, 1876-07-06
THE STORM.KING.
Harsh Falling Of His Ruth
less Hand on Fourth
of-Ju|y Night.
A Little Hamlet Lies Down
from q Joyous Day to a
Night Of Death.
Tho Terrible Fate of Rock
dale, on. Catfish Creek,
Near Dubuque.
An Almost instantaneous Rise Of
tho Run Sweeps Away Thirty
t. Nine Persons.
Tho Buildings Of the Little
Place Spread, Over q
Mile Of Wreck. -
South Burlington, No., Visited by
q Close Relative Of the
Iazcl.Green Zephyr.
Three Persons Killed and Train
Of Cars Blown into
River.
Almost Inca1cnlablo Damage to Rail-
roads and Crops Else
where.
South Burlington, No., Visited by
q Close Relative Of the
Hazcl.Green Zephyr.
Three Persons Killed and a Train
OF Cars Blown into
River.
Almost 1ncalculablo Damage to Rail-
roads and Crops Else
where.
CATFISH CREEK.
A SCENE or DExOtATION AMI UEATs.
Ersr419 n1.u,,snh -.

CATFISH CREEK.
SCENE or DEsotATIoN AND DEATn.
Special Dfspasch to TIE Tribune.
DUBUQUE, ill.,, July 5.-On the night Of tho
Fourth the little lmtnlct Of l.ocl3ulc, 8 miles
southwest Of thu city, WIS swept away Us viii,
the bosom OF destruction. Every building in tho
little town suvc the Catfish MIL was washed
from its foundation at,l torn into wreck TINT
dcfics description. The DOZEN bufldtugs-all
that were located on thu bottom la,ltls OF tic
Catfish sayo the mill-werc carried of US Il thcy
wcro 80 many cocklcslcl]s and wlrlctl adown
tho eurgtng aud builiag curreut, crushing them
into fragments. With two exceptions oil arc
turn into eptltltcrs and scarcely fragment call
Ing. All arr In
1N11isT1N0U1sHAuLH RUINS,
scattered for mile a'ong tho borders Of tho
stream. Stores, shops, dwellings,, barns-cycry-
tng-fell before thu tGrrlblc torrent tl,at cat1r
rolling in great surGcs down tho 10 miles Of
valley through which the Catfish runs. Where,
eighteen hours ago, was a quiet, unsuspccting,
md happy little rural hamlet, is now only q
waste Of watcrs, tlmbcrs the wreck Of build
ings), merchandise, mud, and uprooted trucs.
For a full mile down the stream those fraa-
ments arc Btrcwn alung the banks or piled Ii
gorgcs from few feet to 20 feet high. hut the
worst Is not told.
TulETY-NINE HUMAN BEINGS
wcrc hurrtcdly swept from 1tfc into the great
n1aelstron Of death. Men, women, aud children
to tllat number wcre drowned, md their stiff
bodics-thosc Of the thirty that have been res
cued up to this hour-were ranged side by side
aloug the shady side Of tho mill awaiting tho
last sal funcrn rites. III one instance we saw
all entire family Of four MI lying dead; in
nnother, every member Of the family but ono
lay dead. The bodies of Bomc we're found iu the
debris Of tho crushed buildings near
THE Been. or THEIR DEATH,
while others, and tho gtcater part Of them MI,
were found along the hunks fsom q few rols to
mile down the stream. Some wcrc almost en-
tircly hid from View by tho floods Of mud tint
had been swept along BY tho maddenctl watcrs,
with PERHAPS hand ouly exposed to sight, ora
foot OF q portion OF the face, or perhaps only .
small portion Of their clothing. 4 large num-
bcr Of lsttm children, boys md girls ranging
from 3to Il ycars old, wcrc the victims OF the
dread avalanche, mud altogether the scouc was
most slckcntng one.
TEN RELATIVES KILLED.
One young man, Charles Thlmmcsc!,, who cs-
capped from uorn's store by stripping antt SWIM
ming to the sllorc, informed us ttlut two Of bjs
uncles, QUO aunt, and seven Ut his cousins werc
drowned.
Through tho day tho people OF tho village Ind
Joined more or less IN the festivities Of the Ccn-
tcnnial Fourth. III the evening the rain begun
to fall, and ul took shelter In their homes or ut
thu stores or saloons. At
ABOUT HALF AN noun AFrEn MIDNIGHT
the Catfish was discovered to have becnlnu 20
swollen TINT tho streets weru oycr1owtng, nntl
escape to thu surrounding highlands cut otl.
Higher anil higher ross the rushing waters,
while tho stortA kept pttilcssly o1.. Down rolled
the aurgtng water III great waves several feet
high, and tho smaller buildings were swept
away. At shout n portion Of tho dam gave
way, and this was followed bY the crasl Of tho
railroad bridge, tho fragments Of whicl, went
tearing down, striking thu hoteland uorn's store,
Both Of tlese wcrc capslzed, the former bclug
torn into pieces and tho lattcr swung agalnkt
q largo tres standing but few feet away,
against which It lodged, sustlng upon It's side,
Now the stream had grown to 1850 feet wide
and
FULLY 20 FEET DEBT.
a. the buildings were swept Into wrecks, the
inmates wcrs hurled Into tho surgine torrent,
their voices crying out for help amidst the roar
Of thunder and storm and crush, while lurId
ligltnlngs tlaahcd every minute, lighting up the
dreadful scene for M instant, and lcaying it
b,aeker than bcforo. John Klas.
son's cooper shop first gayo way; then
catne the hotel burn; then Peter
Beckcr's house; then Martin G, Carcy's
saloon; then Thomas Blcnkiron's store, Tom
Hur.is' blacksmith shop; Peter Deckcr's meat
market; Klasscn'a houac, Bcclscf's saloon, and
Horns store mid house, Luckily, this snttro
family were saved The housc, as before stated,
lodged against strong tres. Tho Water hadl
risen md driven all tho ta1nIly tnto tho upper
sto1y. wlcre they clung to thu ruftsrs aud otLer
projections, and whaze they wcra able to keen
thcEE lea1s aboYu water,
Joseph Becker, Ellen, Ills wife, aud two
children; James Peasce, E,auna, f,is wife, and
two elltidFen; Peter Becker aud five children,
also Ills housekccpcr aud her two children; Airs.
Carey md two children; John Klaasen, wife,
and avo children; Peter Kapp, vile md lous
children; Mrs. Kingsley, Thomas Dlenklson,
ol!Yes nlcnktron, William bradbury, and Rich
afa nurke--thlrty ty.nino ln all, Of which thirty
tHo. have been recovered.
Altogether, the scene wGa cue to touch heart
oe'stone
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
nave visited 1t during the day, and people arc
Rolng and coming constantly. The nelghbors,
Win kindly alaesity, opened their doors to such
Q! tnc an1ictea "a remained, md afforded every
were washed by kind hands, md n,uuy of
kheu taken Into the dwni1inrs nrur hy The