Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-05-23
ridges Washed Away and all Trains
Raye Been Abandoned.
Kansas City is Under Water and
Houses Floating About.
Human Beings in the Cook County
Asylum Fed Like Dogs.
Not Sufficient Cots to Accommodate the
Number of UnfOrtunates.

this city and in Kansas City, Kansas,
where several streets and sewers were
badly washed out. The railroads are all
badly demoraliZsd, and not road sent
in a train exactly on tlme tonight.
Most of the roads are from one to
three hours late, but the western
lines are in wOsre shape, and the Denver
express on the Union Pacific, due at
a. m, did not get in until O'Clock
this afternoon. A large portion Of the
bluff facing the Missouri river was wash
ed down oven the Chicago and Alton
tracks and that road is compelled to use
the Wabrsh tracks tonight.
SALINA, Kas., May 17.-This section of
country has just been visited by perfect
delUge of rain. It has been highly beue-
fetal to the crops, but disastrous TO the
railroads. The Rock Island and Santa
Fe tracks at Sand Springs has been
washed out The Missouri Pacific had
two washouts few miles
east and west Of here and on the
south branch east of Marquette three
tresties were displayed. The Mcpherson
branch of the Union Pacific also had
fifty feet of track carried away. All the
creeks are full and in some cases over
flowing. No damage reported except on
railroads. From Abilene and McPher
son also comes reports Of heavy storms
and washouts on railroads.
Tonight's reports regarding today's
storm indicate that 1t was more serious
than was at first thought. The railroads
are the chief sufferers. Two spans of the
Rush creek bridge on the Chicago, Mil
waukee d St. Paul road near Lib
erty, Mo-, were Washsd away, ana trains
between Kansas City and Chillicothe,
have been abandoned. Kansas City, ST..
Joseph and Council Bluffs tracks are
submerged twelve inches for a
long distance mere Parkvilie. Hannibal
tracks are also under water near Liberty.
All east bound Rock Island trains go
from Kansas City via st. Joseph to
Cameron. The Union Pacific is badly
damaged near Manhattan, Kansas, where
the Kaw river is Is feet above low water
mark. The Missouri Pacific is badly
demoralized in ell directions, and trains
are from two to four hours late. Several
bad washOuts are reported between here
and the Little Blue. In this city the 18sh
street cable line was stopped six
hours on account of the flood and
power house of the Tenth street line was
so badly flooded that the water had to be
eral hours TO keep the machinery in
operation. The I welfth street line was
stopped for over an hour on account of
water flooding the conduits in the loop
at the eastern city limits.
Between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets
FOR distance of two blocks
in the eastern part of the
city the entire surface is uDder water,
floors of nearly all the dwellings, in that
territory are submerged, causing great
inconvenience. At Kansas City, Kansas,
$25 600 worth of damage has been done.
In A-mOurdaie a number of cottages
we're flooded while on Split Log creek
there is an area of ten acres that is now
lake from five to twenty feet deep.
The house of M. III. Isler was flooded to
che ceiling and the family rescued with
difficulty.
CHICAGO, May 13.-The hearing of the
application for the release of Dora Will
lard, an inmate of the Cook county in
sane asylum, vas begun IN the county
court this morning. Mrs. Shedd, of the
Woman's Protection association, tes tiff I'D
that the asylum WAS OveFcrowded; that
there was not enough seats for the pa
tients, who were therefore com PEELED to
sit on the floor; shat the county was
paying nine cents a pound for hog
snou' S, which were being fed TO patients;
there was much drunkenness in the in
stitution and there have been some cases
of scurvy. Dr. Herman, the prominent
sup erintendeut, had improved the con-
dition of affairs. DR.. Hunt, of the
ASYLUM medical staff, testified that there
were 1000 patients in the institution
-, ,1o,,I ,-n 20 2o%n
at the outside, and the number of attend
ants is much too limited.
Evidence WAS introduced TO
the effect that patients were fed
on pigs heads for an entire year, with
potatoes for vegetables once week.
There wa no service and patients fought
for possession of the potatoes with the
result that the weak got none and that
over fifty of the inmates beoame afflicted
with scurvy. One of the medical staff
testified that in one ward there
are twenty-eight violent patients with
only nine rooms, or an average of three
in room. It was absolutely necessary to
have only one or two IN some OF the
rooms, so that four persons were crowd
ed into others. These rooms were =
by 10 fest in size, and the beds are 1-2
feet wide, but In many cases the patients
are forced to sleep in them.
Under such circumstances with
insufficient attendants, the patients
would climb over the cots and fight, and
the medical attendance was frequently
called six or eight times in a single night
TO go to patients who were attempting
to commit murder or suicide. This state
of affairs was reported to the members
Of the county board again and again, but
nothing was done to remedy it
Much other revolving testimony was
brought In.
The board of county commissioners
this afternoon passed q resolution nam,
ing committee of prominent citizens
to recommend suitable person to sue
coed the present superintendent Dr..
Herman, whose management has been SO
severely commented upon recently.
CHICAGO, May s16.-The investigation
into the condition of affairs at the in
sane asylum was resumed before Judge
Prendergast, in the county court this
morning. The session consumed In the
hearing of further evidence from the at
PENDANTS as to the over GRO Hded condition
of the institution, poor quality of
food, the insufficient number of
attendants, etc. One attendant testifes
that she found the place full of vermin
when she became connected with the
asylum, that the patients were in a
dreadful condition as the result, and that
the roof leaked in some places, wetting
the beds on which the patients slept.
CHICAGO, May I'm the investigation
into the condition of the insane asylum,
one of the attendants admitted that under
former administration one of the pa
tiepts was beaten to death by another,