The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-07-13
TERRIBLE DETAILS
of the Work Of the Cloud Burst
at London, Ontario.
ss"tween Thirty and Fifty Lives Lost
as:d Great Destruction OF
Property.

LONDON, Canada, July 12.-Between thirty
and fifty lives were lost in terrible disaster
which occurred in the Thames river valley
around this city. In the evening at O'Clock
q storm broke, which lasted until 3 o'clock in
the morning, attended by incessant heavy
rain, which broke like thousand parks of ar
tllery. The night was one Of terror and dis
may on account of the tempest raging. Moth
ing like it had occurred within living mem
ory, and toward morning the residents OF the
flats west of the city, traversed by the river
Thames were overtaken by catastrophe
which is probably unprecedented in the prov
ince of Ontario Two hundred buildings were
overwhelmed by the torrent, and fifty persons
are reported missing.
The names of the dead, so far as ascer-
tanned, are as follows: Mrs. Hopkins, Of Ken
sington; four children Of R. F. Lacey, of
London west; woman, name unknown; a
7-year-old daughter of Mrs Orr, of Ann
street. three children of George Stratford of
Napier street; three children of D. F. Nc.
lean, of Blackfriars street; child of William
Moylan, of Ann street; James Spackman,
Mrs, James Spaclznan, James Spackman, Jr.
and child of Mr. Orn.
About 2 O'Clock in the morning the school |
bell in the village of Petersville, a suburb of |
London, began to clang an alarm, which in |
due time taken up by the city fire bells. |
The morning was calm and still after the |
storm, so that the citizens when aroused'by |
the bells heard the air filled with shrieks and |
cries, mingled with the sounds of vigorous |
chopping with axes. The thriving suburb |
named, comprising about sixteen hundred |
souls, had been suddenly overwhelmed with |
a torrent caused by tremendous cloud-burst |
some dozen miles up the country. The water
rolled down in one resistless wave, raising the
river to twelve feet above ordinary food
mark, and destroying about 200 dwellings.
The village presents picture of sickening
ruin, brick houses being leveled and frame
ones either carried bodily down stream or
tumbled over and over and left in inextrieable
confusion. The people took refuge on the
roofs of buildings that remained standing,
until relieved by men with boats, which
work occupied six hours. Many of these peo
pie had to cut their way out through the roofs
with axes So sudden was the catastrophe
that men who left home to arouse the neigh
bors found themselves borne away on the
| crest of the flood, while their houses and lit
tie ones were carried off by the same mad
current. One house aoated down with lights
burning inside and inhabited by a lady-Mrs.
Wright 1t struck the railway bridge, and
the lady was taken out raving maniac. A
cradle passed down amid a confusion of fur
nithre, and containing a baby which was
dead. A little boy passed over the water
| works dam and was ingulfed. Ii is supposed
that there is great loss Of life, as fifty per-
| SONS remain tonight unaccounted for.
| In the afternoon the water works pumping
| house went by the board. The pleasure
steamer Princess LOUISE costing $4,000,
went over the dam and took Byron bridge
along with her All the iron bridges have
| gone except one and the city is isolated.
The fires Of the gas works were extinguished
and the mains broken by a washout, and the
city is also in darkness
! Daniel Collins's ice house was swept away
together with 5000 tons of ice and eight
| horses Colinss hall in Petersville is now
filed with refugees The churches and resi-
dences on high ground are also filed. Mr..
| Jeffrey, banker, threw open his house on
the neighboring heights, and had tables
spread on the lawn to feed hungry refugees.
The greatest sympathy is shown on all
sides. A mass meeting OF citizens was held
to devise relief measures. The damage done
will not be'less than $500, 600.
LATER-There is nothing new to report in
regard to the food The water has subsidized,
and gangs of men are busy clearing out the
houses and endeavoring to make such as Were
not carried away habitahle. Active relief
measures are on foot, and all OF the distressed
have temporarily been provided for, eithel
in private houses or at the expense OF ths
city. No more bodies have been recovered
but many who are missing have not ye
turned up The property destroyed by thu
floods is valued at half million dollars
CARLTON DAM.
OTTAWA, Ont, July 12-Another crib o.
the Carlton dam, ten feet in length, has beel
carried away, taking with it about thirty fee
Of the superstructure The break is nov
about fifty feet wide, but owing to the hig
state of the main river the water in the cana
has not fallen to any perceptible extent
| Every addition to the opening in the dam in
creases the difficulty of repairing the struc
ture.
OTHER STORMS.
MILWAUKEE, Wis, July ia heav
wind-storm passed over the state last night
striking Portage about 2 a. m, and demo
ishing a new brick building in the course c
erection for the Guppy Guards. The strut
ture was 45 by 81 feet in size.
IN DAKOTA.
WINoNA, Mimi, July 12.-The Republ
cans Volga Dakota. special says: La
evening Volga and vicinity was visited /
the worst hail-storm ever known here. tt
crops are badly damaged, and some fielt
are entirely ruined The belt extendt
about eight miles north. Its length we hav
| banu ,fna hla tn lparn