered b reinsura nce poli ci es s h o w s a
'

h
'

y t e

los s by re of $46 3 2 5 0 0 ; an d yet in spite of th e fa ct

,
.
,

that th e se su fferers had pai d thei r mon ey for m s ura n c e

against loss by re th ey wer e unabl e to get payment
,

from th e ins u rance compani e s for their re l osses We .

invited th e managers of twenty four i nsu rance com

p an ie s h avi
,
ng poli ci es u pon th ese good s to m eet u s ,

in St P a u l to di scu ss th e matter ; but at th e meeti n g

.

only six com pa ni es were represented and these by ,

m en who were not as a rul e auth orized to bind th ei r

, ,

compani es t o d o anything I t was thou ght that i n

C hi cago a m eetin g of th e managers coul d b e h a d a n d , ,

we a s a committ ee w ent to C hi ca go vi sited several

, , ,
294 A M OD E R N H E R C U I .\ N E U M .

managers of th e int erested co m pani es but coul d not ,

'

i nduce them t o j oi n i n a gen eral m eeting with u s an d ,

so we were Obli ged t o abandon th e attempt t o have

th ese compani es recogniz e a moral i f not a l egal O b , ,

li gati on for th e damage by re O n e l oser only b y .

re M r O J William s i n wh ose store th e re w a s

, . . . .

set secu red b y compromi se twenty v e p er cent o fh is

re i nsuran c e and thi s i s th e only su ch l oss pai d even

,

in part so far as w e have b een abl e to l earn W e

, .

woul d h ave b een pl eased t o have carri ed o n e o f th ese

cases of re l oss to th e cou rt o f last resort bu t a care ,

ful examinati on Of th e la w ki ndly mad e for u s b y ,

A ttorn ey Gen eral H i cks l ed u s t o b el i eve that th e,

Obli gati on coul d not b e l egally enforced Th at defect .

in th e wordin g of th e standard re i nsurance poli cy of

ou r state which makes i t possibl e for th e i n suran ce
compani es to avoi d th e payment of th es e l osses cal l s
for such l egi slati on as will correct thi s matter an d we ,

trust that th e governor may recommend thi s t o ou r

n ext l egi sl ature Th e fact that cycl one insuran ce
.

p oli ci es do n ot insure a gain st sub sequ ent re l oss

makes it n o w impossibl e for su ch su fferers as th ose at
N ew Ri chmon d to p rotect th emselves even if th ey ,

were to tak e out both re and cycl on e polici es .

I n cl os i n g th e commi ttee sav :

We have been called togeth er for t en separat e
meeti ngs at N e w Ri chmond b esid es on e in St P aul , .

an d o n e in C hi cago ; and have spent S ixteen days

in sessi on and in al l our decisions have b een unani
,
.

mou s We cannot claim to have been in fallibl e n o r

.

, ,

in all cases e q ui tabl e in ou r award s among t h e dif

, ,
2 96 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

Cash a id gi ve n
b u s in e s s m e n wh o did n o t o wn
to
s t o e b u il d in g s ( g
r a te s t am o u n t g ive n t o an y
re

o e pe
n on rs , 66
C a s h a id g iv n t o 23 e ipp l s ( g e a t e s t am o u n t cr e r

g iv n t o a y o e p e s o n $8 5 0 )
e n n r , 27

C a h id g iv e n t o p ro p e ty l o s s es i t h e c o u n try
s a r n
:

T o 47 p s o n s i St C o ix c o u n ty d is t ric t
er n . r

( g a t s t am o u n t g iv e n t o a y o e p e s o n
re e n n r ,

00

T o 78 pe rs o ns in P l k and B a
o rro n co u n ty d is
t ric t s ( gr eat e st am o u n t g ive n to an y o n e per
so n, $200 ) 00

T e mp o ra ry re p v i io n s
l ie f ,
ro s

T e mp o ra ry re l i f s h e l t e
e ,
r

T e mp o ra ry reli f e pa i s mad e
e ,
r r by co m

m itt e e 24 97

O u t tti g n ( s t o ve s , f u n itu
r re and c l o t h
in g ) 18

U nd a k e s b il l s
e rt r

20

H s p ita l and d c to
o o rs

b ill s fo r 1 23 pa
t ie n t s 34 54

City o f N ew R ic hm o nd
B id g e
r

To we r

P o w r H us e o e

C ity S c h o o l s
E l c t i L ig h t
e r c

M i c e l l an o u s
s e I 4

C l e a rin gawa y d b is e r

A d m in i t a t i n e x p n
s r o e se

B a l an han d ( t o b pa id t d
ce o n e o e s t it u t e pa rt ie s and
t o v xp n
co er ef p o t) e se o re r .
5 1 0 83

T o t a l d i s b u rs e m e n t s .
13
 IN M E M O RI A M .
297

C H AP TE R X I .

IN M E M O R IAM .

T h e re is n o d e a t h ! Wha t s e e m s so is t r an s itio n ;
T h is l if e o f m o rt a l b re a t h ,

I s b ut th e b u b t o th e l if e l ys ian
su r e ,

Wh o s e p t a l we c a l l d a t h
or e .

Lo n g f
e llow R es ign a tion .

When call ed upon by d eath to part with m emb ers

O f th e family and th e time comes for u s to place
,

t hei r bodi e s i n th e tomb th ere i s some solace i n th e

,

thou ght t hat every p ossibl e mark o f respect h as b een

sh own th em that l ovi n g fri ends have o ffered tribute
,

to th e memory of th e d eparted ; an d that in th ei r ,

taking O ff recoll ecti on s of th e good th ey have don e

,

still h over about an d p rove incentives for others .

For thi s en d are th e cerem oni al s o f burial p erfo rmed

th e sacred c o nsolati o ns of reli gi on O f fered Th e .

sweet mini stration s of friend s to sooth e th e hours of

.

l oneliness som etimes prove th e sa y ing power which ,

after a tim e makes li fe seem l ovely again and worth

, ,

th e living H o w di fferent th e q ui et l aying away as

.
,

o n e by on e th ey pass to that bourn e from wh en ce no

travel er retur ns from th e ci rcumstances of this time !
,

T h e sam e ready fri end s who furni sh ed need ed arti cl es

for th e living al so anti cipated th e necessiti es re q ui red
for layin g th e d ead t o rest an d a ssi sted i n th e ne c e s
298 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E UM .

sary arrangements Gen eral servi ce was given for

.

th e great er n umb er Th e words sp oken w ere fe w

.
,

and sympathy w a s mani fested more by sil ence than

by sp eech Th ere were littl e band s o f mourners
.

wh ose parti cular a fi ction had drawn th em t ogeth er ,

but i n th e presence of su ch co mmon w o e non e felt l ike

sayin g My troubl e surpasses any oth er
,
Each one .

s e e m e d m in d f u l of th e d esolaten ess o f th e oth er an d

'

the common impul se was on e o f ten d ern ess and a fl

ia t io n . T h e u nspok en th ought see m ed to b e We
h a v e su f fered by th e sam e cause t ogeth er w e face th e ,

blankn ess of li fe I t i s th e divin e will
. Th ere wa s .

very little demonstration o f th e grief whi ch seemed

too deep to n d reli ef i n tears T he saddened c o un .

t e n a n c e s sh owed such l in es as hard experi en ce some

times traces in month s o r years ; thi s was th e expres
si on of th e sorrow and despair crowded into th e h ours
o f a ni gh t an d a day Wh en th e last sad rites were
.

o v e r all qui etly return ed t o th ei r tryin g labors .

Th e second day an d th e third an d su cceedin g

, ,

ones had simila r burial s with an occasional one from

, ,

th e h omes wh ere arrangements coul d b e made The .

fun eral cort ege piti fully small moved al ong I n th e

, ,

mi d st of a pro cession o f t eams b ent o n vari ou s oth er

mi ssi on s I t i s true that rapi d sequ en ce of event s
.

prevented th e p erforman ce o f many acts o f cond o

l ence t o th e a fi cted on es but as th e years go o n th e, . ,

memory o f th ose w h o l eft u s at thi s tim e will be cher

is h e d th eir virtu es extoll ed and th ei r sorrowi ng fam
, ,

ilie s will b e th e reci pi ent s of deeper pity than w ord s

can express T h e peculiar circumstances of th ei r
.
 300 A M O D E R N H E R CULA N E U M .

LIS T OF V I C T IM S OF TH E T OR N A D O .

N AM E . R ES I D EN C E . Pl a c e o f Bi rt h . Bu i l P l cr a a e .

Bi b y W W
x N ew c m nd
Ri h M in o a e
B l t M ik S t il lw
. . .
,

a z e a te r
Bu t l M i C e r,
,

ss o ra N w R ic h m n d
e Wi c n i n o s o s
B ro c kb k B n d an er ar N w R ic h m nd
e H mm n d o a o
k J N w R ic h m n d H mm n d
,
. .

B roc kb i an os e e o a o
N w R ic h m nd H mm nd
,

B kb
ro c k E i an ss e e o a o
B c Ch l
er e, ar es
,

N w R i c h m nd
e M in o a e
B i gl w H l d H o a ro N w R ic h m nd
e N w R ic h m nd
o e o
B wn K l N w R ic h m nd Wi c n i n
. .
,

ro ar e o s o s
B w n W lt R ic h m n d N w R ic h m n d
,

ro a er o e o
B t t D m i n ick R ic h m n d E in
. .
,

a rre o o r
B id g L tt i P ii
. . .
,

r e, o e St ar ra r e
N w R ic h m n d I l nd ud n W i
.

C osg ro v e e o re a H so s
C ll h n R ic h m nd E in E in
, , .

a a a o r r
C y E d m nd J N w R ic h m n d V m nt B tt l b N Y
.
, .

a re o e o er o a e o ro
Cm n M C P pin W i N w R ic h m nd
. .
, , . .

a e ro rs P w e k au ee e s e o
C y J hn R i c h m nd E in E in
, , .

ase o o r r
Cl u g h N t t Em ld
. .

o a 1e e ra
D un b H n y N w R ic h m nd I l nd E in
.
,

a r, e r e o re a r
D un b H n y N w R ic h m nd I l nd E in
. . .

M a r, rs e r e o re a r
E n g t m E f N w R ic h m n d N w R ic h m n d N w R i h m nd
-
. . .

s ro e e o e o e c o
E ng t m R y N w R ic h m n d N w R ic h m n d N w R ic h m nd
.
,

s ro o e o e o e o
ly A n th n y G N w R ic h m n d I l nd E in
. .

E ar o e o re a r
ly F d N w R ic h m n d N w R ic h m n d E i
.
,

E ar re e o e o r n
l y M i K at N w R ic h m nd E in E in
. . .
, . .

E ar ss e e o r r
l y P t i ck R ic h m n d I l nd N w R ic h m nd
. .
,
*
E ar a r o re a e o
l y M ich l R ic h m nd Wi n i n E in
.
, .

E ar ae o sco s r
F ll W l t N w R ic h m n d N w R ic h m nd N w R ic h m nd
.
, .

a rre a er e o e o e o
F wl C F ,

N w R ic h m n d P nn yl n i N w R ic h m nd
. . .

o e r, e o e s va a e o
ld W S N w R ic h m nd M in N w R ic h m nd
. . . . . .

G ou e o a e e o
m n P t N w R ic h m n d I l nd N w R ic h m n d
. .
, .

G or a a e o re a e o
N w R ic h m n d M in N w R ic h m
, . . .

G t
re a o nM rs e o a e e d on
G ill n M J hn N w R ic h m n d I l nd N w R ic h m n d
, . . . .

e rs o e o re a e o
n P t ick S t nt n Wi c n i n St nt n
.
, .

*
G h o ee a r a o s o s a o
G un d n Ol R ic h m nd N wy N w R ic h m nd
.
,

e rs o e o or a e o
H w ki n F ddi H mm nd Wi c n i n N w R ic h m nd
, . .

a s, re e a o s o s e o
H wk i n N N w R ic h m n d N w Y k N w R ic h m nd
.

a M s, rs e o e or e o
H wki n M i M illi N w R ic h m n d N w Ri h m nd N w R ic h m n d
. . .

a s, ss e e o e c o e o
H w ki n n g li n N w R ic h m nd N w R ic h m n d N w R ic h m n d
. . .

a E s, va e e e o e o e o
H w ki n W lt w R ic h m nd N w R ic h m n d N w R ic h m n d
. . . . . .

a s, a er N e o e o e o
H ff n M ik S t nt n Wi c n i n St nt n
. . . . .

e ro e a o s o s a o
H ick B N w R ic h m n d N w Y k N w R ic h m nd
. . .
,

s e o e or e o
H ll n k M n N w R ic h m n d Wi c n i n N w R ic h m nd
, . . . .

o e ec as o e o s o s e o
H ll n b ck A c h i N w R ic h m n d N w R ic h m n d
.
, . . .

*
o e e r e e o e o
Willi N w Ri h m d N w R ic h m nd N w R i h m nd
, .

H gh u es, e e e 1n e o e c o
H ff n M H ud n
.
.

e ro rs St J oe so
H n y R ic h m n d Wi c n i n N w R ic h m n d
. .
, . .

* e r o s o s e o
i n gt n M R ic h m n d I l nd N w R ic h m n d
.
,

H a rr o o re a e o
H nn y Mi L ill E in E in
. .
,

e ess ss 1e r r
Hu d M B dm n P nn yl n i N w R ic h m nd
.
,

r G rs oar a e s va a e o
H n y P t ick C yl n C yl n
. .
,

e r a r o o
J h n n H j lm N w R ic h m nd Wi c n i n N w Ri h m nd
. .
,

o so a er e o s o s e c o
J nn i n g F n k R ic h m nd Wi c n i n N w R ic h m nd
.
,

e s, ra o s o s e o
J h n n M til d A l d n ( P lk C ) Wi n in N w R ic h m n d
.

o so a a e o 0 sco s e o
t n P t Cy l n N w R ic h m n d Cy l n
.
, .

K ea e a o e o o
K ll y S t nt n St nt n St nt n
. .
,

e e a o a o a o
F d P lk n ty
.
,

K en n e t z re o co u
L n C l B l d wi n
. .
,

a rs o , ar a
 IN M E M O R IA M .

3 0 1

LIS T OF V I C T IM S OF TH E T O R NA D O C o n t i n u ed .

N AM E . R ES D E I N C E . Pl a c e o f Bi rt h . Age . B i l Pl c
ur a a e .

L g d An t n
e ar o N e w Ri ch m n d N w y o or a N ew R h ic mo nd
L g d Mi I d ,

ic h m n d N w R ich m n d ic m nd
.

e ar ss a N ew R o e o N ew R h o
L m bd i n M i Vinn i ,

ic h m nd G n B y ic m nd
.

a ss e N ew R o re e a N ew R h o
L wi M J H ic h m n d P nn y l n i ic m nd
. .
, .

e s, rs N ew R o e s va a N ew R h o
L wi F nk ic h m nd N w ic m o nd
. . . . . .

e s ra 1e N ew R o e N ew R h
Li n k M J ic h m nd c m nd
. .
, .

rs as N ew R o N ew Ri h o
M ic h l F d ic m nd Wi c n i n ic m nd
. .
. .

ae re R h o s o s N ew R h o
n c h m n d U tic N Y
.
, .

M Cl c M J h
u re rs o N ew R i o a
c h m nd W i c n i n
. . . .

M G th N l l
,

c ra e 1e N ew R i o s o s
M G t h L illi ic h m n d N w R ic h m n d
,

c ra e N ew R o e o
M G th M i n ic h m nd N w R ich m nd
,

c ra ar o N ew R o e o
M M hc M i E dn
a on
,

ss a N ew R ic h m nd H mm nd o a o
* M ti n T h m P
ar
,

o as N ew R ic h m nd Pi c o er e
Mi K t ic h m nd H d n
. .
,

M Kic nnon ss a ie N ew R o u so
M n h n Mi M y u n Ri F ll
, .

o a a ss ar H ds o ve r a s
Th m ich m nd H mm nd
, . . .

M C b
c a e, o as N ew R o a o
N m ic h m nd Wi c n i n
.

oo an N ew R o s o s
N w ll P t ick
e e
,

a r n n
S t a to I l nd re a
J hn P k
.
,

N it g
e e, o D eer ar
Nl n Nl
e so e s A l d n ( P lk C )
e o o
O C nn ll H n y R ic h m n d I l nd
.
,

o e e r o re a
Ol n S m P lk n ty
,

so a o cou
P tt n J h n N w R ic h m nd M i nn t
,

a o o e o eso a
P t D wi g h t St nt n n
, .

o r e r, a o H d u so
P d n N ic h l F
ar o o as N w R ic h m nd
e E in o r
P y J hn R ic h m nd Wi c n i n
. .
,

r o r, o o s o s
R b k Al i n
o se ro o v N w R ic h m nd
e N w Y o k e or
b k M A l in N w R ic h m n d N w Y k
,

R ose ro o rs v e o e or
b k Mi C N w R ic h m n d N w R i c h m nd
. . .
,

R ose ro o ss o ra e o e o
R i ng Mi Lu E in E in
, . .

ss a ra r r
R in g G E in E in
.
, .

g eo r e r r
R yb g J hn N w R ic h m nd Sw d n
.
, .

er o e o e e
R w Th m N w R ic h m nd N w Y k
,

o M e. rs o as e o e or
J m R ic h m nd Wi c n i n
.

Sh dy M
ea rs a es o s o s
dy I n R i c h m nd R ic h m nd
, .

Sh ea re e : o o
dy F l nc R ic h m nd R ic h m nd
,

Sh ea o re e o o
dy R yn l d R ic h m n d R ic h m n d
,

Sh ea e o o o
S t ck G N w R i c h m nd Wi c n i n
.
,

a g eor e e o s o s
S t ck M N w R ic h m n d Wi c n i n
.
,

a G g rs eor e e o s o s
S t ck T h m N w R ic h m nd N w R ic h m nd
, . . .

a o as e o e o
Sh um k J ck S t i ll w t
. .
,

a e r, a a er
St even M A ll n s rs e N w R ic h m nd
e I l nd o re a
n Th m N w R ic h m nd C un t y
.
, .

St e ve s o as e o o
T l m d g Ch l F S t nt n
,

a a e, ar es a o
V il J m N w R ic h m nd Wi c n i n
.

a a es e o s o s
W ll J h n R i c h m nd I l nd
,

e s, o o re a
W ll S t p h n R ic h m nd E in
. .

e s, e e o r
*W lli n L t
a es er N w R ic h m nd
e N w R i c h m nd
o e o
W ll W i ll d N w R ic h m nd
, .

e s, ar e o
Will J h n s, o E in
r I l nd re a
W i ll P t ick
s, a r E in
r E in r
W M i G ti
e a rs ss er e R ic h m nd o B dm n o ar a
Willi m M i A bb N w R i c h m nd St nt n
.
,

a s ss ie e o a o
Willi m H l N w R ic h m nd N w R ic h m n d
,

a s az e e o e o

U n kn wn f u U n kn wn N w R i c h m nd
. .
,

o , o r o . . e o
3 0 2 A M OD E R N H E R C U LAN E U M .

I will not dwel l upon th e di stress o f those wh o

sought longest for thei r relati ves nor th e scen es ,

which transpi red a s th e last h ope of n din g th em liv

ing was given up M r P atri ck Early a y oun g man . .
,

whose parents lived som e mil es from town took sh el ,

t er i n th e O J William s store N eith er o f th e three

. . .

p ersons wh o escaped with th eir lives from that build

ing had recogni zed him d enitely wh en h e stood by
th e stairs but a fterwards recoll ected that a tall youn g
,

man w a s amon g th eir number A fter the i nterment .

o f the body supposed to b e that o f M r H enry another .

body was foun d in th e basement of th e buil din g ( Jun e

2 7 t h ) whi ch certain arti cl es seem ed t o in di cate was

that o f M r H en ry I t w a s th en d evel op ed that th e

. .

arti cl es found with th e former body wer e e ffects of

M r Early so mu ch d efaced as to b e recognizabl e only
.
,

by careful examination but unmi stakabl e wh en such ,

s crutiny wa s ma de .

M essrs Thos M artin and L ester VVa llin were

. .

am on g th e later ones located an d A rchi e H o lle n b e c h ,

was not certainly found M r M artin had b een cast . .

into a buil di n g oth er than hi s own thu s ba fin g th e ,

search ers L ester had b een d own street an d prob

.
,

ably ran i n ba ck o f th e Gill en buil din g for sh elter .

A rchi e had been m th e mark et ( M r Smith had seen .

him th ere ) bu t th e re prevented overhauling th e

,

ruin s For th ei r a fi cted on es steeped to th e lips
.
,

in mi sery nature sp ent it self i n th e direction of suf

,
H

fe rin g D ay after da y M rs Early paced th e road n ear

. .

her c o u n t ry h o m e strainin g h er eyes i n th e di rection

'

of town hoping to see th e rescu e party coming with

,

d enite n ews D ay after day M r H o le n b e c k fO l

. .
3 0 4 M O D E R N H E R C ULAN E U M .

C H APT E R X I I .

C O N C LU S I O N .

The h a t m y g iv a u s f u l l e s n t o th h ad
e r a e e so e e

A nd l e a n in g w is e r g w w it h o u t h is b o o k s
r , ro ,

I t seem s to have b een demonstrated that th e safest

place O f refuge from a tornado i s th e cellar o f a frame
buil ding o n th e sid e nearest the approaching clou d
, .

A lth ou gh th ere were terribl e inj uri es ( some resul tin g

fatally ) ini cted on peopl e i n such refuges notably th e ,

Early family I n th e case o f th e Early family it may

.
,

be that th e boa rd partiti ons were th e cau se I n th e .

basement s o f bri ck and stone buildin gs some escaped

d estru cti on and M r Gl over and hi s companions on e
,
. ,

M c G ra t h family and oth ers mention ed s a w th e s u

, ,

e t ru c t u re go t o pi eces whil e th e y remai ned but

p rs , ,

littl e i f at all inj ured u pon th e oor ,

.

E l d erly peopl e were averse to seekin g refuge i n

t h e cellars .
M r and M rs R.
O s e b ro o k s M rs L i nk
.
,
.

and M rs Rowe are sai d t o have b een Opposed t o such

.

p rocedure ; an d it i s reasonabl e t o sup pose th at th ese

elderly p eopl e wh o h ad b een years in th e place W ith
,

o u t seein g any very seriou s results from wind storms ,

did not app reciate th e alarm that younger peopl e and

306 A M OD E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

ran west t o th e resi den ce of M r M N O B rie n I t . . .

.

was n ot far enough but th ey dared not go furth er

, .

They were spared inj ury though th e O B rie n h ome,

was destroyed Thos e east O fth e river coul d barel y

have reach ed th e bank wh ere a sh ower of fragments
,

w ere h url ed both from th e east an d th e west

,
S ome .

saved th ei r lives h ere by running east happ ening t o ,

cal culate th e limit of destruction correctly .

I t i s tru e that th ere are n o w many comments o n

th e peculiar sti ckiness of th e ai r and th e stupi dity ,

whi ch it cau sed but thi s woul d not h ave been attrib
,

n t e d to external conditi on s had n ot such good reason s

fo r it b e e n brou ght .

I do not wi sh to appear frivol o u s i n my treatment

O f so s eri ou s a matt er b ut really in th e ab sen ce O f
, ,

a more l en gthy warn in g w e coul d h ave don e but lit

,

tl e m ore than we di d j u st huddl e i n to th e n earest
basement and ask th e g o od L ord t o save ou r souls
,
.

I f w e h a d tim e for it a pill ow o r somethin g of th e

,

kin d migh t b e wrapp ed ab out th e h ead and face ;

( M rs . H oll enb eck s sight was

destroyed by parti cl es
o fsand d riven i nto th e eyeballs )
,
B ut i f some chan ce
.

sh oul d force th e pill ow a gai nst th e face and keep i t ,

th ere we S houl d b e smoth e red al th ough it mi ght h ave

, ,

protected u s from brui ses on th e h ead .

W e sh oul d not b e too anxiou s to cl ose th e h ouse ,

o n a ccount of th e delay it woul d cause an d b ecause ,

o f th e danger o f b eing hit by yin g mi ssil es Mr C . .

.

F Talmadge lost hi s life whil e att emptin g to p erform

.
 CO NCLU S I ON .

3 7
0

su ch duti es about t h e premi ses O fa home northwest O f

-

th e lin e of destru ction H e was probably hit b y

.

boards whi ch had been thrown o ff and th en drawn

back towards th e center of th e v ortex as h e was on ,

th e n orthwest sid e of a h eavy ston e residen ce whi ch ,

remained i ntact except for windows broken on that

si de.

Th ere can b e n o d oubt of th e ext raordinary power

of thi s parti cular occurrence especially i n th e su dden
,

n ess of th e attack , and th e i ncredibl e swiftness of th e

transit at t hi s point S u ch a bl endin g of unfav o rabl e
.

f eatu res i s infre q u ent thou gh th e separat e c o n s t it u

,

ents may b e found i n oth er ph enomena O f its kind .

Th e funnel shap e Of th e cl ou d was n ot s u f c 1e n t ly

dened t o appear t o all M r Ca sca Strai ght whos e
. .
,

view was from th e south east s ide s a ys th e end or tail ,

of th e funn el trail ed on th e ground swin gi n g a round , ,

as woul d th e lash of a whip if h el d in th e hand and

-

mov ed i n a c irc le o n th e groun d M r M i chael Will

. .

iams wh o vi ewed it from th e sam e direction says th e

, ,

col umn of cloud seemed to dra g i ts l ower part t railing

it on th e groun d lik e a bi g black rag Th ey .

al so report h earin g an addit i onal crash wh en th e cit y .

went down I am aware that some of th e later con

.

t rib u t io n s to th ese pages written after th e interval

,

whi ch had passed allowed a retrosp ective vi ew of th e

h ou rs p recedin g th e tornado n ote th e variou s signs
,

which are t h e supposed forerunners of th e typi cal

tornado Th ese h a ve no do u bt b een recall ed after
.

some study b ut were not su f ci ently marked or u n

,

u s u al t o cau se general apprehensi on at the tim e I .

 A M OD E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

have yet to hear of on e wh o s ai d Th e s igns po int to ,

a tornado b efore th ei r attention was attracted to
,

the p eculiar formati on of the cumulating Cl ouds E ven .

th en th ere were few wh o felt sure of what was t o hap .

p en m ost regardi ng t h e si gns as forerunners of hail or

,

rai ns storms a ccompani ed by wi nd probably ; but

, ,

very fe w said or though t tornado or cyclon e until
the blood curdling roar seemed t o cry out a warning
-

From th e poi nt of Ob servati on i n th e extrem e south

west th e rapi d changes ca n b e foll owed by th e variou s
d escripti ons som e Observin g one feature some a n
, ,

oth er Th e cop p er y li ght whi ch a lady in H udson

.
,

sai d ap peared to b e re ected upon th e north ern hori

zon from th e a dvancin g cl oud was h er e ob served A ,
.

last glimpse of our own smooth l awn showed su ch a

S pl endi d green that th e chil dren exclaim ed at i t i n

passin g th e window M rs Fink my n ei ghbor to th e. .

,

eastward s aw th e brilli ant red and green on separate

,

edges of th e cl ou d as i t lowered to th e street j ust by ,

th e C on gregatio n al ch urch M r H illi er noted th e .

electri cal demon stration as ball s of re al so seen

from th e mill yard M rs E dward s speaks of l u m i
. .

n ous ball s
M rs M c Sh a n e s thought to whi ch S h e

. . .
,

gave utterance as sh e j oined th e C hapman family

wa s : That l ook s lik e th e m oon wh en i t i s red I t .

m u st b e som e h eavenly body coming t o ward u S Thi s .

mu st b e th e end of th e worl d .

Th e whirlin g motion was from l eft to ri ght and ,

sel f all Obj ects and th en th row th em for h in

,
t w h ii ls ,

after grinding th em to fragments A l ong N orth Gree n .

 3 10 A M O D E R N H E R CULA N E U M .

the head and face I dodged back into th e sh elter of

.

th e stai rway and i n anoth er instant I w a s su cked up

,

th e hallway of my stai rs like a feather an d S lapped

against th e roof th en down cam e th e buil din g with a
,

crash and mysel f and son were buri ed ve to s even

,

feet d eep under th e bri ck and I was stru ck with th e ,

scantling etc o fth e roof and u ppe r story and pinned

,
.
, ,

down S O I coul d not move han ds o r feet A b oard .

S lipped in from my O f ce and covered my face so I ,

had a breathin g place .

O n e whose opinion woul d probably b e very

weighty in most matters Of th e kind has advised leav
i n g windows and doors open upon th e approach of a
tornado for th e reason th at in th e center of th e tor
,

nado cl ou d a va cuu m e xi sts i nto whi ch th e h ouse i s

more lik ely to b e sucked up and expl od ed by pressure
from th e air in sid e th e cl osed hou se I f th e hou ses .

are l eft Op en h e says th ey will not b e bl own away

, ,
.

O ur exp eri en ce must also be exceptional i n thi s re

spect for w e are cognizant of th e fact that many
,

h ou ses h e re w e re taken with op en doors and windows .

B esi des there was th e steel bridge taken u p twi sted

, ,

and th rown a h u ndred feet or m ore That wa s cer .

t a in ly Op en en ou gh an d we can not beli eve that an y

,

hou se o r anythin g woul d h ave b een spared o n thi s

, ,

occasi on h owever open i t mi ght be if in th e torna

, ,

do s track O ur o w n h ome o n th e e a s t e rn lim it had

'

.
, ,

its eastern and l argest part taken with win dows ,

an d d oors Open and i ts western part left while the

,
,

woodshed adj oinin g th e west si d e was taken , l eaving

the pil e of wood a cloth es rack and oth er light stu ff
,

i n place .
 CO N CLU S I O N .

31 1

To S h ow som ethin g of th e d egree of d estru c tion I ,

wi ll speci fy i n regard to ou r o wn dwel lin g whi ch was ,

S ituated on th e eastern limit of the totally destroyed

distri ct N eith er th e di sintegratin g nor th e dis s e m

.

in a t in g force whi ch r ei gned in th e center wa s mani

fes t e d h ere in its extreme Th e hous e consi sted Of .

th e s q uare main p ortion having seven rooms b esides , ,

halls an d cl oth es presses with a la rge p o rc h east and,

south and an e ll c o n ta in in g kit chen an d dining room

,
-

arrangem ents bath room and chamb ers above Th e

, , .

mai n p ortion of th e hou se was enti rely broken up an d ,

th e fr agments th rown down mostly in th e yard some , ,

pla ster and li ght pi eces i n th e cellar and portion s , ,

whi ch were easily recognized Were foun d one two ,

and th ree blocks away There w ere no oors tim .

,

bers or wall s l eft in pl ace no part of th e roof w a s ever ,

seen and th e pil e left in th e ya rd con si sted of separat ed

,

portion s whi ch were pil ed about four feet high N o w .

,

in th e ni ght w h en we returned to the place we di s

, ,

covered that th e bay wi n dow whi ch had been on th e ,

southwest si de of th e h ou se had been r ipp ed o ff e n ,

ti re except th a t th e window glass was broken and i t

, ,

l ay n orth east of th e former si te of th e n orth east c o r

n er of th e h ou se Within it were shades and curtai ns
.
,

torn an d spoil ed Of course but still hanging to th e

, ,

roll ers and rod s N ow .sai d my eldest daughter , ,

my room was ri gh t over th e bay window I am go .

in g up o n t h e pile an d see i f I can nd my watch

'

,
.

whi ch I l eft on th e chi ffoni ere wh en I went down to

t ea
.
Sh e mounted the ruin s and located som e ar ,

t ic le s whi ch had b een i n h er room lying quite on th e ,

3 12 A M OD E R N H E R CULA N E U M .

top of th e h eap Th e chi ffoni ere was broken to pieces

.

an d all th e littl e arti cl es whi ch were up on i t gone as ,

may b e supposed ; but easily a ccessibl e lay a S kirt , ,

box from which sh e took h er white organ dy gradu

,

ating dr ess quit e unharm ed Sh e h ad recen tly put i t

, .

i n ord er expectin g to wear i t th e foll owin g week t o

,

a weddin g at C h etek I n eed not say that sh e was .

unabl e to n d th e necessary accessori es to dress h er

sel f for a weddin g on th e day set or for many a day ,

after Every garm ent foun d outsi d e th e b o x wa s wet

.

an d grim ed with lim e an d mu d My dau ghter al so .

di scovered h er w ritin g d esk whi ch was of o a k an d , ,

l ay unbroken near enou gh to th e t o p so s h e coul d tell

what i t was S om e on e h el d a lantern for h er whil e
.

sh e h aul ed out a fe w wet garm ents whi ch sh e th ou ght

mi gh t b e o f use b u t whi ch dayli ght S h ow ed so di s
,

col ored by lim e an d som e yell ow stain s hav in g th e a p

p e a ra n c e of i ron ru st as to ren der th em usel ess N ear .

h ere lay an Ol d fashi oned castor which had been in

,

a ou r sack sto red on th e top sh elf in a cloth es press

,
,

n ext to my daughter s room I t had fall en with th e

.

. l
h ou se I t wa s a castor about fty years o d a n h ei r
l oom wi th cut gl ass b ottl es set in silver cups A n
, ,
.

examinati on of th e contents of th e sack on th e follow

in g day reveal ed th e fact th at th e castor h a d re c e iy e d
'

n o damage by i ts fall Th e l ocation o f th ese thin gs .

,

whi ch w ere all w e found th ere that ni ght seemed t o

.

S h ow that th e h ou se had been moved bodily north

eastward an d th en collap sed N O pi eces o f furniture

, .

fell into th e cellar O n th e following day it w a s di s.

c overed that o u r pian o ( a n e w A nderson ) lay o n i ts

3 4
1 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

it Th e pi eces of an oak bu reau were all th ere crush ed

.
,

to fra gments except th e t op board on whi ch sat my ,

j ewel case containin g a fe w arti cl es a pa steb oard box ,

( contain ing a littl e silver Waterbury whi ch m yyo u n g ,

est son had been su ccessor to from h i s broth er ) an d i

,

a glass n eckti e box all enti rely wh ol e Thi s was a

,
.

surpri se equal to t hat of M i ss C lapp s a t ndin g

amon g th e ruin s of h er hom e some china and plants

in bl oom unbroken Fu rth er search a mon g th e l ime
,
.

b rou gh t to li ght arti cl es of cl oth in g entirely o n th e ,

ground n ot as a rul e very badly d amaged by be in g

, , ,

torn but t h orou ghly soaked and S poil ed by th e lye

,

whi ch had lt ered throu gh th e lim e of th e b roken

plaster and m ortar My eld e st 5 0 11 found hi s wat ch
.

amo ng th e remain s of hi s room although th e h eavy ,

roll top d esk ( upon whi ch h e had left i t in the after

-

n oon becau se I advi sed him not to w ear it to th e

circus ) wa s entirely torn to pi eces B ed stead chairs .
,

an d oth er arti cl es w ere i n th e same condition as th e

desk whil e a fol din g screen remained as good as ever
, ,

only th e cloth bein g ripped o u t of th e Openings Th ere .

were dozen s of famili es wh o were so mu ch l ess fo rt u

nate that I mak e thi s an exampl e o f th e most h opeful
of con diti on s i n whi ch peopl e found th emsel ves T rue
,
.
,

th ere were a fe w conveni en ces for our u se i f w e had ,

been p ossessed o f any h ou se wh ere we coul d place

th em or of any money with which to rent or build
, ,

but in t h e absence of stor e room th ey were an e m -

cumbran ce D urin g th e ni ght every vesti g e of th e

.

Wm M c N a lly h ou se next to u s w a s entirely o b lit e r

.
, ,

ated by re I pi cked u p a pi ece of timb er about ve

.
,
 CO NCLU S I O N .

315

feet long th e next mornin g al on g whi ch th e re wa s

, ,

creepin g toward s ou r own debri s an d thr e w i t back ,

into th e ash es T hat was t he la s t o f my n ei ghbor s

.

h ouse Sh e had been too mu ch O CCI I p ie d with th e

.

inj ured members O fth e family to pay any att enti on to

_

i t I t i s quite li kel y th e re cau ght from th e ki tch en

.

range whi ch lay 1n th e yard in many pi eces T h e

, .

force of th e storm wa s continuou s n ea rly every bui ld ,

in g b ein g demoli sh ed the i nstant i t wa s stru ck rs t

li fted an d th en dash ed down I n only o n e instance .

which ha s com e to my knowl edge di d th e dwelling

app ear to be twi ce rent and twi sted b efore th e nal
spasm carri ed it away T hi s th e h o m e o f M rs D W
. . . .

C ummer Some h ou ses ap p eared t o have pass ed each

.

ot h er on c rossin g t angents O n e sp a n of h or ses and

.

th e fragments of a h ou se ha d actu ally chan ged places ,

an d porti on s of furniture carpets etc were to rn apart

, ,
.
,

and car ri ed i n Opposit e directi ons T he B ibl e from .

th e M ethodi st Epi scopal church was f o und several

,

miles away A n ote f rom th e Kate H e ffro n farm wa s

.

found at th e B urrow s pl ace three mil es away P arts

,
.

o f th e D ou glas Rei d buildings were foun d within o u r

city l imits havin g been brou gh t over th e el ds

,
.

I t w a s n o u n common thin g to nd that o u r b e

l on gi ngs had travel ed thre e or fou r bl ocks Eve n .

the sau sage cutter from th e market on M ain street , ,

wa s found four block s away i n M r H e m in wa y s cor n

,
.

el d A bout half of th e millin ery Si gn from th e L ewi s

.

plac e w a s seen i n M r Foster s el d having go ne fou r

.

bl ocks an d a hal f N ear h ere was al so a twenty foot

.
-

1 2 x 1 2 from th e water tower whi ch had b een carri ed

, ,
316 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

fully three blocks Th ese ex ampl es coul d be a dded to .

indenitely P erhap s on e of th e most remarkabl e

.

ights was that of a buggy from M r Tobin s store ,

.

about four bl ocks t o th e north east and th ere Wa s , ,

enough l eft o fit t o sh ow wh ose it w a s .

N u m b e rle s s arti cl es foun d far out i n th e Country ,

scattered over th e eld s o r l odged in trees coul d b e ,

i dentied A dipl oma was taken from th e corner O f

.

third an d A rch street s and l eft on th e Warn er farm ,

four an d on e hal f mil es di stant H ere a rol l of bank

-

notes was al so found A ph otograph from th e Foster .

hom e and a bol t o f ribb on from th e W S Williams

. .
,

store were found o n th e Jenki n s farm seven and one

hal f mil es di stant Th e el ds were dotted with ph oto

.

graph s fo rmil es as w ell as la rge pi eces of timb er and

,

h eavy a s wel l as li ght arti cl es Of wearin g apparel

, ,
.

A li fe i nsurance poli cy taken from th e Sh erman ,

h om e where it had b een packed i n a trunk with

,

oth er arti cles n on e of whi ch were recove re d was

, ,

found at O rmes Stati on A stamp from th e B ank of

N e w Ri chmond b earin g th e name o f F W B a rtl ett

,
. .
,

was foun d at D eer P ark ei gh t miles distant Th e ,

.

deed o f M rs Ri cha rd s place wa s pi cked up by C H

.

. .

Weeks fou r mil es n orth east L etters from th e Van

,
.

M eter printi ng O fce were found a mil e an d a hal f

south o f C le a r L ake, an d a b ol t of cl oth cut an d u se
'

l ess bearing th e trad e mark o f on e o f our merchants

, ,

was foun d at Ri chard son six mil es beyon d C lear ,

L ak e by M r .C ourtri ght
, .

T h e e ffect o n h orses as noti ced by many was to , ,

tame th em an d make th em seek th e p rotection of

,
3 8
1 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

A loft o f white S cotch fan tail pi geons wh ose -

h ome was carri ed block s away ( wh ere a small portion

of i t was f o und ) took to roosting on th e wreck of th e
,

h ouse Wh en th is wa s moved O ff th ey went with it

. -

about hal f a bl ock th en came ba ck an d roo st ed o n

,

th e barn h astily rebuilt H er e th ey stayed nights

,
.

for awhil e as l on g as we ourselves made th e barn our

,

fami ly h ead q uarters ; th en wh en w e took up lodgings ,

.

in th e o fce ( repai red ) th ey t o o moved t o th e O fce , , ,

ro o f a n d wh en th e ni ghts were stormy we coul d hear

th em cooin g an d scrambli n g ab o ut evi dently di s ,

tu rbe i l ik e ou rselves L ater , wh en a room i n th e

-

woodsh ed was seal ed up t o mak e a temporary k i tch en

fo r u s w e fre q uent ly foun d on e O f th e poor littl e
,

cr eatures sittin g j u st out si d e th e door as i f wai ti ng ,

t o c ome i n N othin g coul d indu ce th em to remain i n

.

a l oft buil t on th e S it e O f th e O ld on e Th e ock Of .

forty whi ch we had before th e tornado was red u ced

, ,

t o twenty three some of th em reappearin g with th ei r

-

, ,

feath ers bu rn ed o ff Th ey woul d not feed n o r ro o s t

.

i n th e l oft and th e y gradually di ed O ff until only three

,

were l eft whi ch we re sent t o a gentl eman i n Eau

,

C lai re
We h a v e l earned som e l esson s wh i ch coul d not
have b een presented to u s more forcibly We kn ow .

n o w that th e poor are like ourselves in all th ei r

common n ecessiti es and that great stress brings th e ,

.

strongest el ements of character to th e surface wh eth er ,

good or b ad W e know that th ere i s a deep and ten

.

der spi ri t of charity i n th e h eart s of m en an d wom en

that convulsions of gri ef often wak e th e better parts
 C ONCLU S I O N .

3 9
1

of o u r nature whi ch m a yhave been obscured by th e

.

b ustl e of bu sin ess or desire for personal enj oyment

, ,

and tha t w h en di stin ction s of wealth and station are -

lost S i ght of th ere i s a great bond of sympathy b e

,

tween al l C h ri s tian pe o pl e L ove of h ome and fam

.

i ly a n d th e S w eet sentiments whi ch h ave clu stered

,

around th e h ome h earthstone are und erstood by all ,

civilized peopl e D urin g t hat i nterval whi ch i s like

.
,

a divi sion lin e between an O ld tried life an d an u n

.

certain n e w one th e writer j oin ed a n outdoor group

,

of th e ol dest resid ents wh o were di scu ssin g th e q u es

,

tio n , Were w e a i cted for a purpose
f ? Th e more
radi cal i n th e matt er of consc ien ce b eli eved that we
had n ot lived u p to ou r duti es a ccordi ng to ou r e n
li ghtenment and that th ere coul d b e found reas ons
,

for br in gin g th e Community most forcibly to its sens es

if on e too k an orth odox inter p retati on of th e bibli c a l
standard o fex cell ence Tru e is it i ndeed that p eopl e
.
, ,

h ave gon e s o far in th e servi ce O f fal se g od s i n thi s

da y and gen erat ion that th e i d e al s o f goodn ess d o not
st and out very mar k edly to u s b ut on th e wh ol e I , , ,

thin k it was con cl u ded t h at we had not b een so noto

rio u s ly b a d a s t o s e rv e th e pu rpose of an exampl e .

We h o w ever ac k n owl ed g ed rem issn ess i n many re

, ,

s pe c ts Th er e a re indivi dual s in every c ommunity

.

wh os e a ct s are o p en to de nun c iation an d oth ers ,

wh os e outward li fe seem s to con form to a cou rs e o f

a ction e xplainab le only b y an i n w ard c on v icti on of

righ t an d duty We c oul d n ot b e li eve th a t w e had a

.

p red ominance of th e fo rm er Cl ass Wh eth er th e vi sit .

ati on wh ich we h ave exp er ien c e d wil l se rve to rai se

 3 2 0 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

th e moral tone of ou r ci ty ab ov e th e ordinary or not ,

remain s to b e p roved We had really claim ed a good .

position p reviou sly perhap s with too mu c h pri d e , .

Who can tell I t i s so human to err by exceeding

?
,

eith er on th e o n e sid e or th e oth er th e poi nt o f pri de ,

whi ch exactly conforms to prop er s elfresp ect We .

cond ently asserted that t h e exp eri en ce Whi ch comes

to ea ch may b e to him th e chastening rod whi ch ,

makes p erfect an d l eft u nsettl ed t h e dec ision of

,

th e main question The forces of nature wil l con .

t in u e to work o u t th eir con servative p ow er to th e end

of time an d th e acci dent o f ou r situation may cau se
,

our annihilati on by th em but w e b eli eve that t h e ,

C reator d ot h n o t w illin gl y a fi ct hi s chil dren The .

subj ect was t o o int ri cate for u s a nd w e w ere unabl e to ,

think l ong consecutively at that time of confusi o n S O ,

'
th e conversation t urned up on Oth er t o pic s s u gge s t ed

by surroundings O ne said : I shall mi ss th e shade

trees more than a nything el se Th e b uil dings can b e .

replaced i f n o t by u s some on e i s b ound to Come in

, ,

here an d build up a ci ty a gain b e c aus e th e lo c ation ,

i s ne and it i s a center of t ra de fo r th e surro undi ng

,
'
'

country O f c ourse we h ave had a tornado ; but we

.
,

are n o more likely to have an oth e r on e th a n hu nd red s

o fo t h e r places We shall h aV e a ni ce littl e city again

.

some day I may not live to see it but it will b e h e re

.
,

I shoul d b e happi er i f I coul d si t und er my ol d tre es

and see th e w o rk go o n That n e b utternut tree

"

whi ch was up rooted in t h e co rn er of m y ya rd I s et

' '

out wh en I wa s a b oy T hat was in th e da ys when .

C ase Gorsu ch an d I used to go t o H udson with

 CO N C L U S I O N .

3 2 1

an ox team H u dson w a s at that ti me q uite an

.

e mporium bein g o n L ake St C roix and a cces si

,
.
,

bl e by t h e M i ssi ssippi steamboats and we went th ere .

for suppli es W e u sed an o x team b e cau se th ere

.
.

were n o h or s e t eam s h ere M r Russell had on e . .

h or s e an d M r Foster h a d one h orse whi ch w e

,
. .

boys u sed to ge t an d hitch up togeth er sometimes ;

b ut th ey di dn t go very well togeth er were n ot a

very good mat ch A s C ase and I came plodding .

alon g from H u d son one ni ght ( th e road was rather

d reary ) we passed th e lon e tree about th e only ,

landmark o n th e w a y and remarked th e scarcity of ,

t rees and h o w l on ely i t seemed with ou t th em to p eo

,

pl e from th e East Yes C ase said it i s lon ely and
.
,

.
"
.

why di d I come w a y o ff up h ere t o live N e w Ri ch

?

m ond wil l never b e a market place whil e I live A

.

fe w y ears later wh en I kept a general store h ere h e

,

u sed t o b ring mapl e sugar i n to sell from his farm at

B lack B rook N e w Ri chmon d had got to growin g
.

then an d it k e p t o n growin g I u sed t o remind him

,
'

of th e tim e wh en h e sai d we sh oul d n ever have a mar

k et here an d tol d him I coul d sell ten times as mu ch
,

su gar fo r him as h e coul d make Well th ere w ere .

'

c ottonwood trees h ere then M r Russell set th em . .

out around a large tra ct of land i ntending to buil d ,

a mansion i n th e middl e of i t but afterwards sol d it ,

of f There were oth er cottonwood trees set out b e

.

cause th ey grow so rapi dly and a great m any of t hem ,

g rew u p to l arge trees and w ere cut down ot her trees ,

o f slower growth su ch as elms evergreen s butternut

, , ,

a n d b ox el d ers havin g become large enough to a f ford

21
3 22 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

su fcient shad e Th e trees are a loss whi ch cannot b e

.

q ui ckly replaced an d I was attach ed to min e b ecau se

,

I set th em o u t an d cultivat ed th em an d watch ed th em

grow S o w e passed from o n e th em e to a n oth er not

. ,

dwellin g l on g on a n y p erhap s unstabl e i n th e matter

,

o f conti nuity of th ou ght but o n th e wh ol e retainin g

,

some part of th e common s ense o f ordinary p eopl e

notwit h standin g all A n d i t seems that al l through
.

th e past days and month s full of hurri ed preparati ons

,

for living a gain w e have b een it t e rin g b oth m entally

,

an d bodily from o n e part of a ta ngl ed maz e to a n

oth er First th e dreadful days o f excavating th e ruins
.

fo r th e m ost preci ou s treasures th e bodies o f our

,

dead and th e care a nd con cern fo r th ei r prop er l ay
,

i n g away an d th e a nxi ety for th e inj ured ; th en th e

,

gl eaning o f th e promis cuous h eap s fo r som e token

whi ch had b een treasured for th e fra gran ce o fits m em
ory rather than intrinsi c worth ; th en th e l ack o f stor
,

age room whi ch caused u s to l ose many arti cl es once

,

di scovered ; th en th e weary trailing about for on e pur

p ose o r another feelin g imp overi sh ed and di scour
,

aged Th en we spoke of th e good fri ends who came

.

With out ostentati on an d wh o remembered that th ere

,

w e re in div idu a ls i n that ban d o f refu gees with wants

'

emotions an d prid e aki n t o what th ey th emselves

woul d feel un der th e same condition s and that th ere ,

was su fferi ng not worn o n th e sl eeve or seen o f men

except by its imp ression on care worn and aging -

faces O ut of all thi s we gath er l esson s of h umanity

.

M ay we too recogniz e th e sil ent sorrow and environ

, ,

m ent o foth ers similarly a fi cted el se we have n o t ex

,
 3 24 A M OD E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

o fci v ilization by mean s of th e el ectri c current and a l , ,

though thi s m ean s o f communi cation may b e for a

time su spended it i s not in k eepin g with th e progress
,

o fth e cent u ry to l eave th e wretch ed lon g i n su f ferin g ,

exi stin g di fculti es l ong unsurmount ed or tre a sures ,

un expl oited From adversity we may draw treasures of

.

knowl ed ge not found in b ooks an d th e tru est knowl

,

ed ge i s that whi ch makes m en happi er as well as bet

t er When an opp ressed and captive race i n our l and
.

cri ed to u s A m I n ot a man and a b roth er one
,
?

hal f ou r nation forgot th e nin ety and nin e ti es of kin

- -

ship wi th t h e oth er hal f an d spill ed th eir blood to free

,

th e on e broth er from hi s fetters When C uba cri ed

.
,

Enough of Spani sh rule ! our h usban ds and son s ,

goaded b y a myst eri ou s act of treach ery fa ced the pes ,

t ile n c e of th e torri d clim e to preserve our nati on s

-

h onor and put an end to unh uman e warfare

, A nd .

t h ou sands o n th ou sands of dollars ha v e been burned

u p i n boomin g gun s o r used to rehabilitat e th e i slands ,

d evastated by thei r mi sfort u n es C oul d n o t shoul d

.

n o t such a h umane nati on m ake provisi on for h er

loyal subj ects wh en overtaken by dire di saster ? Should

n o t her states have in reserve a f e w of th e th ou sands

from h er p eopl e to return to her p eopl e wh en t h e v

.

h a v e m et with exceptional calamiti es Sh oul d sh e ?

n ot provid e d enite assu rance of reli ef commensurate

with th e nature of the calamity T hi s would not onl y
?

add to th e e fci ency of th e work o f the distributin g

bureau but al so lift th e burden o f uncertainty an d
,

d espai r from th e minds of i ts vi ctims and encourage ,

them to formulate plan s fo r th e future I n what w a y .

 CO N CLU S I O N .
325

this coul d be d o n e and with what poli cy of a dm in is

t ra t io n l et our wi se le s gis la t o rs d eci de
,
I t has o ft im e s
.

s eem ed that they were abl e i f re q uired to fetch th e

, ,

golde n appl es from th e fa r H esperi des T hey wil l .

su rely be equal t o thi s We b eli e v e that th e i dea i s a

.

feasibl e one and that some human e disposed o n e

, ,

possessi ng th e n ecessary tal ent will one day so pla ce

,

i t before ou r human e and so vereign peopl e that th e

measure d esi red will come to pass T h e poo r ha ve .

p roved that th ey are u sually ready wi th th ei r mite to

reli eve th e pan gs o f thos e who for th e time b e l on g t o
th ei r cl ass ; th e well to do can und erstand that su dd en
- -

an d compl et e poverty falls with more cru shing and b e

wil derin g p ower upon th ose who by years o f pati ent
i ndust ry gath erin g h ere a littl e and ther e a littl e have
, ,

attai n ed t o a mod est degree of comfort , than upon th e

ca rel e ss an d un thri fty wh o whi sk gaily around o n th e
wh eel o f fortun e n o w up ,
n o w down with out tak
i ng thought fo r th e mo rrow ; an d as to those wh o are .
.

ri ch beyon d th e point of p eaceabl e p ossessi on they ,

woul d p erhap s as Wel l enj oy bein g reli eved o f a share

of th ei r burden o f weal th by organized charity as by
that whi ch i s d esultory an d harassing .

N o arran gement l ookin g toward d enit e n a n

c ia l reli ef up on th e occasion of exceptional calamity

n eed interfere with th e h ealth ful o w o f benevol enc e

and generosi t y fo r reli evin g temporary di stress I t .

sh oul d at all times b e di fcult to tap the publi c till an d ,

a p roper amount o f red tape shoul d a ccompany it s
disbursements but i f any w e re to be a preferred
,

c l ass i n su ch di sbursements i t woul d be more ttin g

,
3 26 A M O D E R N H E R CULAN E U M .

t hat those a ffli ct ed an d despoil ed through n o fault of

th ei r o w n sh oul d be i ncluded i n it rath er than t h e
ri ch o r p oliti cally great Wh en w e re cal l that night
.
,

wh en a col umn Of mighty wrath from th e h eavens

d e scended upon u s an d smot e u s so sorely wh en d e ,

spai r shroud ed u s and th e face Of th e L ord s eemed

,

turned away from u s wh en th e el ements raged agai nst

,

us an d w e had n o abi di ng place ; wh en w e think of

,

t he di smal waste wherein lay bu ri ed o u r earthly hop es ,

and o f ourselves casting ab out fearf ully li ke wraiths ,

u pon some unknown shore ; wh en w e rememb er th e

stran ge gloom an d di stracti on th e sorrowful faces ,

i ttin g past us th e fun eral s th e crowd s th e wagons

, , ,

with th eir motl ey l oad s n ever ceasi ng by day and the ,

rap rap o fh amm ers that was o u r evening l ullaby and

,

th e revei ll e a t m ornin g fo r many w eeks b efore th e

'

lat e w i nter set in and stopp ed mu ch o f th e work ; i t

all seem s lik e a l on g troubl ed dream B ut th e work
,
.

w e had t o do was o u r salvation an d bri dged over th e

,

time o f o u r keen di stress T h e sympathy and tender

.

c onsi deration which w e received saved u s from bi tter

n ess T here were those w h o fainted by th e w ay ;
.

th ere are prematurely bowed forms and whiten ed

h ead s ; there are h omes wh ere th e h ours pass t o o
q ui etly and where th e nal gath erin g togeth er em
,

h a i d th e vacan ci es t o some beyond endurance

p s z e .

I have in min d moth ers wh ose children COm e no more

t o th ei r longing arms ; fath ers th e light o f whose
,

homes has gon e o u t ; and wi dowed homes whose o r ,

p h a n e d children mi ss a guidin g ha nd I see a la ck

.

o f z est i n social life a n d a sh rinkin g from social gath

 I N D E X F O R I L L U S T R AT I O N S .

1 . N ew R ic hm o nd b e fo
S t o rm ( d u rin g t h e G re th e . A R
. .

e n c ampm e n t ) l o o k in g N o rt h o n M a in S t re e t
,

F ro n tis piece .

2 B i d E y V i w l o k in g S u t h a t a s P in t
. r

s -

e e , o o e s c ro s o

wh e t h St m E n t d t h C ity R l i f H ad
er e or e re e e e e

qua t i th F g u nd
r e rst th ig h t p p pa g
n e o re ro a e r . . o . e 17

3 B i d E y V i w l k in g S u t h a t a o t h St m
. r

s -

e e ,
oo o e s cr ss e or

S w p t B u in C nt f t h C it y
e p p pa g
s es s e er o e o . e 33
4 B i d E y V ie w l k in g N o t h a s t f m T p f
. r

s -

e ,
oo r e ro o o

F l u M ill a P in t wh
o rSt m l f t t h C it y c ro s s o e re or e e .

O p p pa g . e

5 L k in g E a t f m C n
. oo f M a in and T h i d S t
s t ro or er o r re e s

P t i n f L w i R id n or D E pl y s plac
o s o e s es e ce, r . e

e

i th B a k g u n d
n e p p pa g
c ro o . e 49 V

6 .S il h u t t e d A ga in t t h e S k y
o e p p pa g s o . e 65
7 C o t t nw d S ha d T
. o D nud d o f B a k
oo e re e s e e r

7 % R e s cu W k e or p p pa g e o . 81 w

8 S
. n.d S t
e co t P in ipa l B u in s St e e t d u in g t h
re e r c s es r r e

Su mm o f 1 899 er

F an k H a d in g ( n t f o g u nd ) C p t i
r r f Co f ce er re ro ,
a a n
'

fe e B ig a d r p p pa g
e o . e 97
9. M a in St t N w R i hm n d Wi re e l k in g N t h
,
e c o , s .
,
oo or

f m T h i d St e t Ju n e 1 5 1 899
ro r re , ,

V i w S h w in g t h A mb l a g f t h T h n g f S p
e o e sse e o e ro o ec

t t O f th
a o rs D a d B d ie w as R ve e d ne o e e o s as eco r

and b u g h t t t h G u a d L in ro p p pa g e o e r es O . 1 13

10. A Wi d w s A l l o

10% T h D ty H m e o p p pa g e
o e o . 1 29

11. Wa d S Will iam C r St n S t .

p p pa g e s o .

s o e o re . . o . 1 45 /

3 29
33 0 A M OD E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

12 . S e c o nd S t re e t l o o k in g We s t ac ro s s M a in St re e t
o pp . p ag e
13 . F o s te r s

Ho m e, Ol dest R esi dence in T o wn
o pp .
p a ge
14 . R u in s o f M e t h o d is t E p is c o pa l C h u rc h o pp . pa g e
15 . F irs t S t re e t l o o k in g We s t f ro m Wa t e rw o rk s
, ov er

R u in s o f N ic o ll e t H o t e l o pp . pa g e
16 D e s t ru c t io n p l ey s H o m
Dr E

. of . e

F o u nda t io n an d C l l a f D r J hn o n s H m
e r o . o s

o e

H o u s D is app e a d
e re o pp pa g e .

17 . Wa t w k and E l c t i P w
er or s S t a t io n
e r c l o k in go er ,
o

S o u t hw e s t d i t l y a g a in s t t h
re c C o u s o f th e T e r e or

nad o p p pa g e o .

18 . F e a t h e e d R e f u g e s V i w l o k in g N o t hw s t a
r e e o ss r e c ro

M a i n St e t f o m E a s t T h i d S t e t
r e r p p pa g r r e . . o . e

19 . R u in s o f St e e l B id g l k i n g S u t h u p M a i n S t t
r e, oo o re e .

p p pa g o . e

20 . S nap S h o t af t
-

s t h e St
er m or p p pa g o . e
3 3 2 A M OD E R N H E RC ULAN E U M .

C H AP . V . C O M E AN D H ELP U s
M e s s rs B e e b e F riz z e l l L ambd in and B u r
.
, ,

ro w s b rav e D if c u l t ie s and D an g e rs t o S e c u re
H e l p D o c t o rs an d D ru g gis t s N u rs e s and ,

F rie n d s t o t h e R e s c u e D is pa t c h e s S e n t E a s t
an d W e s t Sp e c ia l R e l ie f T ra in s .

C H AR . VI . TH E D AY S A F T E R T H E T O R NAD O
A G ra y M o rn in g an d F ire s S t ill B u rn in g ,

B l an k an d St ran g e ! C ro w d s H e a d in g t o wa rd

N e w R i c hm o n d D i s pa t c h e s t o t h e G o v e rn o r
F o o d an d C l o t h in g A rriv in g R e c o v e rin g M o re
B o d ie s S u n d a y F in d s th e W o rk S t ill G in g o On .

CH AR . VII . ST O R I E S PAR T I C I PA NT S OF TH E

D u g l a R id M d am s W e b t A B
o s e es e s er . .

C l if t o n G s A n t h n y E a l y R ic ha rd
ro s T o r s .

L R u t ty D t Wa n E J S o tt M e
. o y s r er . . c s sr .

G o e H u g h B B l an h H B a l C ha
. o . c er . e s .

P ic I L t T h
r e H a l y W M h H
. o z os . e
'
. os er .

C n t an H H S m it h W F M N ll L
o s ce . . . . c a y .

P n ti W T L amb d in Wm F i ll W
re ce . .
-

. r z z e .

H L n b u y E A Gl v Syd n y F t
. ou s r . . o er e o s er

E O
. K a y
VVm . D n m M is T a t
e . e s o re s ro

M s d am s T b in Jam s n K n ig h t C u mm
e e o e o er
E dwa d s G VV ll O a k B
r hm Cu meo . e s es oe

m in g M C an d F P h ill ip S O l
s e s s rs n . . . s . eso

A l x L e ty G
e R ip l y t
ev r eo . e , e c .

CHAR . VII I .

L O O K IN G O VER TH E S ITU ATI O N

B a t h f T l am
A uc o f th o e egr s H lpf lne ess e

R a il a d an d t h P s D if c u lt i i t h W y
ro s e re s es n e a

of C m m u n i a t in g w it h
o F i n d D t u ti n at
c r e s es r c o

Cl a Lak e P in vill A l an d an d B a n L i t
r e, e e, r rro s

of D w l l in g D m l i h d L i t
e f B u in s e o s e s o s ess

Pl a D t y d i t h C ity f N w R i hm n d
ce s e s ro e n e o e c o .
 CO N T E N T! 333

C H AR . IX . WO R K To Do
P l i an d N a ti na l G u a d R an a k in g t h
o ce o r s c e

R u in C n f u i n f t h M a l S n W k t
s o s o o e or e se or a

th S
e h l h u
c D i t ib u t in g F u n it u
oo o C l th
se s r r re , o

i g
n t T mp
,
e c a ry B u il d in g C l a in g U p
e or s e r

H o p it ab l R id n t s R n t u t i n
s e es e eco s r c o .

STAT E A I D
The Peo ple A ro u s e d to A c t io n T h e G o v e r n o r
A pp o in t s C o mm it t e e a and I s s u e s a S e c o n d
P ro c l ama t io n Su b C o mm itt e e s
B u in M n s -

s ess e

A s i a ti n A pp in t a R p
s oc n t a t iv t R a i
o o e re s e e o se

F u n d S l ti n f m R p t f R l i f C m
s e ec o s ro e or o e e o

m it t e e .

CH APN X I . IN M E M O R IA M
L is t o f V i t imc s o f th e T o r nad o .

CH A R . XI I . C O N C LU SI ON
S a f t Pl a es
-

ce of R e f u ge -
W ha t S ha ll We Do
W h n a T na d
e or o C o m e s ? E xt r a o rd ina ry C ha r
a c t e ri s t ic s o f th e O c c u rr e n c e I t s M o t io n s an d
V l ity an d D i m ina t in g F c E ff t o
e oc , sse or e ec n

A n ma l L e n W hav L a n d N a t io na l
i s sso s e e e r e

E m ge n y F u n d Th
er P a s t L ik a T u b l d
c e e ro e

D am b u t t h S
re ow ,
Real e o rr s a re .