The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-07-11
TORNADO LEAVES
TRAIL OF DOOM.
Minnesota Farmers, Stripped BY
Wind of Everything But
Debts, In Sad Need
of Help.

scar through five Southern Minnesota
counties to mark the pathway OF one
Of 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 line northwest Of Lake
Benton, Minnesota to strike with ter
rible 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 its will
against impotent civilization, and leav-
ing behind 1t an appalling destruction
of physical beauty, natural wealth and
human opportunity. It filled the air
with flying timbers, and tumbling
trees; dumped hundred lakes upon
poisoning farmlands, wrought its
havoc in death, in desolation and in
freakish humour. Where 1t passed
hideous and unreal barrenness spreads
like dead wound between hills and
wales of summer splendour. The ele-
a moment more than a 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 its pathway as
completely denuded and desolate as II
It had been riddled by the deadliest
machine-gun fire of the Great War.
A hundred farm homes we've blasted.
That these farms should have suffered
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 a
burden greater than American farm.
ers have ever had to bear, gives to II
the character Of crushing tragedy.
Before the storm struck, these farm,
ers, like their, brothers, were fighting
| with their backs against the 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 md the debts.
The storms wreckage covered tn,
| hopes of men who had struggled fol-
| twenty, thirty forty years-the pho
| neers who had helped to conquer thu
J wilderness; the builders upon who's,
| toll had been founded banks and citiei
and governments, and communities
looking hopefully to the future. Thes,
men rose amid their ruins to behold
receding forever from them the vi
| sions they had of peaceful old age, o.
serene contentment In the homes
they had reared. Ten minutes of tht
whirlwind blast had smitten past re
| demption the building of years, the ac
cumulated evidences of work and sacri
| ice, and nobly-borne agonies; and mer
who had found life's compensation II
the capacity to fight for future sud
| denly found themselves with nothini
left in life save the memory of Fast
II every citizen of Minnesota coult
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: &C
God-Everything is ended. there
would be wave of passionate human
sympathy that would flood the strick
en- district with every helpfulness tina,
man can give.
Out of the hundred and more farm
that were hit, over forty per cent los,
everything, not building of any de
scription being left The number car
rying insurance was very small: In ,
majority Of cases there was also tn,
encumbrance of mortgage. Losses il
destroyed buildings run from $4,000 t.
$4,000 for each place, with mortgages
ranging from $4,000 to as high as $40,
000 1t is the stark naked form o,
tragedy that cannot be dramatized L
means misery desperate and poignant
The rebuilding of these farms. the sal
vaging of this wreckage, the re-estab
lisiRment of some modicum of happi
ness and prosperity ana nopefulnesi
upon these ruins will necessitate ,
statewide assistance. The Governor
of Minnesota has issued an appeal fol
such aid The committee that has sur
veyed the situation estimates that fol
immediate relief work 100000 will b,
needed. IT,
If the people of this great stat,
could but see and know how complet,
the loss is, how deep the wounds o.
those who suffer, the whole stat
would answer, and every citizen woult
count 1t duty as citizen and as hu
man being to pour something into tn,
treasury Of the common welfare o.
these stricken districts.
Temporary help has been efficiently
provided for, and food, clothing ant
temporary shelter supplied by earnes
local efforts The real task however Il
to put these farmers on their fee
again to the extent of enabling then
to pursue their business, raise theil
crops, maintain their families and
build up their ruined farm plants
They must be equipped to render theii
usual service to their communities 81
producers. This is the task which
the people of Minnesota must per-
form together. 1t is task that has
to do not merely with the welfare
of the victims but which is connect
ed directly with the welfare of the
state.
CARD OF THANKS.