American citizen., 1881-04-30
The Recent Floods in Dakota.

A SIOUX CRY Uowa) special to the Chicago
Tribune of the 18th says:
At little station. on what was once the
Dakota Southern, called Mecklin, are l7i peo-
pie. men, women and children. All are quar-
tered in Taylor's Elevator, living on the bare
boards, without covering of any description
and many of them destitute of the proper
clothing. Thirty of the NUN Der seriously
sick-neary all the women in fact-and their
condition is pitiable in the extreme. Yawls
from Yankton have carried them some food
but they need. or soon will, much more.
-Their homes ara desnlatad- Or ntferiy annih
lated, their cattle and horses drowned, and
even the very Land, once theirs, 50 changed in
appearance and covered with ice and sand
that' the water gone, they can
scarcely tell where their severa
boundaries are, or their localities fixed even.
Ihey can no more hope to raise crops this yeaI
than tney can to resurrect their dead stock
,soia'ea from any put the rares. visi's from
.uon .1'.', .ono"s . 'ne "e"Ner alions 'nsn siauu
80 -, ~ ' 80 - op''
's u IoIs.i isn'' s,"e
n'usn' VI hoPe OF conitort' VINO can wohner
.na' even iron'ier naroiness ana noPeIuihess
nave "aued 10 the vanishing point Iney are
represented as nudoied In touching misery,
causing STOUT men TO grow molst-eycd ana
curse tneir inability to give speedy relief
Even II tney could Dc taken away there Is
no place 70 take tnem. Iheir neighbors are
nearly as bad OH, and lack the wherewith
TO relieve their wants. Your correspondent
mas been asked over and over again to try
ana awaken practical sympathy for them
aihons tne Eastern people, and or my
o"n Ano"icoHe CHI say tnae ciotninS, 1000
heuicIhe or money sent mere would be faith
Iuny oistiiputed ana accounted Tor. Should
any aohatpons De made l would advise that
INC! oo een. nere caro VI Dr. W. IL. omltn,
Ma5ot OF sioux City. or 10 fankton, VIA TINS
place. care OF captain d. ID. wheeler, United
a nnE
the river the supplies could be carried to their
seVerai destinations. There need be no fear
oi sehuins an over-suPpIy. Inc suuerers are
apsoiu'ey destitute win one or Two men
VINO nave come down mere In yawls have had
interviews, ana tney say 1t Is completely be-
yohu them 10 conceive why the loss OF life
was no. as ehtire ana Appalling as the
"cs'rucuoh oi property. Inat women ana
cnldfcn especially should escape from such
nm aggregation of terrible forces is mex
plicable, and possibly time may reveal
numerous casualties at present unsuspectei.
Let mo tell you OF one terrible voyage. About
e'gnt mles ABOVE Nermiiion stood before the
'oou TWO log nouscs' the properly OF Hanson
anu Larlsoh' protncrs-ln-law. on the DAY OF
tue oreak-up hsnson got uneasy out seems
10 nave lost time trying to save mis- STOCK, so
that ne ana mis- hired man mad TO take a boat,
ana therein carried his wife and children to
I-arison's house, which stood on a little higher
arison. VINO Is so ieepie ms 10 require assist
'hce. rcarcely hau tney entcred the mouse
ore they felt 1t moving undcr them. Terror
stricken, they ran to the window to find them
serves IN the center OF moving era ming
mass OF Ice ana hood, steadily
going down tne river. vi the terrors of that
dark ride wh shall speak. The reverberating
detona'ions of the huge blocks of ice. as.
forced into the air, they fell again, grinding all
oenea'h them into POWDER the almost abso-
iutc certaihty tna' IN d Ie" momehts at pcst
the mouse wouid give way ana leave tnem
struggling in the throes OF the gorge, the
aEonizing fears the husband and father must
have felt as to the tate OF those LEFT behind
whom ne nad no reason TO supp use would cs-
c"Pe, "il in"ue up si'uaeio" as .errioie as
ed together by large wooden pins
held firm, and seven miles below verrniIion,
fifteen from the starting point, the ark of safe