Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1859-06-19
GREAT LOSS BY FLOOD, AT MOLINE.
THE MOLINE DAN SWEPT AWAY.


For some time the people Of Moline have
been fearful lest the great of. the Aissis-
sippi should sweep away the dam Of the
Moline Water Power Company, and have
consequently been continually at work in
order to strengthen it against any such dis
sster. The entiye dam had been raised
with broken rocks, dirt and gravel. about
three feet, and other precautions were also
taken to provide against the loss Of this
valuable property.
Bnt it appears that those precautionary
steps did not cause the bridge to Withstand
the constantly increasing force of the wa.
ters, for on Friday night between ten and
eleven o'clock the old bridge just above the
dam gave way and run around against the
hume of the old custom mill" giving it .
start together with the dam. The rubbish
from the old bridge probably damned the
passage of the water. which turned into the
street in perfect deluge This continued
only for q moment, when the mill. the dam,
and the bridge was forced from theirposition
and in one incongruous macs, together with
upwards of 100000 feet Of logs which lay
above the dam, moved away down the
stream with great noise. The current Was
all powerful. and swept..them alon 6 like .
feather. A large number of logs and lumber
were carried with fearful force against G. H.
Sickles 4 Bros. FIGURING mill, but being q
prime building and well founded, was only
moved few inches. at the lower end
not enough to be Of any great damage to-
the establishment
The property carried away was as fol-
lows:
The two story frame grist and saw mill,
the property of the Moline Power Co. The
grist mill was used entirely for custom
work. and had one run Of stone. The dimen-
sions were 80 by 80 feet. The saw mill had
two run of saws-was in the same build
ing. which was erected by Mr.. d. B. Sears.
in ls4l. consequently was one of the old in
stitutlons Of the city. In the grist mill was
about 100 bushels Of wheat. and 10 barrels Of
-four. The building was of course q total
loss. amounting to some $500
The bridge which ran from the Illinois
shore to the dam, was q rickety affair, and
is actually no great loss, only as it puts
those who do business on the island to great
inconvenience, in crossing and re-crossing
The actual amount of dam swept away
was not more than 100 feet, the space in
tervening between it and the Illinois shore
(some so feet) being filled with the flume
which supplied the mills at and below the
dam. The actual expense of putting the
dam in as good condition as it was before.
is probably about $5,OO0-saying nothing
Of the expense caused by stoppage of the
mills below until the dam is repaired
which will be several months.
The $4,000 feet of logs which we're swept
away. were the property of Mr.. II. G.
Nourse, Spencer H White, of Moline, and
Mr. Barber of Rapids City. Only about
$500 feet of the logs have have been re-
covered, though the owners are in pursuit.
One party started for Muscatine. yesterday
morning, to intercept them. The loss
amounts to about $4,000.
The loss of the dam stops the operation
of the mill of Sickels Bros. Wheelock's pa
per mill, and portion Of the machinery of
Deere's Plow Factory. The two first will
have to remain entirely idle for at least
months. Mr.. Deere can run portion of
his machinery by steam.
The water rrshes through the gap with
immense velocity; yet, strange to tell, with
an opening of $50 feet through the dam,
the water along the remaining portion Of it
has not fell over four inches.
The mill Hoated down the river until it
struck that part of the Railroad Bridge
known as the "slcugh bridge" 1t struck,
subsequently,, against one Of the stone piers,
where it was smashed in pieces and rested.
A number Of men were employed there.
yesterday, in separating the pieces. saving
what machinery they best could, and float
ing the timbers. de-, down the river, where
some dozen or fifteen skiffs were busily en-
gagged in hauling the same ashore for pri-
vate use. The wreckers were very busy.
This, for . while, will be . serious die
advantage to some of the manufacturing
interests of Moline, though we presume the
Water Power Company will 60 to work a.
soon ~ the water gets low enough, to re.
pair the damage.