From: Santa Izabel, Brazil
5 July 1931
Dear Staats-Anzeiger!
I would be very grateful to my brother Rochus and sister-in-law Marianna Ternes near Raleigh, North Dakota if they would order the Staats-Anzeiger for me. The Staats-Anzeiger is not only the best, but also the biggest and cheapest newspaper. I send them and their family sincere greetings.
The health conditions are once again satisfactory, but in May many people had the flu. Now there is an epidemic among the cattle and the pigs and many animals are dying.
On 2 June, I received the news from the state Rio Grande do Sul that the Sierra region was hit by a devastating storm. The hurricane-like storm was so intense that complete forests and plantations were uprooted, roofs were torn off houses and orchards were totally destroyed. The installations of the sawmill owner Ferdinand Krieger were almost completely destroyed. His house, in which about 35 people had gathered, was lifted 20 meters into the air by the cyclone and then came crashing down to earth. The occupants had to work their way out from underneath the ruins. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but some severe injuries. In some areas people lost their lives due to the storm. Cattle also were killed. Light wooden homes were lifted 300 meters into the air and then of course totally shattered to pieces. The storm also hit the area of Santa Angelo hard. Quite a few of our families from Krasna live there. We have not heard anything from Porto Felis. Anselmus Wagner most likely will report about the situation there in the newspaper.
In regards to the weather, I have to note that during the day it is warm, but the nights are really cool. There was a strong hoarfrost on the mornings of the 1, 2, and 3 July and did some damage to the coffee trees.
Mr. Joseph Foeth is most likely mistaken when he writes that many people from Krasna reside in Neu-Wuerttemberg. As far as I know not a single family from Krasna lives there, but more so in Porto Felis and Santa Angelo, which are situated about 200 kilometers from Neu-Wuerttemberg.
In closing, we send a friendly hello to our friends in the old homeland, as well as in the United States and Canada with the request to also write sometimes in the Staats-Anzeiger. Further, we greet all readers and the editor Mr. Brandt and his assistant.
Heinrich Ternes