River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-01-30
A HURRICANE.

An unprecedented Ninn-stofm hages IN
the Rocky Mountains = Trains Blown
from the Tracks = several Passengers
Badly Hurt-Fire and Flood DO Much
Damage.
DENVER, Col. Jan. 27.-Travelers in
the Rockies have had an experience that
will last them lifetime. For four
days wind-storm of unparalleled vio-
lence has swept the mountain sides and
howled down the narrow canyons with
force that has denuded the steep hill
sides Of stately trees that had withstood
the storms of centuries. The devasta-
ton is incalculable, as the ruin laid
bare an area of 200 miles long by 10
wide.
The wind struck Manitou Springs with
awful force about noon Saturday and in
an instant a large number of buildings
were in ruins. Houses were lifted from
their foundations like SO many straws
and dashed TO pieces. Scarcely build
ing of any considerable size in the town
escaped some damage. Thousands of
shade trees were also broken off, side
walks caught up and thrown against
houses and stores and chimneys toppled
over by the hundred.
A Rio Grande passenger train was
blown from the track at Monument Sta
ton Saturday evening. and two coaches
and a sleeper Immediately took fire, and
for few minutes it looked as though
twenty of the passengers imprisoned
would be burned to death. The
hurricane famed the flames to
furnace, but by heroic efforts the train
men succeeded in extinguishing the
fire before any person was burned.
Among the passengers injured is AS
sistant General Freight Agent thinner
man, of the Rio Grande. Twelve others
were also wounded, but ii is believed
but one OF them will die of his injuries.
The Santa Fe express is reported to
have been blown from the track, but no
details are obtainable. The train was
heavily loaded with passengers and it is
feared that number of lives have been
lost.
A freight train on the Colorado Cen
trail, when near BERTRAND, ran into a
sand drift which the hurricane had
blown into the cut. The engine and
four cars were wrecked, Engineer John
French and Fireman Richmond fatally
injured, two brakemen wounded and
lot of valuable freight destroyed. Fire
broke out in the wreck, but was ex-
tinguished after hard fight
The path of the heaviest of the storm
Is down the mountains through Monu-
ment, Colorado Springs and Manitou.
a telephone message from Monument at
o'clock Saturday evening said many
outbuildings were destroyed and the
citizens were moving from their houses
and taking refuge in the brush.
1t is reported that the wind was I'M
usually severe on Pixies Peak, and that
at railway grading camp halfway up
the mountain several men were killed
by being blown over precipice. This
report, however, is not confirmed.
North of Denver reports of the storm
show great damage. Louisville, the
center of the Northern Colorado coal
fields, sustained much damage in the
upper works of the mines and many
dwellings have been wrecked.
In South Park wires are Frustrated
and trains delayed. The Arkansas val
ley is also getting its share. Tele-
graphic communication is intercepted
and railroads are INSTRUCTED by sand
blowing over the track. There is no
snow on the plains or in the foot hills.
Reports from Idaho are that the worst
snow-storm of the season has been rag
ing since o'clock Friday afternoon all
through the Territory. The Utah 81
Northern railroad is completely
blocked again, and all the rolling stock
and motive power has been ordered
sidetracked until the storm is over. The
Central Pacific is also IN worse condi-
tion than ever. 1t is reported that the
fast mail sidetracked at Shady Run for
the past ten days, on which the Howard
Athen@um Company is, has been gotten
out and that the company is on its way
to Kansas City.
fIERcF FIRES RAGING.
The plains have been free from seri-
Gus trouble, although the wind has at
tanned a recorded velocity of fifty miles
at Denver Afar on the horizon two col
umns of flames rise to the heavens, and
the cracking of fire famed by hurri-
cane can be heard for twenty miles from
Colorado Springs. The scene is grand.
Pixies Peak along the line of the rail-
way grading is blazing with ferocity
that is increased every minute. Hun
dreds of laborers are trying to stem the
advance of the flames. Fire caught on
Cheyenne mountain from some unex-
planned source just above the famous
canyons. and as the mountain is heavily
timbered the gale sent it in few min
utes over hundreds of acres. Large
bodies of men succeeded in staying the
progress Of the flames before great
amount of damage h ad been done.
FLOODS IN CALIFORNIA.
SAN Francisco, Jan. 27.-The warm
rains that have fallen in Northern Cali
fornia for the last two days have melted
a large amount of snow in the Sierra
Nevada and Siskiyou mountains
and caused streams and rivers to
overflow their banks. At the city of
San Jose the water is higher than ever
before known. Santa Clara's principal
thoroughfare is covered with water for
half a mile. The district north and
south Of San Jose is flooded. At Chico
the Sacramento river is over its banks
and flooding the entire country. The
water stands from five to six feet
deep over 1000 acres of land in Russian
river valley. From Geyserville TO
Heraldsburg, a distance of eight miles,
is a vast sea of water.
Death of a Wealthy Woman.
TITSCOtA III Ian. 27-Mrs Irene