Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1919-07-03

y After the Tornado Of June q.
less, and those whose homes have
been wrecked are virtually without
clothing or supplies of any nature.
Everything in the ruined homes was
destroyed. 1t is pitiful sight to
see people searching the ruins Of their
homes for things that might have
escaped the elements. Their search In
most instances is an unsuccessful one.
A revised estimate by the committee
now places the loss ut between $3,-
100000 and $4,000,00O. G5@
Anderson Heads Relief. 500.
Funds and provisions designed for
relief Of the stricken city are to be
sent to A. G. Anderson, who has been
designated to take charge of this part
of the work. The committee, desig-
mated by Governor Burnquist, includes
Elmer E. Adams, A. G. Anderson, e. J.
Evans, G. r. Wright and f. E. Hodg-
son. The committee is responsible
one and its appeals for help and state
ments Of the city's needs may be taken
at face value. The requested assist
ance should come freely and at once.
Personal Instances Of Loss.
Most intensely interesting, could
they be known, would be many Of the
stories Of personal suffering and loss.
Like all casualties from the elements,
the work Of the storm showed won
drous freaks of ruthlessness or for
bearance. The story of small house
sheltering a family Of four is typical
Of what may happen. There is not a
vestige Of the house, yet every mem
Der Of the family was left within a
few yards Of where the building stood
before it collapsed and started upon
its wild ascent.
Buys Hotel-Results In Death.
Most personal experiences within
the storm area were not so fortunate
for those concerned. The death of
George Woodhouse, owner, of the
Grand hotel,-is case in point. He
had just repurchased the building and
business after temporary sale, and
had returned to Fergus Falls and re-
sumed the management not thirty
minutes before the storm broke. With
him in the building, besides many
others seeking shelter, was A. F.
Brandenburg, president Of a local
bank, who had stopped to call. The
body of Mr.. Woodhouse has been re-
covered, and there can be no doubt of
the bankers death. Most distressful
in its revelations of fatalities has been
the mass of debris which forms all
that is left of this $4,000 hotel. It's
welcoming portals had proved an al
Turing place of refuge from the gale
but the veneered brick walls Of the
building rendered it only dangerous
trap.
Wrecks Great Northern Train.
An interesting sidelight Of the storm
news is the group of stories told by
eyewitnesses of the tornado as 1t ap-
preached. It is said that among the
hundreds of hurricanes which have
dotted history and devastated towns,
that Of Sunday afternoon at Fergus
Falls is perhaps unique in that it was
not one tornado merely, but the cul-
minati0n Of three which sucked to-
gether' into one mighty blast at the
very instant that they struck the city.
Perhaps no more powerful vortex of
the elements has ever been known.
Distinctly seen by many people just
outside its path, the nature of its
course is clearly agreed. The three
cyclonic storms approached from diff
ferent angles, bearing in q southerly
direction from the north and west.
One Of these struck and wrecked
Great Northern train No. several
miles out of town, and the freakish-
ness of Its action is most remarkable
in that it tore one car completely loose
from the train, derailed the rest, lifted
them from their trucks and deposited
them upon the ground without serious
injury to any Of the scores Of persons
on board. ~
Roar Of Storms browns Other Sounds.
The ominous roar Of the storm as 1t
merged together in tripled fury is a
memory never. to be forgotten. Be-
side its heavy tones the noise Of wrack
and wreckage Of buildings passed un.l
hear1. For an hour prior to the COM
ing Of the fnnnel-shaped clouds there
had been a continuous crash Of thun-
der, and when the wind storm finally
unleashed its forces, q spectator Ia
said to have described It as "like a
hundred automobiles, driving at in
tense speed with open mun1ers." The
sound and sight 10 one that no on.
locker win ever erase from mind. !.