The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-09-19
nTNNEsOrA FLOODS.
The Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers RAJ
ing and Doing Damage.


The Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers Rag
Ing and Doing Damage.
81. PAUL, MIMI, September IA
special from Eau Claire says: A boom on
Point Creek, tributary of the Chippewa
River, went out late in the night and the
water in the Chippewa rose rapidly. This.
with the floating logs, carried away the up
per bridge of the Wisconsin Central Railroad
at Chippewa Falls, and also the lower bridge
between here and this city. The Milwau-
kee & St Paul Railway bridge ard all
the city bridges here and the city bridge
at Chippewa Falls were carried away. The
Omaha bridge at the latter place is not yet
gone but there is no telling what may hap
pen as the water is getting higher and the
railroad Is being badly washed. The water
FLOODED THE STREETS
of this city and is doing great damage.
The Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers are
higher than was ever known before, the
water flowing over the principal streets and
many buildings On low ground are floating
away. Half million feet of logs have
broken from the boom near the Eddy Mills,
and are floating down the stream. The la
test news from the flooded districts of
Wisconsin indicate that the waters are re-
ceding at Chippewa Falls, but rising at Eau
Claire where the water is four feet deep in
the Western Union Office. At Chippewa
Falls 400 dwellings have been swept away
or wrecked and 1000 people are
DEFENDING UPON NEIGHBoRs
who live OH high ground for shelter and
food. Relief committees have been Or
ganized and hundreds of people are being
fed in the court house and the gospel tent of
the Y. NJ. c. A., while the most destitute
are being taken care of in the private
houses. The east and west sides Of
the Chippewa, which divides the city, are
entirely cut off from communication with
each other, except by way of the Omaha
railway iron bridge, which admits of the
passage of foot passengers. 1t is situated so
far up the river that
WALK OF FOUR MILES
Is necessary i'm reaching the business por-
ton of the east side from the court house.
Almost every family in the city will lose
something. The Chicago, Milwaukee Il
st. Paul Railway Company's loss in the
Chippewa Valley will not be less than $780,
900. The lumber companies all lose very
heavily, but the heaviest losses are suffered
by poor people who have had their
homes swept away. The newspaper
offices have all been flooded, and no paper
has been issued or will be soon,
except the Leader, which issues a small
sheet printed on job press instead of the
regular size. Only
ONE LIFE HAS BEEN LOST
in the flood here, a man named Ehler,
drowned while trying to rescue his sick
wife. Mayor Davis has telegraphed to Wa
basha for a steam ferry boat, which will
come up as soon as the stage of water will
permit. Work will be commenced on the
bridges to replace those swept away as soon
as the water goes down.
Both the Chippewa and Eau Claire Rivers
began falling at noon, after reaching the un-
precedented height of twehty-siX feet, three
feet higher than the
GREAT FLOOD OF 1880.
Every bridge on the Chippewa has gona
Out-fve railroad bridges and five wagon
bridges. In Eau Claire the loss of property
is appalling. No satisfactory estimate can
be made at this time. In and between
Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire the loss will
not fall short of 81, 900, 900, and may greatly
exceed that sum. The Eau Claire Gas Com
pany lost three hundred and fifty tons of
coal and
ALL ITS BUILDINGS,
valued at $1,000. Business houses
on all sides of the river are submerged
and great apprehension is felt lest
when the water recedeS the foundations
may be so much impaired as to crumble the
walls. In this city over two hundred houses
have been swept away. Only one life he's
been lost as far as heard from. While this
dispatch is being written, three buildings on
Bride street on the west side have fallen.
They belonged to Fred. BOnnell, .. ID.