The greatest destruction caused to the city by the tornado was to the town's business district, a three-block stretch of Main Street between First and Fourth Street lined with stores, offices and tenements built of brick and stone. Because of the direction the storm had approached the city from and the angle at which it entered the city, the tornado virtually swallowed the entire business district. It was here that a large majority of the fatalities occurred, as many of those who thought they would be safe within the confines of the reinforced structures were killed by cascades of falling debris as the buildings on Main Street were swept away. A 1.5-ton safe from the city bank was thrown a full block away. Probably one of the greatest demonstrations of the tornado's strength was seen at the Nicollet Hotel, a newly constructed three-story brick building located adjacent to the Willow River. The tornado swept the building clean down to the foundation, killing at least five people. Almost simultaneously, the town's Methodist Church was completely obliterated, the only remnant being the 1.1-ton cast iron bell, which was found nearly 200 feet from the church foundation. As the tornado cleared Main Street, it tore the iron-frame bridge spanning the Willow River from its fitting and onto the adjacent riverbank in a twisted heap. The City Hall was completely flattened, the adjacent water tower sent toppling to the northeast and dumping its contents into First Street and transforming it into a muddy deluge. The tornado then moved into the east side of New Richmond, where many of the city's working class residents lived. As many as forty homes in this neighborhood were completely obliterated, leaving the neighborhood virtually unrecognizable. Within a period of roughly seven to ten minutes, over half of New Richmond was laid to ruins.