Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-25
Many Towns Submerged and
Much Damage Done.
A Succession Of Storms Turns
the Rivers Into Torrents.
Eight Lives SO Far Known to Have
Been Lost in the Flood.
Miles of Railroad Track Washed Out and
Several Bridges Carried Away.
Thousands OF Acres of
Wheat Ruined.
Associated Press Dispatches.

OHEROkEE, iowa, june 1f.- Hc tSi-
>rors of the Johnstown food were in part
repeated in this place today. Seventy
five houses were carried out of sight in a
Niagara-like torrent. How many lives
were lost is yet matter of uncertainty.
A terrific cloud-burst, thrice repeated,
and amid almost hurricane, are what
consummated the dread work. The
storm, which began last night, appears
to have swept in vast circle over north
western Iowa fully 100 miles in diame-
ter, with Cherokee as its center. Up to
1O:3O, tonight, owing to the de-
struction of the wires and railroads, only
the vaguest reports have reached here
from the devastated territory to the west,
south and north.
AT CHEROKEE CITY.
The damage here, taking into account
the relatively small size of the town, is
enormous. Most OF the destruction in
Cherokee was wrought by an extraor-
dinary downpour OF water from the sky.
The flood carried off, apparently with
out effort, the big trusses of the bridge
on the Illinois Central, and with the
bridge went 400 feet of the trestle ap-
proach. Tonight the Little Sioux is at
the highest stage ever known. The
best information indicates that the Illi-
nois Central rails are under water con-
tinuously for many miles on the Onawa
branch, and that the havoc, both to the
roadway and bridges, is something sell
dom paralleled in railroad history.
n.rr,mxy-t,t,,r, arr no ON r.r oon
MINNEAPOLIS, June PA special to
the Tribune from Sioux City, Iowa, says ::
The terrible rains of last night and this
morning have almost devastated this
portion of Iowa. No roads are running
trains from this city east. The Floyd
river valley is inundated for thirty-fve
miles north of this city. Many houses
in Lemars are flooded over the first
floors, while the towns of Merrill, Hin
ton and James are in a worse condition.
Thirty-five miles of track on each of the
Illineis Central, Chicago, st. Paul and
Kansas City, Minneapolis and. Omaha,
and Sioux City and Northern are flooded
north of this city, with bad washouts at
Lemars.
THOUSANDS OF ACRES INUNDATED.
The Little Sioux river bottom at Cher
okee is entirely inundated, and thous-
ands OF acres are under water. The
water at Cherokee carried away many
houses. On the Central Iowa branch,
900 feet of track are carried out, and on
the Sioux Falls branch seven bridges
washed off. The Chicago and North
western tracks in the Sioux valley are
out for oyer half mile at Sutherland.
The same road is also washed out at
Carroll. AT Merrill, eight miles from
this city, the Floyd river rose fifteen
ieet in three hours, this afternoon, and
tonight the flood is sweeping through
the Floyd-river valley toward this city,
devastating hundreds of acres OF crops.
The manufacturing towns of Leeds,
Lynn and I.ewistown are in its course
and will be submerged by morning,
causing thousands of dollars worth OF
damage. Tonight hundreds Of families
on the Floyd river flats in the city are
moving out onto higher grounds. The
railroad companies have abandoned
their yards and shops, and engines, cars
and all kinds of material have been re-
moved to higher ground. The stock in
Union and Central stock yards, packing
houses, railroad shops and many houses
will be partially under water and great
damage will be done. The wires east
and north of here are all down.
SOUTH DAKOTA.
Reports from South Dakota are that
the Vermillion river is out of its banks
and flooding thousands OF acres of grow
ing grain. The storm at Sutherland
last night at O'Clock destroyed fifteen
dwellings, four warehouses, and several
barns. The people took to caves and no
one was injured. All of the county and
railroad bridges are washed out.