Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-09-04
Fo- the SPECTATOR.
Letter from Nebraska.
CROPS, VIOLENT STORMS, LIGHTNING, HAIL,
Loss OF LIFE, &C.
SUNLIGHT, NEBRASKA, !
August 22nd, 1888.

Ed. Spectator =
If you Will give us space in the columns
OF your valuable paper, we will send you a
few lines from Nebraska. The Summer is
drawing to close, and with it the storms.
we hope. We have had very wet season,
and crops were backward, owing to the
lateness OF the season, corn in good ma
ny places having been planted the 2nd and
3rd time, but crops turned out better than
anticipated and, from the looks of the corn
crop now, we viii have pretty fair crop,
provided we do not have frost too early.
Where the late hail-storm struck there will
be no crops. The wheat and oats crops are
good, generally speaking. There is a good
deal OF OLD corn il the country yet and
some are holding their corn to see what the
prospect of next crop will be, and some are
selling off the cid corn. Corn is worth 80
cents per bushel, wheat rs to so cents per
bushel, oats cents per bushel Farmers
here make more money raising hogs than
anything else. Hogs are now worth S4.35
cents per hundred pounds. A short time
ago they were up as high as and Z cents.
| The Western States have experienced great
| devastation, and losses from hail-storms.
cyclones, and tornadoes during the past
Simmer. We will give you description
of the hail storm we had here last month.
The 18th of July this county was visited by
the most destructive hail-stormN ever seen
in this section. The storm came from the
Northwest and was accompanied by a
heavy wind. Louisville was directly in its
tract, and suffered considerable damage
from broken windows, &C. This is true
of every farmhouse in its tract, and not
only were windows broken out, but shin
giles were torn from the houses, in many
instances, the heavy stones crushing en-
tirely through the roofs. For a number
of miles crops of all kinds, gardens etc.
were beaten off short at the surface of the
ground and pounded and threshed into
fragments, leaving fields, which had few
moments before been covered with the |
most promising crops, as bare of growing
vegetation as the road. Fruit trees were
stripped bare, 1t is estimated that the loss
in this county will be half million of dol |
lars. A good many people were caught out |
in the storm and severely injured. One |
man was found with his head literally beat |
into jelly. The hair could be lifted from his |
head. A great many horses were killed and |
good many had their eyes knocked out
Some farmers who were in the track of the
storm were entirely ruined, had everything |
in the world destroyed. Hail stones fell |
that measured 10 inches in circumference
and the heavy wind that prevailed at the |
time made the destruction terrible in the
extreme
There has also been great destruction by
lightning. We had On electric storm Sat
urday, August 18th, the like of which was
never seen in this country. Several people
were killed, and the loss of stock, barns,
&C., was considerable. The destruction,
by lightning, of life and property, is be-
coming alarmingly frequent in Nebraska
There has been great emigration all Sum-
mer, and the Northern and Western part
of Nebraska is being settled up very rap
idly. Yours truly,
G. HILDEBRAND.