St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-09-13
THE CHIPPEWA FLOOD.
st. Paul Interview with Resi-
dents of Eau Claire.
Who Think the First Reports Over
estimated the Property Loss.
Special Report from Globe staff Cores
pondent on the Spot,
Who Finds the Situation Rad Enough
with Widespread Damages.

Among the arrivals at the Merchants hotel
yesterday were Mr.. Warehouse, president,
and Mr.. X. d. Marshall, attorney for the
Chippewa Falls Lumber and Boom company,
both of whom were at Chippewa Falls and
Eau Claire during the recent floods. In con-
versation with Mr.. Marshall, who is in the
city on business connected with the COM
pany.he stated that the accounts Of the dam
age caused by the food had been vastly over
drawn, and that great many exaggerated
and foolish statements had been made.
lie said that in Chippewa Falls and Eau
Claire the entire damage would not exceed
S35O,OOO, and in this connection he stated
that the interviews heretofore published as
coming from Mr.. Warehouse, in which the
latter had said that 81, 100000 damages had
been caused by the floods, had been miscon-
strued. In making the statement the latter
referred to the entire valley, covering dis
lance of at least 100 miles, while the i'm
preston had gone abroad that the statement
was intended to apply to the cities of Chip
pewa Falls and Eau Claire
In Chippewa Falls proper, Mr.. Marshall
states, the entire loss will not exceed $780,
O00, and the business interests of the CITY
have not been retarded at all. In speaking
OF the freshet he states that the river rose
twenty eight feet, or five feet higher than the
big rise of 1880. At the time of the latter
frcshet extra precautions were taken to pro-
vide against future emergencies of the kind
and for this reason the present flood found
them in measure prepared. The
ran Nrk haf l.,
away at Chippewa Falls, he characterized as
false; the dams in question being only
damaged at the ends, and in that res pect a loss
of not over SO, 900 was incurred The crib
of the big dam was washed away, and the
damages at this point are about s., 900. Con-
corning the destruction of bridges in Chip
pewa Falls, he states that the main loss was
incurred by the washing away of the wagon
bridge, which cannot be replaced short of
$4,000. The three othrr bridges over Dun
can creek can be replaced for SO, 500.
In addition to the latter two railroad
bridges were washed away, the loss being es-
timated at $40, 900. So far as the loss of the
Chippewa Lumber 6 Boom company is con-
cerned, Mr.. Marshall assured the GLOBE re-
porter that it was next to nothing at all; no
lumber had been lost, the only damage be-
ing the overturning of some of the lumber,
which had to be replied. The planning mill
owned by the company had been racked to
some extent, but the damage was slight and
big mill was in as good condition as ever
Regarding the report that number of
houses had been carried away, he says that
there is no truth in the statement, so far as
Chippewa Falls proper is concerned. Below
the city, in Frenchtown, a few shanties were
upset and carried away, and this is how the
report originated.
During the flood the water rose above the
cellars in the city in only one or two in
stances, and then it barely covered the floor,
while business had only been suspended a
few hours.
In Eau Claire the loss had been greater,
eleven bridges having been swept away,
while it was impossible to give an accurate
account of the losses, which he thought, how
ever, had been greatly exaggerated.