Fifty Years In The Northwest
total of $30,000. Losses on barns, machinery and stock raised this sum
to $50,000. The loss at Marine was computed roughly at $75,000, which
made a total of $135,000, not including hay and grain. The entire loss
to Clear Lake was estimated at $200,000. Three persons lost their
lives, Mrs. P. Burdick, Willie Kavanagh and John Saunders. The
Methodist, Congregational and Swedish churches were leveled with the
ground. The timber losses were close to $1,000,000; private property
in villages, loss near $500,000, and all other losses, such as farm
property and the like, in the hundred thousands. The total loss in
Wisconsin has been placed at six lives and $4,000,000 in property.
THE ST. CLOUD AND SAUK RAPIDS CYCLONE OF 1886.
The most destructive storm yet recorded occurred on the afternoon of
April 14, 1886. The clouds were first seen from St. Cloud to gather a
short distance over the basin of the Masour cemetery about three
o'clock, Sunday afternoon, in dark, overhanging masses. Then sharp
tongues of lightning darted down with terrific force, and the storm
with all its fury burst upon the doomed cities. The south end, or
beginning of the cyclone track, was located two or three miles south
and a little west of St. Cloud and its total length was twenty-four
miles. The property destroyed amounted to over a quarter of a million
of dollars, and the loss of life at St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids was
seventy-five. If we include those who died later of injuries from
wounds, exposure and fright, we may safely say a hundred.
The first victim of the cyclone was Nicholas Junneman. The cyclone
rising, as we have said, over or near Calvary cemetery, for a space of
about three hundred yards in diameter the trees were uprooted or
twisted off, gravestones were thrown flat, and fences demolished.
Crossing over Calvary Hill, in a path about one hundred feet wide, it
wrecked the small Catholic chapel and badly injured the crucifix
located there. Next in its course was the farm house of Nicholas
Junneman which was left a pile of ruins, and Mr. Junneman was killed,
while his wife was dangerously injured. The first house struck within
the city limits was J. W. Tenvoorde's. Just across the street J.
Schwartz's two story brick house was almost wrecked. Here the path of
the tornado was about two hundred feet wide, and increased until by
the time it reached the Manitoba depot the width was six hundred feet,
taking in in its fearful embrace during the length of its course half
a hundred or more buildings, which were totally wrecked, moved from
their foundations, or more or less damaged. In many instances there
was nothing left to show where a house had stood, and the prairie was
covered far and wide with the debris of the demolished buildings. Over
fifty houses in St. Cloud were totally destroyed and as many more
badly damaged. Before striking the river it swerved slightly
northward, and thus the costly building blocks and crowded streets in
the heart of the city were spared. Had the cyclone veered in its
course more to the south, the loss of property and life in St. Cloud
would have been incalculable.
Striking the river the cyclone appeared to be almost motionless for a
few moments, or moved so slowly as to seem to hang over the face of
the water, its huge black column rising toward the zenith. Then
leaving the river, this monster of the air struck Sauk Rapids at
Stanton's large flouring mill, which was left a heap of ruins. It then
took Demeules' store and the Northern Pacific depot, and passed on
through the main business part of the place, leaving but one important
business house standing, Wood's store, which was badly damaged. Court
house, church, school building, post office, newspaper offices,
hotels, dwelling houses, all went down under the relentless power of
the storm. Streets were blockaded with the wreck so as to be
practically impassable. The list of dead out of a village of about
1,000 population included some of the leading county officials and
prominent citizens. Amongst them were John Renard, county auditor, and
Gregg Lindley, register of deeds; also Edgar Hull, president of the
German-American National Bank; E. G. Halbert, of the New York
Insurance Company, with whom Mr. Hull had just filed an application
for a $5,000 policy, was so badly injured that he died in a few days.
The destruction of property in Sauk Rapids was far greater than in St.
Cloud, as the business portion of the city was almost entirely swept
away. The loss of life was also proportionately greater.
After leaving Sauk Rapids the cyclone struck Rice's, a station on the
Northern Pacific road, about fourteen miles from the former village.
Some four miles southeast of the station, at the house of a farmer
named Schultz, a happy wedding party was gathered, a daughter of the
farmer having been married to Henry Friday, chairman of the board of
supervisors of Langola. Almost before they realized it the terrible
power of the storm encircled them, and in the twinkling of an eye nine
of the goodly company were mangled corpses, among the number being the
groom, while the bride was dangerously if not fatally injured. The
victims also included the Rev. G. J. Schmidt, pastor of the German
Evangelical church of Sauk Rapids. The Rev. Mr. Seeder, pastor of the
Two Rivers district, was found out on the prairie with both legs
broken.
At Buckman, Morrison county, several persons were killed, and six or
seven farm houses destroyed. The suffering caused by this most
terrible of cyclones evoked the liveliest sympathy, and large
contributions of money, food and clothing were forwarded by the
citizens of St. Paul, Minneapolis and other cities throughout the
State.
G. W. Benedict, of Sauk Rapids, relates his experience in the storm as
follows: "I was in the yard at my residence half a mile north of the
depot, when I heard a terrible deafening roar, and on looking up I saw
what first appeared to be a very heavy black volume of smoke from a
railroad engine, but in a moment I realized what it was. The volume of
black cloud soon increased to double its size, and had a funnel shape,
gyrating in a peculiar zigzag form. Untold amounts of debris of
houses, fences and everything above the surface were shooting and
flying with terrific velocity from the cloud, which took a northerly
direction. The horrible writhing demon of destruction, with its
deafening roar, increased in volume and force, and hurled to utter
destruction everything in its path, a great portion of which was
carried miles in the air out of sight as though but trifles of
lightest chaff."
Thos. Van Etten was walking on the street, going home, when the
cyclone struck the town, and he was bodily lifted into the air,
carried four hundred feet up a steep hill and landed in a street,
literally plastered over with mud. A young man fishing near the end of
the bridge, on the opposite side from Sauk Rapids, says that many of
the houses were lifted high in the air, and did not seem to be injured
until they were dashed to the ground, when they collapsed, and the
pieces were scattered in all directions. None of the very large number
of persons who went into a cellar for protection from the storm were
badly injured. The Fink family, the mother and four children of which
were almost instantly killed, were in a house which had an excellent
cellar, but the family forgot to utilize it. Near the ruins of the
Carpenter house is a tree about ten inches in diameter, through which
a pine board was driven so that it protruded at both sides of the
tree. The property loss in Benton county was estimated at $300,000,
and in St. Cloud at $56,000.
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.
Some time in the '50s Messrs. Oaks, Rand, Witham, Carson, and twelve
other men were in a tent on the banks of Lake St. Croix, just below
the mouth of Willow river, during a severe thunder storm. It was about
9 o'clock P. M. when lightning struck the tent and passing down killed
Witham and Carson, and severely stunned Oaks and Rand. The other men
were not injured, but, being badly frightened, ran away, and did not
return till the following morning, when they found two of the men
supposed killed still alive, but dazed and motionless. The two killed
were lying close together, while Mr. Oaks lay upon one side and Mr.
Rand upon the other. The lightning had struck the men who were killed
upon the head, and traversing the body had passed out below the
ankles. The current of electricity had passed up the arm of Mr. Oaks
and down his body, burning spots the size of a pea, and plowing lines
under the skin, the scars of which, after recovery, were raised in
welts nearly as large as a whipcord. Mr. Oaks was nearly a year
recovering. He says that during the time he lay motionless and
apparently stunned he was in full possession of his faculties. Mr.
Rand had one side of his body burned to a blister. Prior to this he
had been affected with weak eyes, but the electrical treatment there
received effected a complete cure.
ASIATIC CHOLERA.
Minnesota was early visited by this scourge of the eastern world. It
was brought up the river on the crowded steamers and created the
utmost consternation, and even panic. No one on board the Royal Arch,
May, 1853, can forget the dreadful scenes upon this boat. The first
case occurred at Galena, that of a child, and the next at La Crosse,
that of a woman, who was put ashore in a dying condition twenty miles
above. From thence to St. Paul the boat was a floating hospital, and
thirteen corpses lay under a canvas on the lower deck.
Notwithstanding the ghastly freight carried by the steamer, and its
sick and dying passengers in the cabin above, kind hearts sympathized
and kind hands were extended to help; and the dead were buried and
every thing possible was done for the sick and suffering survivors,
many of whom died after being carried ashore at St. Paul. What these
good Samaritans did was at the risk of their own lives, and more than
one, among them Henry P. Pratt, editor of the St. Paul _Minnesotian_,
sickened and died from infection caught by ministering to the stricken
ones.
DECREE OF CITIZENSHIP.
The first naturalization papers on record in Minnesota are somewhat
unique, and for that reason worthy of preservation, and are herewith
presented _et literatim_:
DECREE OF CITIZENSHIP.
TERRITORY OF WISCONSIN,
ST. CROIX COUNTY.
I, William Willim, an alien by birth, aged twenty-six years,
do hereby, upon my oath, make known that I was born in the
county of Hereford, in the kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, on the twenty-sixth day of June, A. D. 1821; that I
emigrated from the kingdom aforesaid, and landed in New
York, in the state of New York, on the first day of October,
1838; that I was at that time a minor aged seventeen years,
and that I have since that time resided in the United States
of America; that it is my _bona fide_ intention to become a
citizen of the United States, to renounce forever all
allegiance and fidelity which I, in anywise, owe to any
foreign power, potentate, state or sovereignty whatever, and
more particularly all allegiance and fidelity which I, in
anywise, owe to Victoria, queen of Great Britain, of whom I
have heretofore been a subject, and, further that I do not
possess any hereditary title, or belong to any of the order
of nobility in the kingdom from whence I came; so help me
God.
WILLIAM WILLIM.
Sworn and subscribed to before me on this eighteenth day of
June, 1847, in open court.
JOSEPH R. BROWN,
_Clerk of District Court of St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory._