Biwabik & Pine Lake, Minnesota Tornado
October 7, 1900
TERRIBLE TORNADO IN MINNESOTA
Biwabik, Minn., Oct. 7. --- The tornado
which raged in this vicinity last evening was
most violent. The storm cut a pathway 150 feet
in width through the northwestern corner of the
town, completely wrecking several buildings. The
property loss is estimated at from $75,000 to
$100,000, and the known fatalities number nine,
with a score or more injured, some severely,
others only slightly.
The storm swept in a northwesterly direction
after leaving here and struck a little Flemish
settlement near Pike Lake, where a number of
buildings were wrecked, in one of which an
entire family, consisting of husband, wife and
four children, were instantly killed. So far
their names have not been obtained. It is
believed when the more remote districts are
heard from, further casualties may be reported.
The list of casualties so far learned is:
Killed --- MR. And MRS.
MAROWITZ, WILLIAM HILSTROM and a
family of six, near Pike Lake; names are not
known.
The severely injured are:
ANDREW ANDERSON,
a locomotive fireman, severely scalded;
will recover.
F. MURRAY, engineer, severely scalded
and otherwise injured; will recover.
ANDREW DEBBO, laborer, severe scalp
wounds; will recover.
JOHN MORRISTON, foot badly crushed.
About twenty-five others more or less
severely cut and bruised.
The house in which the
MAROWITZ family lives was
completely wrecked, and the body of
MRS. MAROWITZ was found fully 400
feet away, every bone in her body being broken
and her clothing completely stripped off. The
body of her husband was found amid the debris of
their home, horribly mutilated.
WILLIAM HILSTROM
was struck on the head by a falling tree
and his skull crushed. He afterward died at the
hospital.
The engine house of the Duluth, Mesaha &
Northern railway was completely wrecked and a
number of locomotives and cars were shifted from
the tracks and pounded into scrap iron.
The engine on which
MURRAY and
ANDERSON were when the storm broke,
was blown from the track and the men were pinned
beneath it and horribly burned by the escaping
steam. Other men at work near them had narrow
escapes. Several cars blown from the tracks were
found in the Duluth mine pit, hundreds of feet
away. Many of the buildings destroyed were owned
by the mining companies and tenanted by their
employees. The shaft house and buildings of
three mines were reduced to kindling wood.
The tornado, which lasted less than five
minutes, was preceded by an unusually severe
thunder and rain storm. The rain has flooded
many of the open pit mines and they cannot be
operated for some time.
Glenwood Post Colorado 1900-10-13
Submitted & transcribed by Stu
Beitler Thank you,
Stu!
 Search
for more information on the Biwabak & Pine Lake Tornado
and other disasters in the Historic
Newspapers Collection. The number of
newspapers on line has recently doubled - search
over 1000 different newspapers. Use this
Free trial to search for your ancestors.
Search for ancestors in
Biwabik & Pine Lake, MN among billions of names at ancestry.com. Use this
Free trial to search for your ancestors.
Minnesota Census
1835-90
Use this
Free trial to search for your ancestors.
| 
