The morning call., 1891-06-25
SWEPT FROM SIGHT.
The Work Of Repeated Cloud
bursts and Gales.
1 Large Portion Of Northwestern Iowa
Almost Devastated
The Number Of Fatalities UnklOWB-Many
Houses Carried Away and Thousands
Of Acres Under Water.
Special to THE MORNING CALI

CHEROKEE Qowa), June A-The terrors
of the JOhnstown flood were in part re-
peated In this place to-day. Seventy five
houses were carried out of sight in a Nj
asara-lke torrent. How many lives were
lost is yet matter of uncertainty. a ter
rife cloud-burst, thrice repeated. and wind
almost a hurricane are what Consummsted
the dread work. The storm, which began
last night, appears to have swept in a vast
circle through Northwestern Iowa, fully 100
miles in diameter, with Cherokee as the
center. Up 10 1880 o'clock tonight, owing
TO the destruction of the wires and railroads,
only the vagueSt reports have reached here
from the devastated territory TO the west,
north and south. The damage here, taking
into account the relatively small size Of the
town, is enormous. The most OF the de-
struction in Cherokee was wrought by the
extraordinary downpour of water from the
sky. The flood carried of, apparently with
out effort, the big tTusseS of the bridge on
the Illinois Central. and with the bridge
went 4OC feet of the trestle approaches
Tonight the Little Sioux is at the highest
stage ever known. The best information
indicates that the Illinois Central rails are
under water continuously for many miles
on the Onawa branch, and havoc both to
the roadway and bridges are something
seldom paralleled in railroad history.
WATERLOO Qowa), June 24-Reports con-
tinue 10 be received confrmatory Of the dis
astrous storm and food along the Illinois
Central. Cherokee was visited by another
storm this morning fully as disastrous though
not OF as long duration as that Of last night
The Illinois Central bridge. about $50 feet
long, across the Little Sioux at Cherokee,
went down under the rush Of the food this
afternoon together with several houses in
the lower part Of the town.
Reports Of the drowning Of four persons
at Cherokee and four at CorTectonyille are
confirmed by dispatch Observation-Disclosures
Gilleas of the Iowa division, who is at the
scene Of the disaster.
The railroad depot at Calumet was blown
down, and much damage to town property
is reported
The wires are all down and it is impossi-
bic to obtain accurate information, except
through reports transmitted to railroad Of
fcials, and these are not always accessible.
NINNEAPoLIs, June ga 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. Floyd River Valley is inundated for
thirty-fye miles north of this city. Many
houses In Lemars are flooded over the first
H. OTs, while the towns Of Merrill, Hinton
and James ale in a worse condition.
ThiTty-fve miles of track On each OF the
Illinois Central, Chicago, St Paul and Kan
sas City, Minneapolis and Omaha, and Sioux
City and Northern, are flooded north Of this
city with bad washouts at Lemars.
The little Sioux River Bottom at Cherokee
is entirely inundated and thousands Of
acres under water The water at Cherokee
carried away many houses.
On the Central Iowa branch 900 feet OF
track was carried out; on the Sioux Falls
branch seven bridges were washed out The
Chicago and Northwestern tracks in Sioux
Valley are out for over half mile at Suth-
erland. 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 and tonight the food is
sweeping through Floyd River Valley to
ward this city and devastating hundreds
of acres Of crops. The manufacture
ing towns Of Leeds. Lynn and Lewistown
are in It's course and will be submerged by
morning, causing thousands of dollars Of
damage. Tonight hundreds of families on
Floyd River fats in this city are moving
out on to higher grounds. The railload
companies have abandoned their yards and
shops, and the engines, cars and all kinds
of material have been removed to higher
ground. The stock In the Union and the
Central stock-yards, packing houses, rail-
road shops and many houses will be par
TALLY under water and great damage done
The wires east and north Of here are all
down
Reports from South Dakota are that the
Vermilion River is out os its banks and
flooding thousands Of acres Of growing
grain.
The storm at Sutherland last night at 7
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 were washed
out.
COLONIZATION SCHEME.
Proposition to Transport the Entire Popula-
Il L.-l-..a