ABERCROMBIE, Aug. 16.—A tornado of great fury struck this place last evening, at 6:40, coming from the north and northwest. The storm was accompanied by rain, which came in torrents, and was lashed into foam as it struck the ground. The first damage done was the unroofing of the blacksmith shop, located in the northwestern part of the village.

THE MOST SERIOUS DAMAGE DONE

is the complete destruction of the new Congregational church,{and the} Fargo Southern depot. This building is nothing but a mass of kindling wood, and parts of it are scattered as far as McCauleyville, one mile east. W. M. Hobson, proprietor of the restaurant, sought refuge in the church and came near losing his life by its collapse. His escape is miraculous. Julius Hallum, in attempting to cross the street to his store with his baby in his arms, was lifted off his feet and the baby carried some twenty feet and let down without a scratch. Eye witnesses say that the air was filled with boards, bricks and bundles of wheat. The whole heavens were a solid mass of yellow.

Jamestown Weekly Alert, 8/19/1886