The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-03-28
RUSHING WATERS.
Nebraska Swept by Disastrous
Floods
GREAT LOSS OF PROPERTY. AND
SOME OF LIFE.

OMAHA, Neb, March 26-The valley of the
Platte river is suffering from disaster which
has destroyed vast amount of property and
winch, 1t is believed, has been the cause of
hourly additions to the death roll. An ice
gorge has been for several days forming in
Platte river near North Bend, and Friday af-
ternoon at O'Clock the river reached point
where it suddenly rose above the banks and
swept over the prairie in the direction of North
Bend in devastating floods.
A mile and half of the Union Pacific
track was swept away at once, and the current
poured into the town driving the people to the
upper floors of dwellings and flooding the
streets several feet deep. Many slept on the
depot platform. The water rose slowly yester-
day, the only means of communication be-
tween residences being by boats. The river
continued to spread over the surrounding
country, which is almost as level as floor, un-
til 1t had well nigh surrounded Benton, Co
lumDla and Duncan and covered the country
east and west, forming great lake several
miles in width While matters were in this
condition the ice began to move in the Loup
or North fork which flows into the Platte near
duncan, and gorging at several points swept
that valley as had previously been the case
with the Platte In this crisis a great body of
water and ice swept across the country between
columbus and Duncan, severng telegraph
poles like pipe stems, and cutting off all COM
munication with the devastated valley of Loup.
AbO OAtoHt vi LILO Qatuaye mere can only be
surmised. hut division superintendent Nichols
OF the Union Pacific, who has just returned
from that region. believes that the farmers
We're not anticipating the flood, and from the
nature OF the valley must, many of them, have
been swept away with their houses. The de-
struction OF live stock and farming property
has been immense, this being a rich agrcultu-
raj region and we'll settled. The Loup bridge
on the North fork branch of the Union Pacific
road is also reported to be swept away.
A family at one point near the railroad track
were in imminent danger of perishing when a
party of railroad men took a locomotive and
went to their relief.
FREMONT, Neb., March 27.-The river rose
one foot yesterday at the washout, two miles
west and is still rising. Water is coming into
the west part of the town, but has not reached
the business portion of the city.
New YORK, March ga dispatch from
Omaha late tonight places the damage by the
floods prevaing in the Platte valley at several
hundred thousand dollars. The people are
taxing refuge on roofs of houses Barns
and fences in every direction are being
washed away. Reports of loss of life come
from many friends, but cannot be verified as
the washing agay of telegraph poles has inter
rupted all communication.
COLUMBUS, Neb., March 27-The Loup fork
broke here at II O'Clock to-day, and the whole
OF the lower part of the city is inundated with
water which is still rising. Three spans of the
wagon bridge across the Loup fork went with
the first raise OF ice. This bridge few years
ago cost $4,000. Damage to private property
immense.
LATER.
Six spans of the wagon bridge have gone.
The up track is nearly washed out from here
west to the Loup bridge, about two miles, and
the railroad bridge across the Loup on the
Omaha, Nebraska and Black Hills railroad is
reported gone Several families east of hero
IL
great danger. Three small children are renort-
ed lost on the Loup. 1t will take some DAYS to
get at the facts, as communication west is now
entirely cut off.