Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-06-11
AN AWFUL FLOOD.
Underwood and Weston, Ia, Del
uges = Many Buildings Wrecked
and Bridges Observation-Disclosures
Ncb., Wiped Out by a Cyclone.

A Council Bluffs, Ia, dispatch of the
4th saws: About o'clock this morning
there was a terrific cloudbu,st a few
miles north Of Underwood. nearly over
Mosquito Creek. In the evening a
heavy rain set in, and shortly after 9
O'Clock an immense cloud was observed
by the terrified villagers coming up from
the West. As it passed to the North it
seemed to burst in fury. The valley ef
Mosquito Creek received this deluge.
Before daybreak, the floos had del
uged the little city. Scores of dwell
ings were totally wrecked, while others
are twisted from their foundations
At noon the waters of Mosquito Creek
registered twenty-five feet above high
water mark. The lower part of the city
is now standing in ten feet of water.
Two miles of the Rock Island track is
submerged and probably washed away.
The Milwaukee & st. Paul, which paral-
leis the Rock Island, is an equal loser.
The bridges of both roads are swept
The dwelling of Joseph Barrier was
wrecked, and its occupants narrowly
escaped drowning. A large number of
cattle and hogs we're drowned. The to-
tai loss in Underwood and vicinity will
aggregate $150,000.
At Weston, village seven miles below
Underwood, on the Mosquito creek, the
damage is rot less great. The best part
of the town is under from five to fifteen
feet of water. A line of corn cribs con-
tanning 100000 bushels are under water,
and will probably be total loss. Heavy
losses of cattle and sheep are reported.
The track and bridges of the Rock
Island and Milwaukee roads are gone.
The flour mill at Dowsville, three miles
below, is total wreck. Loss $4,000.
The total loss about Weston will reach
100000.
Further advices from far up the valley
at Nicola, and as far as Persia, on the
line of the Milwaukee road, show til
storm ragged With savage effect At Pei
STA the Farmers Alliance lumber yard
loses s. 600 Mosquito Creek is mile
wide, and is doing much damage. The
loss will reach $4,000 The flood on
Mosquito Creek, which empties into the
Missouri at this point, reached Council
Bluffs about noon to-day. The river
reached high water at ] o'clock, and
it is eight feet above at 8 to-
night, and still rising. The valley,
which varies to a mile wide, is under
water to an average depth of fifteen
feet The indications are that this val
ley, for a distance of thirty miles, is sub
merged. The tracks of the Milwaukee
and Rock Island roads are washed out
for distance of twenty miles. The
bridges also are gone. 1t will be five
days before trains can leave or enter the
city. The entire damage is variOusly es-
timated at from S250,000 to 100000. No
loss of life is yet reported.
A Lincoln, Neb., dispatch of the same
date says: Bradshaw is a town of 800
people, situated on the Nebraska rail-
way, about sixty miles west of Lincoln.
The storm struck the town at $50 Tues
day evening, the roar of the whirlwind
being the first notice that the terrified
people had. There was not a single
building eft. Every business house
was made a total wreck, and the princi
pal street was filled with the
ruins. In the extreme western part Of
the village a few houses are left with
semblance of their former appearance,
but they are without windows and
doors, and their contents are scattered
over the prairie. The depot build
ing was crushed into kindling-wood,
and every car standing there was
wrecked except one that was load
ed with stock, which was blown
without leaving the track to
York, distance of nine miles.
4 special train was sent with physicians
aIiu OttleE ICIG1. IL WIS IOullu lildl
Russian settlement near the town was
struck. and the report is that nine per-
sons were killed there outright. The
physicians say that in all twelve are
dead, eight mortally wounded, and per-
haps twenty-one hurt, more or less seri-
ously.
The killed are: John Miller, child of
]. Bromsey, wife and child of Isaac
Penner, child of Mr.. Chaplin. two men,
bers of Mr.. Shaw's family, and child of
Mr.. Minke, and his hired man.
The injured are: DR.. 0. M. Moore,
Mrs Alex Miller, Lulu Miller, Carrie
Miller, Mr. and Mrs. John Babcock !;
Nh and Mrs John Brumsey, Isaac Pen
ner, Mrs Chaplin, wife of the B. & NJ.
agent; four members of the Cutshaw
family, Mrs. Kehar, Miss Nellie Dorsey,
Mr. and Mrs. Williamson, Prof. McDer-
mott, Thomas Ross, Mrs. Virgins, r..
ID. Logan, wife and two children; Tylan
Colby and many others.
Gov. Thayer to-day ordered the York
militia to the scene, to assist i'll the car
ing for property. He also sent sixty
army tents and other supplies on a
special train which left Lincoln this
evening.