The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-08-07
Estimated Damage in the
Storm-swept Area Close
to a Million Dollars
VICTIMS REPORTED
TO BE RECOVERING
Loss in LaMoure and Ran
som Counties Placed at
$780, 00-Plowing

the west has again cropped out anC
is shown in the manner by which the
farmers of LaMoure, Mcintosh
Sergeant and Ransom counties have
gripped the situation and who ar
today planning new homes and
structures and at work in their fields
with new and brighter hopes for mex
year. Many whose crops were dam
aged have started blowing.
Place Damage at 100000.
Latest. figures place the damage
done by the miniature tornado which
swept the southwestern part of the
state late Saturday afternoon, a week
ago, at 100000. In the LaMoure dis
trict the losses are expected to tota
100000. Lisbon reports a loss OF
100000 in Ransom county, Ashley
in Mcintosh county, $150,00O, and
Minor in Sergeant county at $780,
900.
Crops that were not damaged by
the severe wind storm which crushed
buildings were destroyed by hail. Ir
Sergeant county a strip fifty miles
long and five miles wide was hit by
the destructible gale. At Lisbon a
number of people were bathing at the
beach and barely reached safety be-
fore the worst Of the storm was upon
them. Many were returning by auto
mobiles from lakewood. one of the
popular summer resorts of the south
western part of the state, and took
refuge wherever it could be found.
Injured Boy Recovering.
The condition of Robert Fahlsing,
nine year-old son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Fred Fahlsing of Lisbon, caught I'M
der timbers of barn blown down by
the storm, still remains serious, al
though physicians hold hope that he
may recover without the loss of his
leg. Alvin Miller, living 8 miles east
of Lisbon. had a narrow escape from
death when the barn on his farm was
crushed. Miller was milking a cow
at the time when the walls of the
barn were blown in. For some time
he was pinned under the debris and
1t was with considerable difficulty
that he extricated himself.
Italy Made Happy.
Italians working in the ruins, of the
Monarch elevator wrecked by the
some outsider had seGreted under a
part of the shed. ..--...
For an hour afterwards Italy was
happy and celebrating. The case of
Mrs. Boland, a widow, at Lisbon. is
a sad one. Herself and eight chill
dren had to seek the cellar of their
home and came near drowning from
the floor waters which extended to
their waists. She lost everything
clothing, house and crop. u.
The storm visited the skunks on
the skunk farm near Lisbon and
while the buildings were wrecked, not
one Of the animals was killed.
Ashley District Hit.
Belated reports from Ashley indi-
cate that about 100 buildings, includ-
ing barns, sheds, granaries, chicken
eoops, and hog houses were laid in
ruins. Many windmills were leveled
and binders and farm machinery
twisted into a mass of wreckage
which make it worthless just at a
time of the year when it was being
hauled out of the sheds for use in the
harvest fields. Ashley reports that
the storm like others which have hit
portions of the United States cut up
the usual capers. At one farm a
barn gate was torn from its hinges,
while a tin cup on box near a we'll
close by was not blown off. In one
place a post was pulled out of the
ground and a milk can standing by
1t was not even moved.
LaMoure reports that the storm
followed an oppressive day and that
during the early part OF the after
noon the temperature rose to 112 and
ia degrees in the shade, according
to unofficial readings. A stiff wind
blew from the south, which was like
a continuous blast from a furnace.
Farmers had to suspend work in the
fields and in doing so took their
horses. to the stables, rather than
turn them out in the pastures in the
heat of the scorehing sun. Grass and
even the leaves of the trees began to
wither and curl The air seemed
charged with on1inous portent.
Horizon Becomes Black.
Very suddenly about o'clock the
wind arose with gusty mutters and
the horizon grew black with dense
clouds of dust. Then the storm
broke. Rain fell in gusty sheets, and
occasional hailstones sounded like
pistol shots. The first fury of the
storm seemed spent in 20 minutes,
the rain continued longer.
BY $3.50 o'clock the atmosphere be-
gan to clear and from the rural dis
tricts began to emanate reports of
the destruction wrought by the after
noon visitor, the worst ever known in
that part of the state.
On the Downing farm near La
Moure the big, new S0-foot barn was
a total wreck, piled topsy-turvy. Over
twenty horses and mules were in the
barn at the time. That they were all
saved alive seems miraculous. A
row Of wagons stood along the cast \
side Of the barn and the down falling
walls were upheld by the wagons,
leaving barely room for the horses to |
lie upon their sides. Men with ropes
pulled them out head first from each |
side Of the barn. The loss alone on
the Downing farm will reach $4,000 |
Best Horse Killed.
At the Henry Neverman farm OH
the outskirts of LaMoure, the horse |
barn a0x80 was completely wrecked |
and the wreckage strewn for a couple |
of yards. The side wallis |
were pushed apart, letting the hay |
which filled the NOW drop down upon /
The ground. The fan killed Mr.. |
NeVerman's best and biggest work |
horse. Another horse was rescued |
by the farm hands, who had to dig /
the debris away in order to get the
animal out.
The double barn on the Carl Never
nan place was completely ruined and /
twisted from its foundation. Some
porkers were killed by
.alllng jumpers.
Hit Verona Village First.
Details which have reached the
Inherent cities in the storm swept /
area indicate that the visitor hit |
Verona, about 2s miles west of Lis
BON first and moved eastward along
he Northern Pacific railroad over
1nglevale. Elliott, Lisbon and as far
sast as the sand hills about fourteen
miles northeast of Minor. At Enele-
vale many buildings were wrecked
Ind damaged and the crop loss is
total as none Of the farms in the /
path of the storm carried insurance
At Elliott two elevators were 4
blown down. The width of the hall /
storm in that section was about two
niles. At Lisbon box cars were over