, 1891-06-25
Cherokee, Ia, the Center of a
Terrible Storm.
SeVenty-fVe Houses Carried
Away By the Water.
Floyd River Valley Flooded
For Thirty-fve Miles.
Several Manufacturing Towns
in Great Danger.
No Loss of Life as Far as
Heard From.

CHEROKEE, la, June 24.-The terrors
Of the Jonhstown food we're in part re-
peated in tins place today. Seventy-fve
houses were carried out of sight in a Nj
aglra like torrent. How many lives were
lost Is yet a matter of uncertainty. A
terrific cloud burst, thrice repeated, and
wind almost q hurricane are what consum.
mated the dread work. The storm, which
began last night, appears to have swept z
vast circle of Northwestern Iowa. fully 100
miles in diameter, with Cherokee as the
center. Up TO 1890 tonight. owing to the
destruction Of wires and railroads, only
the vagucst reports have reached here
from the devastat j territory to the west,
north and south. The damage here. tax
ing into account the relatively snail
size OF the own is enormous. Most of
the destruction in Cherokee was wrought
by an extraorl nary dowupour of water
from the SKY. TIE food carried off. ap-
p~arcntly without effort, a big t~re>tle
bridge on the llino,s Central. and with
the bridge went 400 feet Of ~tresllc an
rroaehes. Tonight the Little Sioux is at
the highest tag" ever knoSn. The b-st
information indicates that the Illinois
Central rail- are under water continuously
for many miles on the Onawa branch, and
the havoc both 10 the roadway and bridges
is something unparalleled in railroad his
tory.
MINNEAPoLIs, June "a "A special to
the Tribune from Sioux City, Ia. 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
lie Mars are flooded over the first floors,
while the towns OF Merrill, Hinton and
james are in a worse condition. Thirty
five miles OF track of each of the Illinois
Central. Chicago, St. Paul x Kansas
City, Minneapolis 4 Omaha and Sioux
CITY & Northern are flooded north of this
city. with bad wa,houts at lie Mars. The
Little Sioux river bottom at Cherokee Is
entirely inundated. and thousands Of acres
are under water.
The water at Cherokee carried away
many houses. On the Central Iowa
branch 900 iect of track were carried out;
on the Sioux Falls branch seven bridges
were washed out. The Chicago & North
western tracks 10 the Sioux valley are out
Tor over half a mile at Sutherland. The
same road Is also washed out at Carroll.
At Merrill, eight miles from this city,
the Floyd river rose fifteen feet in three
hours this afternoon, aud tonight the
flood is~sweepinG through the Floyd river
valley toward this city, and devastating
hundreds OF acres of crops.
The manufacturing towns OF Leeds.
Lynn and L"wIs,uwn are in it, course aud
will be submerged ty morning, causing
thou -ands oil dollars OF damage. Tonight
hundreds OF families an the Floyd river
flats IN this city are moving out onto
higher ground. The railroad companies
have abandoned wards and shops, and en-
Vines, cars and all kinds OF material have
been removed ~ higher ground. The
sto K in the Urlnn ami Central stock
yards packing houses. railroad shops aud
many houses Will be- partially under water
and great damage will be done. The
wires east and north Of here are all down.
Renots from South Dakota are that
the Nermillion river is ont If its banks
and fioolmg thousands of acres OF grow.
ing grain.
The storm at Sutherland last night at I
O'Clock destroyed fifteen dwellings, four
warehouses and several barns. The people
took to caves, and no one was injured. All
county and railroad bridges we're washed
out.