]58 Tornado at St. Cloud, Minnesota— Hall. 



The tornado seems to have had its birth in the Masonic 

 cemetery two miles south of Saint Cloud. East of this cemetery 

 there is a depression with a considerable hill on the other three 

 sides, making, at its foot, a basin. Here among the oak trees, the 

 power of the tornado began to display itself. Trees as thick as a 

 man's body were wrenched nearly square off 15 or 20 feet above 

 the ground. Straight up the hill in a northwest direction the 

 storm moved, leaving a clean track perhaps 100 feet wide. It 

 swept along, tearing its way through timber and across fields, de- 

 molishing a Roman chapel and houses, and killing people on its 

 way. As it entered the city it widened out to 600 feet, and 

 changed its course to due north. More houses were destroyed, 

 many of them utterly obliterated. The Saint Paul, Minneapolis 

 and Manitoba railway freight depot was crushed like an eggshell. 

 Loaded cars of immense weight and coupled together counted as 

 nothing. GO houses were destroyed in Saint Cloud and many 

 people were killed, besides many more injured. 



As the tornado crossed the Mississippi river to enter Sauk 

 Rapids, it seemed to lift the water clear from the bottom, leaving 

 the bed of the river bare. A portion of the bridge across the 

 Mississippi at this point, standing in the course of the storm, was 

 instantly removed, as was a large mill standing near. Court 

 house, school house, stores, the hotel, and dwelling after dwelling 

 all were swept away from the widening path of the tornado. 

 Still going north, and when four miles east of Rice's Station and 

 nine miles from Sauk Rapids, it struck a house where there had 

 just been a marriage; the guests were knee'ing at prayers. With- 

 out warning, nine, including the groom, the officiating; clergyman 

 and his wife were killed, and many more hurt, some of whom have 

 since died. 



Personal experience and incidents cannot here be mentioned; 

 neither can particular instances of the destruction of property be 

 enumerated. The to'al loss of life was over seventy, with many 

 maimed who still survive. At least half a million dollars worth 

 of property was destroyed, most of it belonging to private indi- 

 viduals, and those, too, who could ill afford to lose it. But public 

 generosity has come promptly to their aid. 



Many attendant phenomena could be mentioned, but only a 

 few are selected. One iron safe was carried across the street 

 without touching the ground, and landed on its top; another 



