Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1881-04-27

BY twelve O'Clock, the buildings com.
fenced moving ut, mostly to the cur.
ret in the Vermillion, some six w nr seven M
Ang IN the stream at the same time.
Ne water kept rising until it was at
lea't. foot higher than the highest point
pEvlously reached, which was about one
opock. Fifty-six buildings were carried
avy and smashed to pieces on the gore-
cd &c below--among them being the 81.
Nicolas hetel, the railroad depot: and
tiieCongregational church. Shafer's large
STOP building, aud other large buildings.
Tht water carried the Chandler house
ai,o!t fifteen feet. and the north end
wasknocked out by huge cake Of ice.
Thebuilding was badly wrecked. Mason.
ic srl Odd Fellows hall building was
moyd from its foundation and the low
or. 4try smashed. Carr's buildings sonth
OF Asonic hall were alss badly wrench
EEry residence on the bottom except
9 ny dozen were either carried away or
bud damaged, while many of the wood.
en bkiness buildings are badly, damao-
cd, okone end moved from their founda.
tionA No damage has 80 far been done
to eiGer Of the brick blocks.
Wlts the depot was moving off Su.
perrin kndent Sanborn rode np to the
brow b the bluff and witnessed it's de-.
strncaa. Messrs Lee and Daily. WIN
had btn imprisoned by the snow block
ade attlgona. Iowa. since February 1st
also ddEe to the bluff in time to witness
the buildings floating down stream.
Whehshe water was at its hig hest, at
least t1nty buildings were floating off
at the i NE time.
Durilk the rise the channel was con-
stantly Ned with great bodies OF float.
ing ice, taich broke down everything it
came lnt'ontact with. It packed upi
against tb gorged ice in the channel OF
the rivert nd by the time the water went
down ha4 tiled up the entire space be.
low Dep9ttreet, and west OF the railroad
track 1T II packed the entire distance to
Van Metefi grove, 80 that people have
walked dnit without difficulty ever
since.
The waite fell to about the depth it
was IN the forming about the middle of
the afternoo, and the work of saving
the remaining goods commenced. Boards
were obtatrd aud laid over the ice in
several place and until dark everybody
who dared inst themselves on the eore-
ed ice werebusy packing out goods.
Many stepPe through and got wet. and
Mr.. James Ran fell through and dislo.
Gated his shSlder. Thursday morning
the work wa&esumed, and by Saturylav
nightnearly eelything had been brought
away.
The water hs been falling slowly since
Thursday, an ut the date OF the pre-
sent writing, chursday morning, April
l4th) will no average more than two
feet deep Ill tb lower part of the city.
HELATEsT.
Last week thursday the snow COM
menced thawin, and weakened the ice
IN the river III ront of the city 30 that
the Vermlllion broke through the icy
barrier to the naow, open channel along
the north of thesland. This allowed
the water which'overed the city to the
depth of from the to ten feet to drain
OH. leaving the se from one to six feet
deep IN the street By Saturday m orn-
ing the water ha, all drained off from
that part OF he,ity south of the rail
road track and eaa of Depot street, and
people commenceGlimbing over the ice
and through the md to gather up what
little of value had zen lett by the flood
and ice.
In some Places tire is no ice, nothing
but fathomless mue but slush ice. WITH
an occasional large eke of solid ice. COW
ers the greater part4f the city from one
to six feet deep.
The scene from Il bluffs presents a
sickening spectacle: The remaining
wooden buildings d, most of them.
badly twisted and wicked, and Others
carried off their formations, while the
streets are covered wit the debris of the
wrecked buildings st mn around upon
the shiny. muddy ice. IN the upper part
OF the clty, where tf buildings were
mostly swept away, n4ling can be seen
but mud and ice, whidis packed up to
to the roofs Of some the remaining
buildings, and half waup the windows
of others.
The stores are filled lth ice in many
instances two or three Net thick, while
the portion of the stocl of goods which
were below the water Ne are scattered
in lnextricable confusioj
The Vermillion river las been on the
rampage. On Sunday itbmmenced cut-
ting the banks through te CITY, and let
Cal. Shaw's and CharleSLind's honses
intoithe river. Monday itas more oniet
and it is to be hoped tia it will do no
further damage.
PERILoUs JouNEY.
As Messrs. H. J. and o.. Hansen. and
.. b. Larsen were movin khe,r respec-
tive families to the latta's place for n
supposed better protection against the
angry ~aters, Hans J. Hasen's house
with ten persons in 1t was tied from its
foundation by the heavy,twift ice and
set atloat, floating down aapnel into
the Missouri river, and lesinp Ole B,
Larsen, bis wife and two ctdrep. Il. j
Hansen's wife and two childn. and two
OF Judge Battleflns' childra in a skiff
from the lattertnothing haAince been
heard, but H. J. Hansen thlnE thew are
safesalthough they had no Nothing n,
food in The sskia} but as th hk ice vas os
strong they could probably I've made
their way to Guuderson's miilEhich was
still standing. and whore ther&s no lack
of provisions and fuel. Hans [ays that
when his house started six oilers aIso
ffcated away into the timber; Il empty,
with tue exception of Eouis B. Larsen e.
which contained his whole faiily of III
persons, After Hans house gdinto the
Missouri it.was carried with gAt swift.
ness towards Gunderson's bendpassinp
through the new channel imadS dSby the
Missouri through North Bend ali close
to Mon's.Nelson's house, whichkas still
standing On their way dowt Hans
took command Of the novel Cit. He
and his brother Ole built on thS roof Of
the house box, to serve as ie boat
And'as soon as they launched tlir frai