New Richmond Tornado
Ruins of the town's Methodist Church following this deadly tornado. Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations
Date of tornado:	June 12, 1899
Time:	6:00 PM CST
Rating of tornado:	Unknown strength tornado
Damages:	$300,000 (1899 USD), $7 million (2005 USD)
Fatalities:	117
Area affected:	West-central Wisconsin

The New Richmond Tornado was an unprecedented disaster in the northern Great Plains. Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Year 1899 ( MDCCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Central Time Zone observes Standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC during standard time ( UTC−6) and five hours during Daylight saving The Fujita scale ( F-Scale) or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating Tornado intensity based on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States The Great Plains are the broad expanse of Prairie and Steppe which lie east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada It nearly destroyed the village of New Richmond, Wisconsin on June 12, 1899, killing 117 and injuring 125 people. New Richmond is a city in St Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Year 1899 ( MDCCCXCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common More than $300,000 ($7 million 2005 USD) in damage was reported. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been ^[1][2]

Synopsis

June 12 was the day of the Gollmar Brothers Circus, drawing hundreds of visitors in addition to the bustling town's 2500 inhabitants. Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. A circus is most commonly a traveling company of performers that may include acrobats, Clowns trained animals trapeze acts Hoopers, tightrope walkers Around 3 pm, clouds began to build, and the sky became quite dark. As the circus ended for the day around 4:30, a heavy rain, with some hail, began to fall. Hail is a form of precipitation which consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice (hailstones The rain let up around 5:00, and people began to head home for the day. By 6:00, the streets of New Richmond were full of tourists, travelers, and residents alike. ^[3]

Meanwhile, the tornado began as a waterspout on Lake St. Croix, about 15 miles (24. Lake St Croix Beach is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. 1 km) southwest of New Richmond, at around 5:30. It began as a boiling cloud, which seemed to skirt the hills to the east of Lake St. Croix, and then head straight for New Richmond. Passing over mostly open country, it destroyed several farm buildings near Burkhardt and Boardman as it traveled northeast. Three people were killed there. ^[3][1]

There was little or no warning in New Richmond. Within minutes, homes and businesses were splintered and torn from their foundations, flying debris filled the air, and people were swept to their deaths. The tornado was completely illuminated by lightning, so everyone in town saw the vortex approach. Some barely had time to scramble for shelter in storm cellars, but many were caught in the streets. Some who did take refuge found it was not enough. Many people ran into the O. J. Williams dry goods store, which turned out to be a death trap. The store was swept away, and the people taking shelter in the basement were pelted to death by flying bricks and timbers. ^[3][1]

Most people who could not find shelter were killed. Debris of all sorts flew through the air at tremendous speeds. A 3,000 pound safe was flung a block from its original location. Trees and timbers were hurled "like javelins" through the air, and the intense winds swept people up and threw them against walls or the ground. The pilum (plural pila) was a heavy javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times ^[3]

After the tornado left town, another storm with strong winds swept through, sending people back into their shelters. It is likely that some died in fires while potential help was hiding from the possibility of another tornado. ^[3]

Aftermath

All but the extreme west end of the town was obliterated by the tornado and subsequent fires. More than 500 buildings were destroyed, and the only significant surviving structures were the Catholic and Baptist churches. The town's electrical plant and water facilities were destroyed, so fires ran rampant through the scattered debris. Many bodies found in the aftermath were burnt beyond recognition—it was impossible to tell if they died from the tornado or from being trapped and burned alive. ^[3]

Twenty-six families experienced multiple deaths, and six reported 4 or more deaths in the family. After order was restored, authorities determined that a total of 117 people had been killed (114 in the village) and more than 200 injured. This is the 8th highest death toll for any single tornado in American history. ^[1]

The town was so completely damaged, the town had to be essentially rebuilt. Damage claims exceeded $300,000 ($7 million in 2006 USD), however, it may have been as high as $600,000 ($14 million 2006 USD). The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been ^[3][4]

Panoramic view of the damage the day after the storm. In its most general sense a panorama is any wide view of a physical space

See also

• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks

References