Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, June 24, 1899, Page 2

The Aevaid-Review. E. C. KILEY, Editor, “MINNESOTA. GRAND RAPIDS - It takes some practice to learn how to tell the truth, The mosquito is that sings at his work. As a rule, whenever we find a brook we find stepping stones. The individual who thinks he knows it all has the most to learn, Mingle folly with your wisdom, or nobody will associate with you. A great many polit out of business when meat went up tc one dollar, The charities that soothe and heal and bless lie scattered at the feet of men like flowers, When the doctor tells a woman to diet, she eats less at the table and more in the pantry. The man whose religion will not stand the test of careful thinking has not very much to boast of. The gentlemen at The Hague have opened the proceedings by trying: to sell each other gold bricks, Too often when a man’s good deeds speak for themselves he spoils the ef- fect by going around with his mouth The Havana man whose wardrobe con s of one undershirt has been ously handicapped by Gen. Brooke’s G Joe Wheeler has the satisfac- I knowing that his southern didn’t hiss when he gave m expansion talks. An Ohio man recently hanged him- from the top round of a ladder. once more reminded that room at the top. a possible that A aldo’s reluc- tance to surrender is partly inspired ear that under an autonomy lo may not be provided with a t four months of this year, tate of New Jersey, there ted companies with an al equal in amount to he fir the entire x in circulation in the United States. Nothing taxable which Spain’s cu- pidity could reach—not even the grave seems to have escaped the clutches representatives in Cuba. A vivid idea of the thoroughness of. their methods in this particular is given in the fact that a yearly tax was assessed upon each letter on the signs used by merchants and others. This impost was farmed out to contractors, who, in collecting, were often arbitrary and annoying. It will remain in force till of her June, 1899, and Americans who have begun business and have hung out signs at any time within the year are compelled to p a full year’s tax, The most extraordinary book sale of this century is that attending “What Would Jesus Do?” by the Rev. Charles Sheldon of Kay Over three million copies have been sold in England alone, while three other of his books, published at a penny apiece, recently ran through an edition of nine hun- thousand copies in a fortnight. le the poet laureate has lately led upon our government to redre opyright la respecting English auth twenty nglish publishers have pirated Mr. Sheldon’s sermon- stories The self-seeking, inconsider- ate man is of no abiding city, nor can any country itself immune from his predation Phe whistles had just blown for 12 . On a quiet side street a wagon wn up against the curb, its ding. One placidly munched his oats from a feed bag. For his companion, a tin bucket holding the horses f nec ary food had been provided. This had somehow become displaced, and the horse, unable to get his mouth in- to it, had thrashed about until he had scattered his oats upon the ground. In the midst of his distress a man in lime- stained overalls appears. In his dress and hurried gait it was easy to recognize the workingman, eager for his own dinner and with but little time to eat it. But he saw the horse’s trou- ble and stopped abruptly. Then he quickly seized the discomforting buck- et, swept the scattered oats into it, fas- tened it securely to the horse’s head, and then patting the animal’s neck af- fectionately, he hurried away to his own dinner. It was a gentle, spon- taneous act of a kindly nature such as women trust, and children love’ May bounteous dinners be his always! Excitement comes high in Chicago, according to Alderman H, Dink, but it is well worth the price. The alder- ays he paid $6,000 in cash for the share of it that falls to his lot as one of the representatives of the first ward in the council, and he surely does not seem to regret it. But possibly he has a definition other than that given in the dictionary for the word, * “ing Malietoa Tanu has a salary of $150 per month, and he is compelled to fight for his job. ter than that in the museum business, *t the only bore ians were forced of money of all kind¢ He ought to do bet- | DEATH AND DESOLATION OVERWHELMS THE ONCE FAIR CITY OF NEW RICHMOND. Terrible Destruction Wrought by the Cyclone Almost Impossible of Comprehension — Happy and Prosperous Business Estab- Mshments Piled in Promiscuous Almost Reached the Hundred Mark and Is Rapidly Growing— Fire Follows the Cyclone and Adds to the Horror of the Trag- edy—Relief Trains Sent From St. Paul With Physicians and Sup- plies—Gov. Scofield Calls for Con- , tributions and Many Towns Promptly Respond—Injured Cared for in St. Paul Hospitals. New Richmond, Wis., June 15.—Al- most unparalleled in its absolute fe- rocity was the visitation of the de- structive forces of the air which over- Confusion—List of the Dead Has | i Those who resided on the south side Homes | | | blast, they of the’ town could see the whirling masses shaping themselves into the fa- tal funnel. Word was quickly passed From Mouth to Mouth that the cyclone was upon the city, but more speedily came the swirling mass. Everybody that was within doors made for the cellars and basements, and the streets were full of belated ones dash- ing madly for shelter. The four outermost houses on the south side of the city were the Dayton, Hollenbeck, Wells and McCartney ney homes. They were the first to suf- | fer. Exposed to the full fury of the were raised high in the air, | only to be dashed to earth again and then twisted and strained into frag- ments. The foundation walls alone re- | main. This was the fate of every other building in the path of the storm, The absoluteness of the destruction never varied, On and on through three squares of residences and then came the business center of the community. It was here that the loss of life was the greatest. Squarely facing the rushing tempest stood the first stone building of Ward, Williams & Co., only one story high, but with walls that would have suf- ficed for a city block, fully eighteen inches in thickness. .The south-facing front was driven in, crushing through the floor into the basement, where many had taken refuge, the huge stones crushing several ef them to death, 4 others still imprisoned alive or deaa' beneath the wreck endeavored in little groups to tear away the debris. rescues were effected, but in too many other instances relief seemed impossi- ble. The very enormity of the ca- lamity seemed to paralyze effort, Fire Breaks Out. To add to the sum total of misery, fire broke out almost immediately, pre- sumably in the ruins of the hardware store of O. J. Williams. Its origin is unknown, It spread slowly in spite of the rain, and ultimately involved prac- tically all of the two blocks from the Nicollet house to the Ward-Williams store, It extended across Main street to the east, but was confined here within a smaller radius. Another fire broke out in the ruins of the houses in the southern end of town, but was not allowed to spread over a very wide area, Hardly had the cyclone passed be- yond the town before the physicians of the city were actively at work ad- ministering to the wounded, of whom there was a very large number. The four physicians of the city, Doctors Epley, McKean, Knapp and Wade, un- dertook the duties of the hour with de- yotion and untiring zeal. Telegraphic communications in all directions was cut off and there was no way of ap- pealing for help that was so sadly needed. It was after 2 o’clock {n the morning before the first outside relief arrived, a train coming from Chippewa Falls on DR. EPLEY’S HOUSE. Paton ponnennenne whelmed New Richmond om Monday afternoon. A cyclone storm swept down upon the little city just at 6 o'clock, and.as a man would crush an egg shell in his hand the business sec- tion of the city, with the residence por- tions immediately to the south and north, were razed to the ground, The destruction was sudden and eomplete. A furrow eighty or a hun- dred yards wide was literally plowed through the town from southwest to northéast, its greatest extension, and not one stick or stone was left upon anéther. Happy homes and prosper- ous business establishments were piled in promiscuous confusion, Frame structures were reduced to kindling wood and brick buildings were dashed in upon themselves in utter ruin, Sturdy stone blocks with massive walls offered no apparent resistance to the irresistable fury of the storm. Huge trees were uprooted or broken, stripped of their foliage, bark and branches and twisted into fantastic shapes. And in this wreck of human handi- work it could not be expected that hu- man life would be spared. The mourn. ful roll of death is growing rapidly. It has reached almost the hundred mark already, and no conservative estimate places it below that number, “It may be half as many more, and there are those who think that it will reach well up to the two hundred when the con- fusion that now exists is reduced to a semblance of orde The loss of life among the residents of the city proper is probably already established with sonable definite. nm The city was filled, however, with farmers from the Whole Countryside around the city, and there were many visitors from neighboring villages. It will be several days before they are all accounted for, and there is no es- eape from the conyiction that some of them will never be accounted for other than as missing. bi The fire which raged among the ruins during the whole of the night and day following the destruction of the city will unquestionably destroy some of the evidence of the loss of life. Several partially incinerated bodies have already been rescued from the fire, but the ruins of several buildings in which it is positively known that some lives were lost were totally de- stroyed before any effective work was organized to prevent the spread of the flames. It was “cireus day” in New Rich. mond. Gollmar Brothers had set up their tents on the east side of the town, and the whole surrounding country was advised. The result was that ‘here was an unusually large number yf people in town. The day had been warm and sultry. The atmosphere ‘vas close and oppressive and the sky was heavily overcast with scurrying ‘louds, It was readily understood that a storm was approaching, and many of the townspeople hastened to their homes to make secure in advance of the rain, The first flurry of rain preceded the wind, and all the while the clouds over in the south were assuming a con- Unually more threatening aspect, There were other brick and stone buildings along the two squares of Main street given over to business, ending with the three-story Nicollet hotel. All went down in ruins. In al- most every basement there were hud- dled together from half a dozen to a score of persons. In many cases the floors sustained the weight of the ruins of the superstructure. In a number of instances, however, the building was raised clear From Its Foundations and dashed down upon the helpless ones, On the north side of the city were tha Wisconsin Central, with Dr, Partick of Baldwin and other physi- cians, who took up the work with the local surgeons. At 3:30 a train arrived from St. Paul with fifteen or more St. Paul and _ Stillwater phyiscians and nurses, and from that hour the work of relieving the physical sufferings proceeded rapidly. In the early morn- ing the second relief train arrived from St. Paul with food and clothing for the destitute. Later came Chief of Police Goss of St. Paul with a force of officers anda fire engine and erew,and by noon the work of succor and relief was well organized. Many » attention of the committee in charge, and they were compelled to depend on the unorganized efforts of volunteers to complete the rescue. To add to the chaos.during the morn- ing several thousand people were dumped into the city by the two regu- lar trains that arrived shortly before noon, and the one company of Wiscon- sin militiamen that had been called out was totally inadequate to keep the .crowd back, even when supplemented by the detail from the St. Paul police department. Complaints poured into the general headquarters that relic hunters were Carrying Off Everything of value that was not nailed, and it was impossible to attend to all the eases. Especially vehement were the residents of the Second ward, which occupies the point where the cyclone left the city. This was strictly a resi- dence district, and every house was leveled. The household goods were scattered about and furnished an ex. cellent reward for curiosity hunters, who flocked to the place and defied the owners of the goods to drive them away. The business portion was guarded by a line of pickets, and it was here that the bodies were recoy- ered. It was believed that no one could be alive among the mass of tangled timbers when the search start- ed in the morning, but long before noon this idea was dissipated by the recov- ery of Charles Lindenfield, who was yet alive and able to walk, with some assistance. He was found in the base- ment, pinned by the arm, under a mass of timbers. He could neither talk nor see, and his hearing had been impaired by the terrible ordeal he had passed through, The body of Mrs. 8S. N. Hawkins was recovered during the morning, buried beneath the roof of her home, near the old depot. Her bones were broken, her face was en- tirely torn away, and her trunk was an unrecognizable of flesh. Her identity was established by a ring on the second finger of her left hand. John Prior, a young farmer, was the next to be brought out from under the w He was found in Cullen & Greely’s loon, beneath a pile of broken boa His body was mangled by the weight that hat rested on him, and his fage was Black and Distorted, Just before the workmen quit at noon they unearthed the body of Car! N. Larson under the wreck of the ice- hous He was found pinned under the roof and two sides of the icehouse, which had been piled together. The saddest scene of all was the of the body of little Lillie Me covery as it was thought advisable to search the buildings that could be explored more ‘quickly. The frame structures were taken first, as the timbers could be more quickly removed. Broken boards and posts were piled int the street mountain high in the search for victims. ST, PAUL TO THE RESCUE. Victims of the Kindly Cared For, St. Paul, June 15.—Human misery,. in awful detail, swayed to pity and moved to tears a surging throng that gathered at the union depot yesterday afternoon to witness some of the fear- ful work of the New Richmond cy~ clone. The fruits of that tornado were shown in the thirty-two bodies, broken and bleeding, that had been rescued from flame and torrent by the hands of a pitying people whose deepest sym- pathy went out for the afflicted citi- zens of a sister state. St. Paul hastened to the rescue as soon as it was known that rescue was needed, Its physicians and nurses were sent on a special train, its police department was called in to help guard the wrecked property and its hospitals were thrown open for the unfortu- nates, Yesterday the mayor of the city and many influential citizens were present to met the train carrying the first group of wounded and assisted in lifting from the train and ¢ ambulances the maimed bo¢ those to whom life yet ren Every ambulance in the cit patrol wagon and many priva veyances were brought into requ tion to carry to places of comfort the cyclone sufferers, The first train contained thirty-one wounded men, women and children that were distributed among the hos- pitals, and one man who died onthe Injured Cyclone wa A later train brought eight others, of whom two died at the hos- pitals. BURYING THE DEAD. Long Rows of Marble Slabs Will Long Reeall the Disaster, New Richmond, June 16 It has been necessary kly in the matter of the burial of the bodi ow- ing to the fact that so many dead to act q and the facilit for proper prepara- tion for burial are limited. and the Cong ional have been made the ues, were thron, with esterday, but pidly ied and one-year-old daughter of Mr. William McGrath, ‘The the cemete In all services w mother were both fearfully injured, | held for twenty-two dead at St. M perhaps fatally, and the story of the | Church during the day, and by night find was kept ny from them in the | teh funerals n held from the fear that it would add the last drop to| their cup of misery. Two of their chil- | dren, R ‘ll and Walter, Head outright. So when they inquired about their little baby, almost continually it seemed to those that watched beside them, they were told a white lie, that their little child was safe. At this} the mother’s face Db med with joy, and the informant almost regretted the deception that soon must be detected. The McGraths lived on Fourth street, side by side, William and Nick. They had handsome homes and pretty lawns with lots of trees, When the cyclone struck, both families took refuge in the cellar. Mr. McGrath had just re- turned home and hitched his team in front of the house. He ran to reassure his wife that there was no danger, and he was about to return to the team when the house was blown from its foundation. He tried to get to the cel- lar but he was hurled away, When he recovered consciousness he was in the cellar under his brother’s house, or, rather, where the house had stood, for it had been blown away. Near him he found what he believed to be RUINS OF 8. -N. HAWKINS’ HOUSE, WHERE MRS, HAWKINS AND FOUR CHILDREN WERE KILLED AND MR, HAWKINS AND ANOTHER CHILD SERIOUSLY INJURED. more residences, and these all were wiped out of existence, There was the water tower which:supplied the. city, and thé pumping station, operated by electricity supplied from Somerset, over on the Apple river, five miles away. The water tower was over- trown and the lectric wires went down, thus cutting off all possibility of se- curing a supply of water to fight the later encroachments of the fire. ' Ascending the hill toward the Wis- consin Central tracks, upon the north- ern limits of the city, the eyclone seemed to rise into the air, It ric- cocheted once or twice and knocked over a few buildings in the town of Stanton, but no further serious dam- age was done within the radius of com. munication from New Richmond. It appeared to dissipate itself into the sky where it was formed, The passage of the cyclone proper was followed by a torrent of rain that was fairly cataclysmal, and the sur- vivors who crept out from the ruins were buffeted by a furlous gale of wind, Which continued for some time. The city was almost in absolute dark- ness for a time, “Bewildered and help- ; less citizens were slow in organizing | relief wneasures, Those who were for- tunate enough to escape from the de- stroyed buildings and who knew of SEARCHING THD RUINS, Willing Hands Delve for Cyclone! pruised face he recognized the bruised Victims. New Richmond, Wis., June 16.—With little or no organization and nothing to guide their efforts, hundreds of will- ing toilers delved in the ruins of the town yesterday, following up the seem- ingly endless search for bodies, They acted on no general plan, but trusted to the guidance of those that believed they knew where some of the un- fortunates were buried. When the search ended for the day eight bodies had been recovered, bringing the total of the dead above the hundred mark, The bodies recovered were Mrs, 8. N. Hawkins, Nick Pardon, Miss Addie Clough, John Prior, Carl N, Larsen, Lillie McGrath, Willie Hughes and the unidentified head of a child, The task of recovering the dead or | accounting for the missing seems to be weil nigh endless, There are so many immediate wants, 80 much to be done for the living that It has been neces- sary to make the dead a secondary consideration, The distribytion of supplies to the destitute, the care for; been piled up in the cellar, removing the Injured and the burial of the bodies already recovered occupied the entire ‘A Lifeless Form, and when he crawled close to the features of his wife. Most gruesome of all finds was that of the head of a boy about eight years old. There has been no report of such a child missing and no one has appeared at the morgue who is able to identfy it. A workman, passing up Fourth street, near Main, stumbled on something Which he at first believed to be a chicken, He turned and picked it up. He was hor- rorstricken to find that it was the head of a boy, the neck having been cut from the body as if by a cleaver, and the skull crushed to a pulp. No trace has been secured of the body and it is presumed that it is buried under the mass of ruins that was once a city, Among the sgattered ruins of the farmers’ hotel was found the mangled body of Addle Clough, eighteen years old, a chambermaid in the hotel, She had been caught beneath one of the beams that supported the roof, and her life was crushed out by the mass that fell acrows her trunk, The Willams building Is expected to give up a number of dead, but owing to the fact that the stone walls have the debria is naturally slow, Only a few men were working there yesterday te of this a ze number of lie in the two temporary Many of the bodies remained ement of St. Mary’s church, and these were brought up as rapidly s a place could be made for them. fhe people who thronged the little e of worship had come prepared vitness unusu enes, but they ninst the terrible tations of grief that were on y side. Men and women with red faces and blackened eyes clung to the edges of co..ns and wept over the lifeless body of a father, a mother, a sister or a brother, as they lay with blanched faces and broken bodi FOR THE LIVING. Citizens’ Committee Is Relieving the Immediate Needs. New Richmond, Wis.. June 16.—The citizens’ committee, of which O. W. Mosher, acting for Mayor Wears, stands at the head, has been able to successfully relieve the immediate dis- tress. Cooked food of the perishable variety, has been received in abund- ance, and nd more is desired. In fact it was said that some would spoil be- fore it could be used. Blankets and bedding are badly needed, as such bed- clothing as is on hand has been thor- oughly watersoaked and. cannot be used, The cold nights make blankets a necessity as there are few fires and many have to sleep in buildings that have been partially torn away. At the close of business last night the cash contribution in hand amounted to $4,- 672. In addition to this large con- signments of flour, canned goods and clothing have been received, most of it from St. Paul. Notification has been received that other shipments have been made, Yet the needs of the peo- ple are great so that it will require many things to comfortably care for them. CARE OPEN HEARTS AND PURSES. St. Paul People Swift to Relieve New Richmonw’s Needs. St. Paul, June 16.—St. Paul’s gener- osity makes quick response to the needs of neighbors in distress. Service and help are given freely to the New Richmond sufferers; ministrations of the hospitals where half a hundred of the wounded lie, labor of the hands in bringing back order to the wreck of the community, clothing and food and furniture and money for their sore straits, abundant good will in all. Through the Pioneer Press, through Controller McCardy, through the Red Cross and the Commercial club and the Jobbers’ union, contributions in cash and in kind have poured in the last two days since the need was known; Of money, the sum already brought forward from this city amounts te $4,245. No estimate of the value of the other articles is made, but t+ comes close to the money gifts in sum. And no account is made of personal service that cannot be reckoned in money’s terms. ‘ Other cities have hastened with like zeal for the relief of our kinsfolk in trouble. GOVERNOR URGED TO ACT. Requested to Proclaim That Aid Is Required for Cyclone Sufferers, Madison, Wis. June 16.—Assembly- man O, W. Mosher wired Gov. Scofield to impress upon the people of the state the need of contributions of money for the New Richmond storm sufferers, as many merchants and others lost their all and there is not a cent of insur- ance, because of no tornado clause in the policies. Adjt. Gen. Boardman, who Is directing the work of relief, wires that it is progressing rapidly. 'The governor is active in the work of getting aid.