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Large Barn Partly Wrecked, Porch, Windmills and Trees Blown Down, Monday Evening.
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HEAVY RAIN AND WIND IN CITY AND VICINITY
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Many Local Telephones and Rural Lines Put
Out of Commission
Other Damage Done.
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New Ulm and vicinity was visited by a heavy rain and wind storm, which set in shortly after 6 o'clock, Monday evening, and continued for about half an hour. Fortunately there was no hail, so that the damage to growing crops, except grain in the ripening stage, was comparatively slight. The total precipitation was 1.45 inches, according to Alex. L. Henle, local voluntary weather observer.
Twister in Courtland.
A strip of land, about a half a mile wide and from 4 to 5 miles long in Courtland township, across the Minnesota river from New Ulm, was swept by a twister that did considerable damage to buildings, windmills and trees. The cyclonic wind was accompanied by a deluge of rain, but no hail.
Barn Partly Wrecked.
The large barn on the Albert W. Havemeier farm (Old Henry Schilling place) was partly wrecked by the storm. The structure was moved several inches, and the roof and wall on the west side were pushed in. The foundation wall was also damaged. The barn is about 34 x70 feet in size. The damage is fully covered by insurance. Other havoc wrought by the storm included tearing off the porch of the John Friederich home, uprooting and breaking off large oak trees along the bottom road, damage to fruit and shade trees, etc. Several windmills were also blown down, among them being the one on the George Becker farm, where a number of hay racks were tipped over and smashed.
No Other Damage.
While the rain and wind was quite general in this vicinity, Monday evening, no extraordinary damage to farm structures were reported from other sections. It seems the cyclonic wind was confined to the above-mentioned strip of land in Courtland township
Many Phones Out.
The "trouble shooters" of the New Ulm Rural Telephone Co. of this city were confronted with a Herculean task, Tuesday morning, as no less than 321 city phones and 30 rural lines, including the Cambria toll line,were reported out of commission as a result of damage done by the heavy wind and rain. This damage was practically on a parity with that done by the terrific hail and rain storm of June 13, when 40 rural lines and 281 city phones were disabled. The first serious interruption in telephone service, caused by the elements, this season, resulted from the storm which swept over this section, June 2. At that time, 140 city phones and 11 rural lines were out.
Disabled Rural Lines.
The 30 rural and toll lines put out of commission during the storm on Monday evening were the following: Lines 4, 5 and 6, Sigel township; 7, Courtland village; 8,9,10,14,34,35,43 and 44, Courtland township; 11 and 28, Cottonwood township; 12, Lafayette and West Newton townships; 13 and 31, Lafayette townships;15,Essig;16,17, 18, 27 and 42, Milford township; 20,West Newton township; 21, St. George and West Newton township; 24, Lafayette and Brighton townships; 29, Searles, 36, Klossner, Lafayette, Bernadotte and Brighton townships; 41, Cottonwood and Cambria townships, and 50, Cambria village toll line. In some instances, the trouble was slight and the linemen were able to clear it up in short order, while in other cases pole lines were blown down, which required longer time for repairs.
Storm's Prank at Klossner.
During the heavy rain and windstorm at Klossner, an empty stock car was lifted off of the Minneapolis & St. Louis railway tracks, near the depot. No other damage was reported from that vicinity, except such as was done to the corn.
Three Light Poles Down.
The city's electric pole lines and street arcs withstood the storm remarkably well, considering the velocity of the wind. Only three electric light poles were blown down,namely, on South Minnesota street, in the vicinity of the Joseph Bianchi home, in the alley between South State and South Washington streets, respectively. In some portions of the city the electric lights were out for brief periods during the storm, but no serious damage resulted.
Elevator Roof Damaged.
Part of the roof of the New Ulm Roller Mill Co. elevator here was torn off by the wind. A strip of heavy tin roofing, 10 feet wide and some 20 feet long, was ripped away, but, fortunately, the roof boards beneath it were sufficiently tight to prevent the interior of the structure from being deluged with water. The damaged roof was repaired, Wednesday.
A boxelder tree, some two feet in diameter, standing in the yard in the rear of the A. O. Olson home on South Minnesota street, split in two at a crotch and part of the tree was blown down by the high wind, barely scraping the Olson house. Had it fallen onto the rear porch, it no doubt would have done considerable damage, as it was a massive tree, yielding nearly a cord of fire wood. Part of the fallen portion obstructed the rear porch entrance, and some of the branches had to be cut away before the door could be opened. Mr. and Mrs. Olson consider themselves fortunate in having so narrowly escaped what might have been severe damage to their home. A number of good sized trees in other sections of the city were also blown down by the high wind, but so far as has been reported,no damage resulted.
Brown County Journal,
July 17 1925
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