Total of 140 Telephones Out

of Order in City. Number

of Rural Lines Also Out.

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STORM CAUSED DAMAGE TO ELECTRIC LIGHT LINES

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Heavy Storm Hits Hennepin County- Two Killed and Num ber Are Injured. Rainfall 1.45 Inches.

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The first heavy rainfall of the sea-son struck New Ulm and vicinity about six o’clock Tuesday evening. The water came down in torrents for nearly an hour. The total precipitation was 1.45 inches. The fall was accompanied by considerable wind, which caused damage to the telephone lines in this city and vicinity, as well as to the electric light lines. Crews of trouble shooters were out as soon as the storm was over making repairs. Most of the trouble on the electric light lines was taken care of that same evening. What remained1 was cleared up the following day. Branches fell across several primary lines in different parts of the city and caused damage to electric light lines. Two transformers on North Minnesota street burned out and service was therefore discontinued on the west side of Minnesota street and the east side of Broadway from Fifth to Thirteenth North streets.

140 Phones Out

A total of 140 phones were out in the city of New Ulm and the trouble shooters were busily engaged Thursday getting service in shape. By noon yesterday thirty-seven cases of trouble had been remedied. The greater part of the trouble in the city came from water-soaked cables. The heavy rain beat in crevices of the cables and caused the damage.

Four cables of various sizes were water-soaked.

Rural Districts

Lines 4, 47 and 38 in Sigel town-ship were put out by a tree blowing across the lead on the Manderfeld hill. This was cleared by 10 o’clock Wednesday morning and the phones were working.

Lines 8, 26 and 44 were out of order in Courtland, as was 20 in West Newton, 16,23 and 42 supplying Milford and Essig. Lines 1 and 11 on the Fortwengler hill were also down, because of a tree blown across them.

Manager L. A. Mills stated yesterday that he anticipated all trouble would be cleared up by tomorrow morning.

Monday evening the nigh wind blew down several electric light poles near the Loretto hospital precipitating three transformers to the earth and putting the service out of commission at that institution for several hours. Damage to lines and fuses blowing out materially affected the service in different portions of the city.

The heavy blows of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings damaged numerous trees in different parts of the city.

The storm of Tuesday evening assumed tornado proportions in Hennepin and Carver counties. Seven are dead and scores are injured. The dead are, John Elinickey and Mrs. Anna Pohlmann, Minneapolis; Mrs. E. Thorpe, Verle Johnson, Miss Pristine Nelson, Carver; John Anderson, Russell, and A. S. Bjaaland, Blair,Wis.

The storm was heaviest in the outskirts of Minneapolis, Hopkins, Carver and at Chaska, where damage estimated at between $2,000,000 and $3,000,000, was caused by the twister.

Brown County Journal,

June 5, 1925