Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-08
THE RAGING MISSOURI.
Breakup of the Great Ice Gorge
at Yankton.
The SITUATION AROUND OMAHA.
The River Town of Covington En-.
tirely Deserted.
ESPECIAL BY rrSroR,rn 10 rus RroORD,rMOS ]

ESPECIAL BY TELEGRAPH TO TltE RRCoRD-UNIoN
YANKToN %. IT, April 7sh THE ice gorge
which has been resisting the onward flow of
water at this point for twenty-four hours
broke an hour ago, and the water is now fall
ing rapidly. Lower Yankton has been sub.
merged since Monday morning, and the water
was so deep that the lower floors of 200
dwellings, shops and mills were covered with
from one to four feet. Much damage was
done to houses goods and buildings. The
steamer Peninah broke from her moorings as
the ice began TO move, and has foated with
the current a mile, lodging on the railroad
track, where she now rests. Intelligence from
the submerged farming districts was received
last evening that the rescuing parties found
and landed in places of safety 200 persons,
who must have persisted with cold and hunger
had they not been reached The weather re-
mains cold, and the situation becomes more
serious daily. The fuel supply has been re-
duced to a minimum, and many kinds of pro-
visions are running short. Thousands Of
cords of wood ioated off, and there is none
now in the market.
GRAND sPECTACLE AT OMAHA.
OMAHA, April 7th.-For several days more
| or less ice has been running in the Missouri
river past this point but to-day, about a.
NJ, it began running thicker than ever, and
by noon the broad river was one vast stream
of ice cakes, varying in size from two or three
feet square to pieces over 100 feet square, the
thickness being from two to three feet, the
constant grinding and crushing of the ice
making continual roaring noise, which can
be heard. considerable distance from the
river. Trees, logs, bridge timbers,
parts of houses, etc., are being con-
stantly swept by, and every now and
| then they are shot out of water and on to ice
cakes by the bubbling, whirling waters,
which twist the ice.cakes round and round,
and frequently large cakes of ice weighing
several tons, are crowded out of the water
and lodged upon the land. Thousands of
people have been watching the passage of the
| ice all the afternoon. 1t was o grand spectacle
| nothing equal to it having occurred here.
The ice is in good preservation, and it is
thought that good deal of it will reach far
down into the Mississippi river. The flow of
ice will probably continue for several days
here, as information has been received that
the gorges above Sioux City have broken,
and that to-day's flow is but the advance
guard, and that by tomorrow it will be twice
as heavy, if possible. The river rose five feet
and half at Sioux City since yesterday
morning, and we are now getting the effect of
that rise.
AT OTHER POINTS.
1t is rising at Niobrara, and also at Eank
ton, and the gorges are all out. The river is
falling at Fort Sully. All the country in
Nebraska between Covington and jackson is
submerged, and the Chicago, st. Paul and
Omaha Railroad is all under water between
those two points. 1t is being washed badly,
as there is a strong current Coviugton,
| quite a village opposite Sioux City, is all
under water, and all the citizens were taken
lsover to Sioux City on the steam ferry-boat,
leaving all their property behind, merely tax
ing With them their extra clothing. The
railroad agent and telegraph operator left at
5 o'clock in skiff for Sioux City, being the
last ones to leave the town. When they left
the water was up above the floor of the de-
pot, and still rising, and the current running
five miles per hour.
HIGHEST WATER IN YEARS.
At Omaha the river has been raising stead
lily since yesterday morning, until now it has
reached eighteen feet and six inches above
low water, the highest point reached since
1875, when the water was the same height
in April of that year, which was the high
est raise since 1857. The levee at this city is
flooded, as are also the broad lowlands on the
Iowa side of the river. 1t is vast expanse
of water and ice, from two to three miles
wide in many places. The main current,
which is about five miles an hour runs
against the long stone ripraps built to protect
the Omaha levee, reaching north from the
Union Pacific bridge about two miles, and on
this levee are numerous railroad tracks,
several extensive lumber yards, smelling
works, Union Pacific shops and pump house,
and also reservoirs and pump houses
being built for the Omaha water
works. The smelling works have been
there are two streams of water running
through the works, with quite a strong cur
rent, but as yet not doing any material dam
age. The works are well protected by rip
raps of their own make, out of Stag, which is
much heavier than slate. This riprap has been
building for several years, all the slag from
the works being used for this purpose. The
ice is grinding hard against it. but so far it
resists all attacks. The ripraps about SEQ
feet north of the smelling works gave way
owing to the accumulation of q lake of water
on the inside, which broke over into the river,
and in a few hours was washed out for fifty
feet. The lake is about two feet higher than
| the river, and the current through this OPEN
ing rushes down with irresistible force.
TWO MEN DROWNED AND NARROW ESCAPE OF
THIRD
This afternoon three Union Pacific team.
sters Thaddeus Wren, Michael Cunningham
and Nicholas keenan,, who had been rescu-
ing several parties from the submerged houses
near the Union Pacific cshops, attempted to cross
this current in their boat some distance from
the mouth. They were warned to go back by
General Superintendent Clark and Assistant
General Kimball, of the Union Pacific, who,
with other gentlemen. were examining the
break on the levee, but suddenly they were
swept by the current towards the opening in
the ripraps, and becoming excited. they
jumped out, supposing that as the lake was
shallow they could retain foothold but the
current was so strong that it carried them
through the opening into the river of ice.
Wren grabbed hold of the boat, which was
showed upon the ice, and he was pounded
| almost TO death by the chuhks of ice. Gem
eral Superintendent Clark grabbed a pole,
| stepped out on the cake, and while man
held his hand he reached the pole to Wren,
who was then pulled cut and saved. The
| other two men disappeared under the ice and
were drowned, and the bodies we:e not re-
covered One of them reappeared about 100
feet from the shore and one brave man.. at
the risk Of his own life, started ON the cakes
of ice to assist him, but he again disappeared
and that was the last feen of him.
This would-be rescuer narrowly escaped
drovninu apd with great difficulty succeeded