Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-09-19
THE FLOODS.
Four Hundred Houses Float
Away from Eau Claire.
Millions of Dollars Worth of Prop
erty Destroyed by the
Water.
The Flood at Eau Claire.

The Flood at Eau Claire.
EAU CLAIRE Sep. 1.-THE boom CT
Point creek, a tributary of the Chippews
river went out last night and the water
in the Chippewa rose rapidly. This
with the floating logs carried away the
upper bridge of the Wisconsin Central
railroad at Chippewa Falls and also the
lower bridge setween there and this city
The Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Pau
bridge and all the city bridges at Chip
pewa Falls were carried away.
The st. Paul & Omaha bridge ct the
latter place has not yet gone. but there
is no telling what may happen. as the
water continually gets higher. The st.
Paul & Omaha railroad banks are badly
washed. The water is flooding the
streets of this city, doing great damage.
The Eau Claire and Chippewa rivers are
higher than ever known before The
WAFER is flowing evcr the principal
streets. Many buildings on the lower
streets are floating away. Half NIL
lion feet of logs have broken from the
boom near the Eddy mills anu are float
ing down the stream.
The Eau Claire Gas company lose $50
| tons of coal and all buildings, valued at
| $4,000. Business houses on all sid-s of
the two rivers are submerged. Great
apprehension is felt lest when the
water recedes the foundations RIay be
SO much impaired as to crum' lie the
walls. In this city over 400 houses
have been swept away. Orly one life
lost SO far as heard from While these
dispatches are being written three
| buildings on Bridge street, on the west
side, have fallen. They belonged to
Fred Bonnell, A, d. C2ippell and J. F.
Ewing.
EAU CLAIRE, Wis, Sept 11.-The
water in the Chippewa river has fallen
about three feet since noon. Itreached
the height OF four feet and seven inches
higher than the great flood of 1880. All
thu low portions Of the city have been
flooded. Nea,ly 400 dwellings have
been swept away or wrecked, and 900
people are depending upon the neigh
bors who live out upon the high ground
for shelter axd food. Tonight relief
| committees have been organized
and hundreds of people are being
| fed at the court house and gospel tent
of the Y. NJ c. A., while the most
destitute are being taken care of in pri-
vate houses. The east and west sides of
the Chippewa, which divide the city, are
entirely cut off from communication
with each osher, except by way of the
Omaha railway iron bridge, which ad-
mits passage of lost passengers. It is
situated far up the river, that walk of
| four miles is necessary in reaching the
business portion of the east side. AL
most every family in the city loses
something, TIE Chicago, Milwaukee
| and st. Paul R. r. Co.'S loss in the
Chippewa valley is not less than half a
| million dollars. Lumber companies all
lose very heavily, but the heaviest losses
are suffered by the poor people, who
have had their homes swept away. The
newspaper offices have all teen flooded
and no paper has been issued to-day or
will be tomorrow, except the Leader,
which was issued on a small sheet print
ed on Job press instead of the regular
size. Only one life has been lost in the
flood here. A man named Epler was
drowned while trying to rescue his sick
wife.
LATER nEPORTS.
EAU CLAIRE, Sept. 13.-The food
reached its m2x imum limit at 3 o'clock
yesterday afternoon, and then began to
recede nearly as rapidly as it came on,
the first hour showing a fall of eight
inches. The city has been almost entire
ly cut eff from communication with the
outside world. Nothing but private dis
patches could be sent out, the telegraph,
the telephone and even the electric light
wires being utterly demoraliztd ID. When
night closed i'll upon the city, the flood
was about one mile in width. Many of
the people were compelled to sleep in
tents and temporary sheds.
At Chippewa Falls the damage is terri
| BILE. All over the low flats, covered
with cultivated farms, between that
city and Wabasha, hundreds of farmers
are desolate and their farms sea of
wat.r. Many of them can get from
their houses only on rude RATS. No
estimate can be made of the amount of
stock drowned and strayed away. Two
hundred and fifty thousand doll 4r2'
worth of bridges alone have already
foated away. Only one or two lives
have been lost so far.
Tho Eau Claire Pulp and Paper COM
pany's loss is comparatively small.
The water was to the second step
leading to the Eau Claire house at a.
m. and people on sections of sidewalk
were riding up and down Barstow
street. the leading thoroughfare of the
city.
The. streets were filled with teams
| laundering in enc md two feet of
water engaged in removing goods from
| stores.
As a saloon went floating down the
river rumor was current that man
was in the bui|digg.
A ferry will be started as soon as the
current of the river will permit, to con,
meet the two principal down-t o WI
streets.
1920 P. M-The river has gone dows
four feet since midnight. Large piece,
of booms and tramways. and parts OF
buildings continue 10 float by, and du-
ring the night what remains of two
whole blocks at the west approach tC
Kelsey-street bridge were swept away
The sun has risen clear and bright
mocking the ruin which IL brings K
light. The fire of 1880 dId not do hall
the damage already done by this flood
A rough estimate for Chippewa valley
is: Dam and mill property, $500, ,00a
bridges, 5000, 600; real estate $500 600
City of Eau Claire, private, etc, $500. .0U0
total, 81 400, coo. This is a very low es
| innate.