St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-09-15

reaching it in safety. At evening yester-
day the Chippewa river was not very high,
but the waters were rising rapidly and many
an anxious head was laid upon the pillow to
remain but short time as the sequel
showed. About l or 2 o'clock the solemn
tolling of one OF the city bells broke upon the
air warning the people that great
calamity was about to befqll them.
Lights appeared all over the city, anx-
ious men and women came forth to
witness the wild scenes and lend helping
hand to save their own and others property.
AT this time 1t was reported that Little Falls
and Paint creek dams, the two largest on
the Chippewa, had broken. The water was
then a foot higher than in 1880 and contin-
ually rising. Oceans of saw logs piled al
most mountain high came moving and
crashing along almost as irresistible as fate.
The Wisconsin Central railroad bridge, just
above the falls Of the Chippewa, bent and
swayed like q reed In the wind and with
terrible noise broke In pieces and dashed
into the roaring cataract below, taking sew
eral freight cars loaded with gravel with it.
This mass of logs and timbers struck the
wagon bridge and took that to bear them
company in their mad career.
Again these struck the lower bridge of the
Wisconsin Central & st. Paul railroad and
broke it into pieces. The water at o'clock
this morning was four feet higher than in
1880. Almost as far as the eye could reach
nothing could be seen but water, water.
French town, little village on the south
bank Of the Chippewa, was almost entirely
covered and about half Of the houses were
gone. The large yard Of the Chippewa Lum-
Der and Boom company with three or four
million feet of lumber in it was all afoat,
with all their buildings and planning mill,
except their mammoth saw mill, that was
only saved by an immense jam of logs above
it, that turned the current towards the other
side of the river, which cut the bank away
one hundred feet in and three hundred feet
long.
A large portion of the city nearest the
river was under water from one to fifteen
feet. In the middle of the night people were
awakened, and in jumping out of bed
alighted in three feet of water. Many had
to seek refuge in the second stories. Every
basement for twenty rods back was filed
with water and in many Of the stores and
business houses the water arose half way
up the counters. At four O'Clock in the
morning the scene was indescribable. Men,
women and children were rushing away
toward high land, with brave men trying to
save valuable property, thousands of dollars
of which has been destroyed. There is not a
bridge left in the city. Paint creek dam, on
the Chippewa, above the city, one of the
finest of its kind perhaps in the world,
that was built at a cost Of $3.50, 900,
is badly demolished, owned by the Chippewa
Lumber and Boom company. They estimate
their entire damage at 100000 The loss
to citizens will foot up to 500, 900, besides
the railroad companies have suffered heavy
losses,-perhaps $500, 600. The French Lum-
Der ompany's entire lumber yard has been
swept down river. Gravel Island mill, three
miles below the city, has suffered heavy
losses and have lost all their logs.