The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-30
SWALLOWING A CITY.
The Inhabitants of Sioux City, Iowa, Re'
treating Before the Invading Missouri.
tSiouX City Journal, June %


Early yesterday morning the hopes that
were beginning to form In the minds of some
of our people that the worst damage was done
and the worst caving over for g. time at our
river front, were elevated ten times higher
than was the kite Of the famous Mr.. GilrOy.
About o'clock the trouble began, and for
nearly two hours there was lively tumble Of
earth all along from the foot Of Pearl street
clear down to the foot of Jones street, a dis
canoe of fully 1000 yards. AS usual, the bank
was lined with people curious to see the "fun, -
as stranger remarked many, of course, had
deeper interest, but the majority were out
siders and treated the matter as one Of excite
ment only,
Near the former site of Capt. Young's ice
house the falling of the bank was so rapid in
the morning that q barn belonging to Chris.
Hanson, and which on Thursday evening was
some distance from the river, was undermined
and washed into the water before men could
be gathered to remove 1t. The building was
frame, sixteen by thirty feet in size, and only
| about half of the material was recovered, the
rest taking trip southwark.
The space Of ground at the front of Jackson
| street, on which few days ago dozen or
more houses were standing, is washing out
rapidly, and the river at that point advanced
inland yesterday fifteen or twenty feet. Mrs.
| Silsbury, @ widow woman, was the last to
| leave that dangerous locality, her house hav-
| ing been moved across the road yesterday
morning. But even there it is not safe, and
the chances that all the buildings in the fork
formed by the Illinois Central railroad track
and the main travelled wagon road will have
| to be moved soon are, we believe, quite favor
able. In this space there are fifteen or twenty
| buildings consisting OF residences, barns,
Shops etc, and several Of them were yester-
day raised and made ready for removal on
| short notice.
Workmen were set to work tearing I'D the
south track OF the Sioux City and Pacific side
| track yesterday morning, and last night it
had been taken up from the Illinois Central
depot westward to Perry Greek bridge. The
poles of the Dakota Southern Telegraph Line
were also taken down, and the wires takeI
from them, from the Sioux City and Pacific
freight depot to point opposite Peavey's
grain elevator.
The freight depot of the Sioux City and Pa
citic Railroad was yesterday raised up anC
placed on rollers, and will be hauled out oil
danger to-day, we believe. 1t Is to be placed
near the engine-house, east Of the Central de
pot, temporarily.
Hundreds of large logs have been caught
and anchored to the bank with ropes neal
Hedges elevator In the hope that they would
help to break the force Of the current there
But they do not appear to have been Of much
If any value, for last evening the bank behind
them fell in for a time at an alarming rate
and it is feared that the elevator will have tt
be moved. 1t Is very large building and its
removal will incur vast amount of work anC
trouble and not little expense, all Of which
it is hoped, the prOprietors may be spared.
West of this point, or above the foot OIL
Pearl street, the ravages of the river have moi
been very great so far this season, but just al
this particular time there is none among us 81
idiotic as to predict what few hours may
give birth to, and if we were called upon t.
give advice it would be for those who have
buildings near the bank at any point along
our levee to remove them as expeditiously az
may be convenient.
In conversation with number of our citi
zens yesterday, men, too, who do not talk t.
hear how it sounds we learned their opinions
to be that our worst danger is yet to be passet
through, from the fact that the river, already
high, will yet be higher, and that with tht
falling water will come more disastrous
crumbling Of banks than there has yet been