Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-08-01
"A Widespread Destruction of Standing Grain
% Thruout the Southwestern Part Of
Kandiyohi County.
ADJOINING COUNTIES ALSO SUFFER

The most destructive storm that ever
visited this county since its settlement
broke over this neighborhood last
Friday afternoon. In one short hour
the buoyant hopes of splendid har-
vest that the farmers and business
men had entertained since the rainy
season closed were totally wiped out.
Hundreds of farmers saw their labors
of q year made in vain by the fury of
the elements. Thousands Of acres of
grain were totally devastated and all
fields in the zone of the storm were
more or less damaged.
The day had been sultry one, with
heavy clouds floating around in the
northwest. About IL rec O'Clock in the
afternoon these clouds began tQ.s loom
larger and heavier and in a little
while the whole sky was overcast with
masses of clouds with, a dull copper
tinge on their edges. The air was
very oppressive, and it was plain that
something unusual was approaching.
Then came gentle rain for about
twenty minutes, and then the storm
broke suddenly loose in all it's fury.
The wind was very strong, rain was
coming down in torrents, and then
came the worst of all-afusilade Of
large hail stones lasting about an
hour. 1t was plain that any crop in
the path of that hailstorm would be
wiped out, and the only question was
how wide territory had the storm
covered. Reports soon made it plain
that not only in intensity but also in
extent this storm had exceeded any
thing of the kind ever seen here.
The storm seems to have visited all
the western part of the state, and parts
of North Dakota, but was of an inter-
mittent character. The part that
struck this county began somewhere
x westaof Kerkhoven in Swift county,
swept eastward thru towns of Mamre,
st. Johns and Dovre, then turned
more to the south and continued thru
towns of Willmar, Whitefeld, por-
tions of Kandiyohi, Fahlun, Lake
Elizabeth, Lake Lillian, East Lake
Lillian and thence into Renville coun-
ty, where reports Of extensive damage
have been received from Blu alo Lake,
Bird Island and Olivia. Another
streak seems to have gone thru Ed
wards, Holland and Roseland. The
destructiveness of the storm varied
: greatly in different parts of its course.
In some places there was no hail, but
great damage was done to the crops
by the heavy wind and rain. The
grain was badly lodged and twisted.
Part of this may rise again, but the
heaviest grain will remain lodged and
tho it may be cut one way it is we'll
known that grain lodged before it is
ripe will not ripen and fill out we'll.
The area of total destruction in
cludes the southwestern part of Nam
re, northern and eastern parts of ST..
Johns, southern part of Dovre, al
most all of town of Willmar, great
part of Whitefeld and portions of
Fahlun. In this belt the grain is so
we'll battered down that no attempt at
harvesting will be made. Corn is al
so destroyed, the leaves being torn
off, the stalks badly battered and bent
down so as to tear up the roots on the
north side. In other portions of the
course of the storm there was less of
hail, but in some places the wind
seems to have reached the proper
tions of a hurricane. The silos on
the Eddy farm and the Pinney farm in
Whitefeld were blown down. South
!: of Fox Lake barns and other farm
bull dings were blown down.
+: = North of the main storm some dam
age was done by the rain lodging the
!. heaviest grain, but the damage there
Z Is only slight.
r.: The fall of hail was something en-
tirely unprecedented. The wind hurled
1T into big drifts in bitches and shelf
( erred places. Parties coming into
&&Willmar the following day reported
seeing large piles of hail in bitches at
s ten O'Clock in the morning of that day.
i The hailstones we're about the size OF
% walnuts. A great number of window
+ panes were broken.
-; It is impossible at this time to make
anything like an accurate estimate OF
the damage done. Outside the area
( OF total destruction the damage can
/ not be estimated until after harvest.
/: n. Most of the district affected had a
very promising crop, some of it the
best seen here for many years, and
the crop in the entire district would
sH Hhaye.2Saveraged between q fifteen. and
u twenty bushels to. the acre. If it had
ssripened properly. It IS q sad blow to
5SS$ III the farmers to see this promise OF
SS good reward for their patient toll thus
NJ sndd denly withd drawn. Some of them
Ss are renters who had gone into. debt
Tor machinery and zsto and who are
thus lett with,outtl h 's = of sup: