St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-06-26
RECKONING The COST
Partial Review Of the De-
struetion Wrought by
the Iowa Storm.
Desolation Is Spread Broad
cast Over an Extensive
Section.
Bridges and Railroads, as
Well as Houses and
Crops, Damaged.
Particulars in Detail Cannot
Be Secured for Some
Days Yet.

| NHICAGO, June Z0.-AuVlcoS TeCGlVeu
at the headquarters of the Chicago &
! Northwestern railroad in this city this
| morning indicate that the destruction
by the cloudburst in Northwestern Iowa
yesterday is more destructive than the
| news dispatches thus far received sug-
| gest. From the damage to its lines ac-
tually reported to the road, it appears
that the deluge covers at least portions
of the counties of Sioux, O'Brien. Clay,
Plymouth. Cherokee, Bnena Vista,
| Woodbury., Ida. Sac, Monona, Crawford,
Carroll, Harrison and Shelby, covering
a territory three counties in width along
| the western border of the state. and
| five counties in length, beginning within
one tier of counties from the northern
boundary of the state and extending
| southwark. The telegraph lines in this
territory are greatly demoralized and it
is next to impossible to get accurat e
detailed information touching the gen.
eral losses and casualties. This terri
tory 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 section of the state.
| Several of the general officers of the
! Northwestern railroad left for the scene
| last night and are making strenuous eff
| forts to open the route into the de-
wasted region. Their reports to head
| quarters give only the results of their
| observations in regard to the damage of
| the property OF the company, leaving
that of the adjcent communities to be
| Inferred. Their reports show that the
main line of the road, the Northern
| Iowa division, is demOraliZed from Linn
Grove to Alton, a distance of forty
miles; that the Moville branch, from
| MOville TO Schaller, distance of forty
| five miles, is in the same condition, and
that the Onawa branch, from Onawa to
Ida Grove, fifty miles in length, is also
badly off. These lines, with an aggre-
| gate length of 135 miles, are entirely
| blockaded by the carrying away of
| bridges and the washing out of the road
| beds. All traffic this side of and beyond
| the points named is being carried by
round about lines.
On the Main Line,
From Linn Grove to Alton, the bridge
over Waterman creek, with its trestle,
2S0 feet long, has been carried away,
and ten other bridges, five on each side
of Waterman creek, have been rem
dered useless by undermining or par
TALLY carried away. One bridge 100
feet long, near Paulina, is gone, togeth-
er with two smaller ones. The track is
washed away i'll li.any places. AT
Waterman creek the track and ties have
been carried quarter of mile from
| thesroadbed. 1t has been impossible to
learn much in regard to the condition of
affairs on the Movlle branch, between
Neville and Scballer. The wires are
| down and the waters are still so high
that it is impossible as yet to make
personal inspection of the line. The
| officials here. however, fear the worst.
The same conditions obtain on the line
between Ida Grove and Onawa. No
| reports have come in from that section,
which indicatee that damage has proba-
bly, been done. 1t is reported from
Galva that the bridge over Maple river
has been washed out. At the present
damage to railroad property in that
territory. but enough is known to. show
that it will be very heavy. The section
of country where the
Flood Was Most Severe
is traversed by numerous branches, not
only of the Chicago & Northwestern,
waukee & st. Paul and the main line of
the Chicago, st. Paul. Minneapolis &
Omaha roads. No reports of the dam
age to these lines have been received,
except from the Illinois Central, whose
| line from Cherokee to Onawa, which
runs along the Sioux river is bIockaded,
| and the general officers who left here
last night, have not yet been able to get
across the swollen river to Cherokee,
which is on the west side of the river.
| The wires are all down and nothing can
| be learned as to the state of affairs on
the west side of the river. The bridge
| Of the Illinois Central at Cherokee, over
| the Sioux river, is washed away. The
| officials fear the worst, not
| only as to the line from
| Cherokee toiOnawa. but that also from
| Cherokee to Sioux Falls. The Chicago
| & Northwestern has repair crews and q
| half dozen pile drivers at each end of
the breaks in its lines, ready to begin
| repairs, but the waters are still so high
| that the work cannot be proceeded with.
| 1t will take several days to put the lines
in condition for the resumption of traf-
| fic. The Chicago, Milwaukee & ST.
| Paul road suffered severe washouts on
its Sioux City division, between Sioux
| City and Manila, and traffic is delayed
on that division. On the Iowa and Da-
occurred, but not enough to prevent
| the running of the trains. The tele-
| graph lines are down on the Sioux City
| division and the actual amount of dam
age done is unknown.