Continuing with SO WONDERFUL AS WANT Ch. 17, EX. 8 Likes, comments, shares appreciated. Unable to travel by rail, people and supplies began arriving by schooners and barges. Hard-pressed to keep up with the demand for lumber, local saw mills piled the precious commodity on docks, waiting to be dispersed throughout the area. When the state legislature approved commissioners’ request to annex more land, the city of Fort Myers swelled to fifteen thousand acres. In some parts of the county, land sold at nine thousand dollars an acre. In town, the price of a single lot topped out at fifteen thousand. Lee County was bursting its seams and its buttons as it rode this new wave of prosperity. It was a decade of indulgences, of flappers with rolled down hose, of high living and free spending, and no reason to think it would ever end. Then in 1926 the golden egg began to tarnish. The heavens, which had looked down so favorably upon its children with balmy breezes, sun-kissed earth, and refreshing rains, began unleashing the foulest weather imaginable. Chilly winds, incessant rain, and clouds of mosquitoes descended on paradise. Despite this, those who’d gotten rich off the tourist dollar—the banker, farmer, landowner, and merchant—refused to heed the warnings. Greed replaced common sense. Real estate sales plummeted and tourists stopped coming. Reluctant to admit the boom had gone bust, town fathers okayed one new project after another: a municipal auditorium, a new pier, a community swimming pool, and an aggressive ad campaign designed to woo back tourists. While the men in power continued to approve every new project that crossed their desks, choice parcels of land that once sold at a premium were being dumped at bargain prices by overextended businessmen. With bad weather continuing, streets flooded, storm sewers overflowed, and the earth became a spongy mass. Then on a Friday in mid-September, a storm blew in that made previous ones look like spring showers. Driven by gusty winds, the tempest mercilessly pelted homes and vegetation. Normally resilient palm trees, loosed from their earthly moorings, sailed through the air like toys in the midst of a child’s tantrum. Upgraded to a hurricane, the ferocious winds ripped off roofs, flattened outbuildings, and brought the county to its knees. When clear skies and bright sunshine finally returned, devastation was everywhere. Downed wires and trees made cleanup treacherous. Even something as harmless as a puddle often concealed deep sinkholes that could break a man’s leg or swallow him whole. Electricity and phone service was out, and only the sturdiest homes were left standing, though not without extensive damage. Adding to the nightmare were unconfirmed reports of entire families being swept away when the river raged over its banks. Dinah heard the grim news and begged Tyler to drive her out to check on her family. Tyler flatly refused, calling it utter lunacy. After three days of indescribable fear, Dinah opened the door to Zach and her children. “Oh, thank God,” she said, smothering all three with kisses and hugs. Zach, too tired to take offense at the liberties she’d taken even if he’d noticed, said simply, “The house is gone, Dinah. Everything—gone.” “Even old D—Dawg,” sniffed Quinn, trying to be as brave as his twelve years allowed. “You couldn’t save anything?” she said, stunned by the news. Zach regarded the bedraggled children in her arms. “Only the important things.” End of Chapter 17. Links in comments below. New excerpt on Wednesday.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 21:43:41 +0000
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