The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1924-07-17
TORNADO LEAVES
TRAIL OF DOOM
Minnesota Farmers, Stripped BY
Wind of Everything But
Debts, In Sad Need
of Help.


rag trail OF bleak devastation, fifty
five miles in length runs like livid
scar through five Southern Minnesota
counties to mark the pathway of one
or the most violent and disastrous
tornadoes In the history of the West.
Along this trail is the sign of tragic
doom. and the devastation of human
hopes. On the afternoon of Sunday,
June 22nd. a shrieking whirling re-
morseless wind leaped across the
South Dakota tine northwest of Lake
Benton, Minnesota to strike with ter
rtble ferocity and sweep eastward
through Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Cot.
tonwood and Redwood Counties, blast
Ing happy homes, shifting mighty
groves to splinters, pounding crops
to nothingness, wrecking It's will
against impotent civilization, and leay.
ing behind 1t an appalling destruction
or physical beauty, natural wealth and
human opportunity. 1t filled the air
with flying timbers, and tumbling
trees; dumped a hundred lakes upon
poisoning farmlands, wrought it's
havoc in death, in desolation and in
freakish humour. Where it passed a
like a dead wound between hills and
wales Of summer splendour. The ele-
mental fury Of the storm destroyed in
a moment more than million dollars
worth Of property in the shape of farm
buildings, while the damage to crops
cannot be estimated. The situation
cannot be described in words. The
imagination Of the world looks upon
the blasted fields of Flanders as the
final symbol Of destruction. This Min.
nesota cyclone has left It's pathway az
completely denuded and desolate as II
1t had been riddled by the deadliest
machine-gun fire Of the Great War.
A hundred farm homes were blasted.
That these farms should have suffered
a loss of more than one million dol
lars Is in itself terrible blow. That
this should have come at the begin
ming Of harvest-year which held the
hopes Of those who had no hope be.
yond the hope of generous and prof
liable crop, makes the blow the great.
er. That this disaster was visited up
on those already struggling under
burden greater than American farm.
ers have ever had to bear, gives to It
the character Of crushing tragedy.
Before the storm struck, these farm.
ers, like their brothers, were fighting
with their backs against tho wall,
struggling to maintain some semblance
Of optimism against the threatening
shadow Of debt. When the terror of
the storm had passed they gazed
around to find nothing was left them
except the burden of debt Where
mortgages had formerly at least repre-.
sented houses and barns and livestock,
they suddenly represented nothing but
an encumbrance against which no Wis.
IDLE asset could be Offset. The storm
destroyed all possessions save the mort.
cages and the debts.
The storms wreckage covered the
hopes of men who had struggled for
twenty, thirty, forty years-the pho.
neers who had helped to conquer the
toll had been founded banks and cities
and governments, and communities
looking hopefully to the future. These
men rose amid their ruins to behold
receding forever from them the vi.
sions they had of peaceful old age, of
serene contentment in the homes
they had reared. Ten minutes of the
whirlwind blast had smitten past re-
demption the building Of years, the &C.
cumulated evidences of'work and sacri.
flee, and nobly-borne agonies; and men
who had found life's compensation in
the capacity to fight for future sud-
denly found themselves with nothing
left in life save the memory of Fast.
If every citizen of Minnesota could
stand upon the ruins of these farm
homes, and behold the men who try
to smile against their misery, but
whose very souls seem to cry out: 20
GOd-Everything is ended. there
would be wave Of passionate human
sympathy that would flood the strick.
en- district with every helpfulness that
man can give.
Out Of the hundred and more farms
that were hit, over forty per cent lost
everything, not a building of any de.
scription being left. The number car
rying insurance was very small. In
majority of cases there was also the
encumbrance of mortgage. Losses in
destroyed buildings run from $4,000 to
$4,000 for each place, with mortgages
ranging from $4,000 to as high as $780,
900. 1t is the stark naked form Of
tragedy that cannot be dramatized. It
means misery desperate and poignant.
The rebuilding of these farms, the SAL
vaging of this wreckage, the re-estab-
lishment of some modicum of happi-
ness and prosperity ana nopefulness
upon these ruins will necessitate a
statewide assistance. The Governor
Of Minnesota has issued an appeal for
such aid. The committee that has sur
veyed the situation estimates that for
immediate relief work 100000 will be
needed.
II the people of this great state
could but see and know how complete
the loss is, how deep the wounds of
those who suffer, the whole state
would answer, and every citizen would
count It duty as citizen and as hu.
man being to pour something into the
treasury Of the common welfare of
these stricken districts.
Temporary help has been efficiently