Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-07-23

| NoAA"y ohbSAhooh aS apoub 4 " ClOCr
a wind, rain and hail storm swep,
over the west portion of Audubon
county from the north part of Lincoln
to the south part of Oakfield town.
ship, totally destroying much and
badly damaging much more of the
crops in that part of the county. The
loss will likely foot up $500, 10000.
Monday came as a perfect day. The
sky was clear and the wind was gentle
and mild as passing zephyr. The
waving grain, nodding their ripening
heads in the breeze, promised boun-
tiful harvest to the busy farmer who
would be ready soon to cast his sickle
in. The timothy and clover fields
were fairly rolling in the fairness OF
heavy swaths and the corn was hump
ing itself and fast redeeming the poor
prospects of the earlier part of the
season. The husbandman was happy
with such a view of the rewards of his
toll. The crop was almost secure.
Then came the storm.
The sky thickened little in the
north just after dinner. BY three
o'clock dark cloud gathered and by
four O'Clock the black columns of the
storm tumbled over each other as. the
currents of air battled together in the
front of the storm. Then it broke on
the north part of Lincoln township
and in thirty minutes 5000, 900 worth
of growing crops in Audubon county
was laid waste.
The west half of Lincoln, perhaps a
little more than the west half of Doug
las, practically all of Sharon, little
of the west edge of Hamlin and almost
all of Oaktield townships were swept
over by the wind and hail. The small
grain and the corn on this large Sec
ton was mostly destroyed. A little
barley was in shock. Even it was
damaged, being beaten off. The wheat
and oats, out in head and some of it
ripening, was broken off, the straws
broken, the heads and straws pounded
into the ground. The corn, varying
from about two feet in height to the
size when it tassels, was mostly brok-
en- or cut off near the ground. The
timothy and clover was whipped and
pounded into the ground and left lying
bruised and fiat. Even some of the
pastures were greatly damaged, the
grass being cut off and pounded into
the earth so few weeks will have to
pass before it can yield its usual pas,
turage.
1t is impossible to even give a list
of the chief losers. In Lincoln town.
ship Sam Garmire lost most of his
crop, but his farm, which is one mile
south of Lincoln center, was close to
the east edge of the storm. His son.
in-law, Ed Newell, was badly used.
Sparks Baker lost most of his crop,
as also did F. r. Mclaughlin, Frank
Hoffman, Aug. Porsch, Carl Dude
and others.
In Douglas township A. III. Edwards
lost heavily, but not entirely, his farm
marking about the east edge of the
storm. Nat McFadden, Hi Menden.
hall, L. J. Anderson, Somers Bros,
Cooney Miller, Pete Roth, J. A. Hum
iston and Fred Johnson were among
the heavy losers, but these are only
a few of them. The storm which was
only about two miles wide in the north
of Lincoln, gradually widened until
when near Che north part of Douglas
it seemed to separate and almost skip
ped the farms of August Rachel, d.
G. Ross, Reeoe Dickey, Harvey Hight
and A. Fl. Hansen. 1t came together
again below them, however, and from
there reached over into Shelby county,
sweeping a strip in the two counties
about ten miles wide until below Elk
Horn when it narrowed little again.
Marine was on the west edge and At
lantic near the middle. The wind was
more violent in Atlantic than in Au-
dubon county, several buildings being
damaged there. The wind was very
heavy west of Kimballton. Eskel
Petersen, mile north of Jackson
vile, had his house, barn and other
buildings destroyed. Peter Solomon,
two miles west of Kimballton lost his
barn, corn crib, etc. The school
house one mile north and two west of
Kimballton and the Advent church
one mile north of Jacksonville, were
destroyed. Below Elk Horn. several
barns were damaged.
Sharon township was almost cover
ed by the storm and the destruction
was great. Our Poplar correspond
ent tells of several losers in that
neighborhood. We guess few, if any,
in Sharon township escaped bad dam
age or destruction of crops. The
storm here edged over onto Hamlin a
little. Oakfield township was almost
all covered by the storm, except a
small part of the east portion. The
destruction of crops down there and