Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-06-11
By Flood and Flame.
The Northwest Visited by Dew
astating Storms.
LOSSES OF LIFE AND PROPERTY.

Fire Sweeps Through the Town of Norway
Making N Torrent of Rain a GOd-send-
A Cyclone CircIing Around Near Eau
Claire-CIo Burst In the Peninsula
Work Of the I'Inmes-A Terrible Holo-
caust-Fire ut Cincinnati.
MARQUETTE Mich, June Il, The greatest
rainfall ever known on this peninsula ceased
yesterday What would have been a cyclone
in an unbroken country passed ovsf the re-
gion Saturday night, and rain fell in tor
rents. Reports come in from different parts
of the peninsula, all giving accounts of the
damage The storm appears to have been
heavier at or near Lake Linden than else
where, although all the country for 100 miles
each way was visited The storm burst like
a water-spOut. At Calumet the Methodist
church was struck by lightning md n large
quantity of water poured into the great Calu'
met and Hecla mine before the miners could
be- protected. At Portage Entry tho quarries
are stopped, being full OF water Reports
from Lake Linden estimate the damage at
10000. Nearly every basement in the city
is flooded and an immense quantity Of mer-
Chandse is damaged. No trains can enter
the town on the Hancock q Calumet road be-
cause of washouts
All along the line of the Duluth, South
and several washouts are reported. At a
point between Itobinson's and HoughtOn pas
sengers and baggage were transferred by
tug. While there are many breaks in the
track, and nearly every peniusular railroad
is more or less damaged, there has been no
accident of any kind, and the trains will be
moving on time in n day or two, Houses
were undermined in some places, and even
hoated bodily off on the water While there
is no means of approximating the damage,
it will reach way up in the thousands.
The people of Norway, Mich, have special
reason to be thankful for the storm, how
ever, as but for its visitation there would not
have been a building standing in that city.
The fire there Saturday afternoon rapidly
swept through the town. The steamer broke
down before a stream was thrown, and in
twenty minutes it was evident that
the town was doomed. For three hours
the fire ragged, when the great
storm burst over the flames and soon extin-
guished them Forty-seven buildings, near
ly all business blocks, We're totally destroyed.
The total loss is fully S225, 900 Aside from
the loss by fire thousands of dollars worth
of household goods, merchandise and the like
were ruined by the storm. The people liv-
ing in the track of the fire, seeing certain de-
struction upon them, hastily threw their pos
sessions out doors INTO places OF safety where
they themselves were forced to remain dur
ing the night Ii was several hours before
all could find shelter and in some instances
women and children were out in the pitiless
storm for "A long time. There are but two
stores in the city, and the town is proviS-
toned for no time whatever. The people Of |
Iron Mountain have sent Sufficient food to |
sustain them for the present, and last night |
there was actual suffering. |
Some of the heaviest losers are rs follows |
Gee & Wallace, building $1,000; A. Paten- |
aude, drugs and jewery 5000, household |
goods 81 800; A. Phelps. restaurant $1,000, |
building 5000 NJ. Anderson, building |
3d. 900, groceries $1,000 household goods
$500; J. Linquist building $1,000 general
merchandise $1,000, household goods 81 800;
j. H. Gee, building $500, stock $4,000, fur
niture 81 900; F. Leroy, buildings $500,
groceries $1,000, furniture $500; z. Fanni-
gan, building $1,000; Masonic building,
81, 900; j. NJ. Hoskins & Co, hardware
5000; John ONeil, building $1,000; j.
Brachetti e. Co, meat market $500; John
Stiles, building 5000; J. Ashlish s. Son.
s., goo; f. Nowack, building and furniture,
& 500; John Reiber, blacksmith shop $1,000;
C. 7. McElroy, $4,000, general merchandise
same, S2O,OOO, and household furniture
IS, 900; A. Huston, hotel and furniture
IS, 600 There are many others losing in
sums of from $500 to 81 900 Owing TO the
risks the insurance is very light