[Note: Most of left margin cut off.]

The wind storm last Friday night

at 10:30 o'clock was most severe

at six miles south of Algona. It

struck the Charles Devine place

demolished the house, blowing it

forty feet from the foundation,

[leaving] it a wreck and lying on one

___

Large cotton wood trees over

___ feet in diameter were snapped

and the windmill twisted out of

___ The barns and out buildings

were badly wrecked and one shed

was a hundred feet in the field.

[That] the family escaped with their

[lives] seems a miracle and were it not

[for the] fact that they found refuge in

[their] storm cave, they probably would

[have] lost their lives. The next place

[in the] path of the storm lies about

a quarter of a mile east, belonging

___ Barney Devine and occupied

___ Kramer. Here the barn was

[compl]etely wrecked and the horses

[found] beneath the debris. Windows

[were] broken in the house and out

[buildings] scattered all over the field.

This family sought the cellar,

___ storm came up so quickly

it was all over before they real-

[ized] what had occurred. Fortunate-

[ly the] house remained standing. At

Elperding [Erpelding] place south of this,

___ damage was also done. The

___ was unroofed and the timber for

___ rod in width was complete-

[ly]__pped. Mr. Mike Elperding was

___ ng at the time and all escaped

___y. When Mr. Kramer realized

[what] had happened, he at once went

[to the] Charles Devine home and

___ the family uninjured, he then

___help and returned to his

___ when his stock was released

___ beneath the fallen barn. The

___ were more or less bruised, but

[none] of them were badly injured.

___ at the Charles Devine place

[con]siderable and at the John Kra-

[mer home] it is doubtful if $1000 would

___ the loss. Some of the build-

___ this place have not been

___ Last year Mr. Kramer also

___ from a storm that was not so

___ as this, but which destroyed

___ndmill and several buildings.

!58

Rachel (Scherf) Levine

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