The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-07
AN IRRESISTIBLE FLOOD.
RIVERS RUSHING THROUGH IOWA
LIKE MAD RACE HORSES.

High Bluffs Inundated and Houses
Whisked Away on the Crests of the
Torrent-Live Stock Carried Down
the Stream as Corpses-Railroads
Heavy Losers.
SIOUX CITY, Ia, April 6,-The food on
the Missouri Immediately above here has
been the highest and most disastrous since
the spring of 1881. The region inundated
is low ground on the Dakota side, above the
Sioux river. During the break up of the
ice, two weeks ago, an immense gorge
formed in the curved channel of the Mis-
souri, below Elk Point. A dam was formed
and the whole expanse of the low country
was overfiowed, In every direction for
miles the whole country was under water.
Elk Point was diminutive island in a vast
sea of angry waters. The country there is
thiclkly settled, and many farmers had
already removed their live stock to the
bluffs.
HOUSES INVADED.
Most of the houses are built on eminences,
but in most cases the food overflowed these
also. Some live stock was lost, but how
much is not known. 1t has been impossi-
BILE to reach the country. just below Elk
point, the authorities dug an immense
ditch along the line of the lowest depression,
northeasterly toward the Sioux river to
carry off the flood waters. This ditch car
ried the food of waters with great violence
into the Sioux river above st. Paul railroad
bridge.
A RUSHING OCEAN.
There was thus vast river several miles
wide sweeping across the lowlands 1t
plowed out ditch and threatened to change
the channel of the Missouri tore away
fences, haystacks, small outbuildings, and
everything in its way. 1t is now learned
that about four miles of the Milwaukee
railroad track was washed out this side of
Elkpoint. The violence of the current was
so great that about mile and quarter of
track. including the railroad ties and iron,
was carried two miles away from the road
bed and left in the fields.
SWOLLEN SIOUX.
The Sioux river, swollen by the food
waters of the Missouri, rapidly accumulat-
ed a great mass of driftwood and ice against
the railroad bridge. The pressure was suf
ficient to move the bridge feet, and would
have swept the structure entirely away but
for the precautions taken by the railroad
company to save the bridge. However, it
will take two weeks to repair the damage.
Tuesday night the gorge which had caused
all the trouble suddenly broke. The con
fined food rushed down the stream like a
race horse. The rise here was 10 feet in
less than two hours. Yesterday the river
fell some, but it is still very high. 1t will
be many days before the water on the low
grounds in the region of Elk Point can be
drained off. 1t is thought that no lives
have been lost.
A TOWN NEARLY SWEPT AWAY.
CHICAGO, April GA great freshet last
night in the Shell Rock river nearly swept
away the town of Rock Falls, la. An iron
bridge, 155 feet long, is gone, and several
houses were crushed. Nobody wa drowned.
The inmltes of several of the crushed houses
took refuge on great cakes of ice and re-
manned there in their night clothes until the
water subsidel in the morning. The waters
are still at food height. but are now passing
down without obstruction, the gorges hav-
ing broken.