The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-06-26
From Monday, narlx.

From Mondays Daily.
my son, Frank, and had the de- !
lishtful experience of being pounded
with hail stones for about twenty /
minutes during that terrible storm !
that swept through a part of this
county last Thursday evening"" said |
W. ID. Fleming, house-moyer, 40
Pleasant avenue, In talk with a
Free Press representative today. !
with us was Thomas Hayes. al
farmer Of Vernon Center. He GER
tainly got a good hammering and
was quite dizzy for hours after.
wards.
"On Thursday. we three. started
out to drive, with a team Of horses
and a wagon. from Vernon Center
village to Mr.. Hayes farm. about
two miles northeast of that place. I
had the job Of moving a house for
Mr.. Hayes, and I had my blocking and
tackle loaded on the wagon. II was
about eight o'clock when We started
out We saw the storm coming and
heard the thunder and could see the
lightning in the distance, but We
thought We could get TO the farm
before the storm overlook US, so We
set out to risk II.
We had just driven past the VIII
bur farm, when II began to rain.
We drove on and had reached
Aleck Gray's place, when the storm
struck US. We FASTENED to unhitch
the horses, but had no time to get
them to a place of shelter before
the hail came beating down upon
us. The horses ran into a neighbor-
ing field, but as they could not get
out of the hail. they stopped and
took II.
Pounded on the Head.
81 had a straw hat, which gave
my head some protection, but for
all that got some pretty hard
thumps In the head. remember
one hail stone In particular. that
was about two inches In diameter.
coming down on my skull. We got
what shelter We could by standing
close up to the wagon. There was
not much wind blowing, so the hail
stones came down pretty direct,
Frank had only a cap on his head.
but he managed to get his head
under one of the pieces OF blocking
so that he was pretty safe through
out the storm, but poor Thomas
Hayes got an awful pounding His
straw hat was knocked to pieces.
He put his hand over his head for
protection. Fortunately he had on
heavy glove, or ! believe the hail
stones would have just pounded his
hand to pieces.
During the storm, the air was
| so filed with the hail stones that We
could not see two rods in any direc-
ton. After IL was over, the stones
lay on the ground six inches deep
and near the fences they were a
foot deep. The wheat, oatE and other
small grains that had looked so
nice only a few minutes before. were
all pounded to the ground. The de-
struction was awful.
Cut Hole In the Roof.
Mrs. Gray asked us to go into
the house. You see we did not have
time to get to the house for shelter
before the storm struck US. and that
was why We huddled about the wagon
to get what protection we could from
that. The hail stones had demol-
ished the shingles, and the house was
drenched with water that came pour
ing through the roof.
| I'VE harnessed up our horses, and
drove on to the Hayes farm. There
was a scene of desolation on every
side. Even the next day. we could
see hail stones an inch in diameter,
covering the fields on all sides. II
was very cold.
Il tell you we were a sight when
we reached the Hayes farm house.
We were SO plastered over with mud
from head to foot that no one could
possibly recognize US.
Among the farmers whose crops
were partly or wholly ruined were
Aleck Gray. Thomas Hayes, the
Mertesdorf boys, Charles Fleming.
Bert Merrill, Leslie Cooper. George
Gray and Harry Thompson. The
Hohenstein and Champlin farms also
suffered seriously.
/ Cows Will BE Help.
THE hail storm will prove a seri-
Gus thing for many famers who de-
pended on this years crop to help
them out. Those who have milk cows
are more fortunate than others. for
the sale of milk will be a great
help. The farmers whose small grain
and corn crops were ruined will
Immediately plant corn in the same
fields. II Is not too late for fodder
corn or even for corn to ripen, II
i one gets the Flint seed"