Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1891-07-04
IT WAS A TERRIBLE STORM
Further Details of the Cloudburst
tuesday Night.
Large Area OF Country Inundated and
Crops Ruined and Houses Wrecked
Terrible Devastation at Chcro-
kce and Sutherland.

CHICAGO, June 26.-AdviGes received
at the headquarters of the Chicago and
Northwestern railroad in this city i'm
dicate that the destruction by the
cloudburst in northwestern Iowa is
more widespread than the dispatches
thus far received suggest. From the
damage to its lines actually reported
to the road it appears that the deluge
covered at least portions of the coun-
ties of Sioux, O'Brien, Clay, Plymouth,
Cherokee, Buena Vista, Woodbury.,
Ida, Sac, Monona, Crawford, Carroll,
Harrison and Shelby, covering terri
tory three counties in width along the
western border of the state and five
counties in length, beginning within
boundary of the state and extending
southwark.
Telegraph lines in this territory are
greatly demoralized and it is next TO
impossible to get accurate or detailed
information touching the general
losses and casualties. This territory
is dotted with villages and covered
with cultivated farms, and the worst
is feared in the way Of damage and
possible loss of life along the water
courses which traverse this great see
ton of the state. Several general Off
GERS of the Northwestern road left for
the scene last night and are making
strenuous efforts TO penetrate into the
devastated region.
Their reports to headquarters give
only the results of their observations
in regard 10 the damage done TO the
property of the company, leaving that
of adjacent communities to be inferred
These reports show that the main line
of the road on the northern Iowa divis-
ion is demolished from Linn Grove to
Alton, a distance of forty miles; that
the Moville branch from Moville TO
Schaller, distance of forty-tive miles,
is in the same condition, and that the
Onawa branch from Onawa TO Ida
Grove, fifty miles in length, is equally
badly off. These lines, with an aggre-
gate length of l35 miles, are entirely
blocked by the carrying away of
bridges and the washing out of road
beds. All traffic this side and beyond
the points named is being covered by
roundabo lines.
On the main line from Linn Grove TO
Alton the bridge over Waterman creek
with its trcstlc 2S0 feet long was car
ried away and ten other bridges, FIVE
on each side of Waterman creek. have
been rendered useless by undermining
or are partially carried away. One
bridge 100 feet long near Paullina is
gone, together with two smaller ones.
The track is washed away in many
places. At Waterman creek the track
and ties have been carried quarter of
a mile from the roadbed.
1t is impossible to learn much in re-
gard TO the condition of affairs on the
Neville branch between Neville and
Schaller. The wires are down and the
water is still so high it is impossible as
yet to make n personal inspection of
the line. The officials here, however,
fear the worst.
The same condition obtains on the
line between Ida grove and Onawa.
no reports are in from that section,
which indicates that great damage has
probably been done.
1t is reported from Galva that the
bridge over the Maple river has been
badly washed out. At present it is
impossible to estimate the damage to
the railroad property in that territory,
but enough is known to show that it
will be very heavy. The section of the
country where the flood was most Sc
we're is traversed by numerous branch
es. not only of the Northwestern, but
also of the Illinois Central, Chicago,
Milwaukee and ST. Paul AID the main
line of the Chicago, st. Paul, Mime
apolis and Omaha roads
The Illinois Central refuses to sell
tickets or ship freight to any point
west of Aurelia. At LeMars relief
party telegraphed that the Floyd river
is three-fourths of mile wide and
every thing is under water. The track
was carried away and bridges gone.
AS far as known about $50 miles of the
Illinois Central tracks are blocked or
out of sight.
1t is reported from Waterloo that six
persons met their death in the country
round about Corrcctionville and the
number later was increased to eight.
Houses, barns and out-houses were
floating in the Little Sioux past Chero-
kee all day. 1t is presumed they came
from Sutherland. No loss of life is
reported from up the country.
Aurelia reports from two to four feet
of water in the streets there yesterday.
The cellars are flooded and thousands
of dollars of damage done.
At Storm Lake the merchants were
unable to get into their stores on ac-
count of the water. All passenger and
freight traffic west of Aurelia was
abandoned.