still strong enough to cause a considerable amount of damage to the town. Aftermath Because the storm had blown down telegraph lines in the area, two riders immediately set off for Roberts, ten miles to the south, and sent messages into St. Paul with news of the tornado. Altogether, the tornado and the subsequent fires that raged throughout the following night destroyed the entire business district along with more than half the residences in town, which combined added up to more than 300 buildings. The only significant surviving structures were the Lumber and Roller Mills located on the banks of the Willow River, the latter of which was narrowly missed by the tornado, the town's public school and the Catholic Church, which acted as either makeshift shelters or morgues. Only the extreme northwestern and southeastern portions of the city were spared. 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. In the days after the tornado, the list of those killed in the tornado gradually grew, as several who had been injured later died in various St. Paul hospitals. On June 22, 57-year-old Ward Gould died from complications caused by internal injuries sustained in the storm, officially bringing the death toll to 117; four at Boardman, two in Polk County, and the remainder in the vicinity of New Richmond, including five victims who were never identified. 66 were residents of New Richmond, another 31 had resided in the adjacent townships of Richmond, Stanton and Erin Prairie, and the remainder were mostly from other communities nearby, such as Hudson, Stillwater, Star Prairie, Baldwin and Glenwood City. Among the dead were 26 children under the age of 16, including a 10-year-old boy whose body was never found. The town was so damaged that it had to be essentially rebuilt. Damage claims exceeded $300,000 ($7 million in 2006 dollars), however, damages may have been as high as $600,000 ($14 million in 2006 dollars). Historical significance The tornado that struck New Richmond is estimated to be an F5 on the original Fujita scale, and would today be categorized an EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, with winds in excess of 200 miles per hour, making it the third