Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1891-06-26
TORRENTS OF WATER
DELUGE THE ENTIRE ILLINOIS
RIVER VALLEY.

Tho Floods Nere Caused by Cloudbursts,
and Were Unparalleled In Their sud-
denness Enormous Destruction Of Prop.
erty--Threc Children Drowned In fight
of Their Mother.
The village OF Utica, Ill, was tho
scene OF c.oud- burst that IL almost
without parallel.
A few minutes before noon an omin-
ous-looking cloud was observed hanging
over the village and with . peculiar
rolling motion shifting first east, then
no. thward, and then apparently rolling
back upon its path until 1t came directly
over the town.
The darkness that attended tho gath
ering storm was like that ofnight. Tho
people were terror stricken and looked
at one another in speechless suspense.
Suddenly tho i1oodgxtcs OF the heavens
were opened and at one awful burst
torrent poured itself upon tho village,
and almost instantly the streets were
buried under water that rose over lawns,
porches, and then into the houses, drlv.
Ing tho people from their homes and
their laces Of business TO seek safety
on the highest points available.
The excitement aud anguish OF the
fleeing panic-stricken villagers was ter
rible In the extreme. Many of them
be loved their last hour had come.
Mothers hugged their children to their
breasts and prayed for deliverance.
Others, not entirely paralyzed with
fear, devoted themselves to saving their
property from ruilE
Within few moments OF the cloud
burst the water was fully six feet deep
in the streets. When it began recedinR
the great damage to property could be
discerned Sidewalks, fences, and
bridges were washed away; dwellings
aud places OF business were partially
ruined, and household goods on the
lower floors were rendered worthless.
The Rock Is'and's new double-track
iron railroad bridge over the Peguin
Soggin creek was washed away, and four
cars Oh siding at the new cement works
were carried down the stream.
The canal bank broke in several
places, which increased the volume Of
water, and hex No l3, just west OF Uti-
tn, was torn out.
Large gangs of men were Immediately
at work removing the great beds OF sand
which washed upon the track from the
Utica pits, while others were replacing
the broken bridge. Tho loss Is hard to
approximate, but $50, 900 is conserva-
tive figure
In Hilton, small town across the
river from Peoria, numerous houses
were washed from their foundations and
the people fled sin their night-clothes to
the ralroai grade and the hills. The
water in houses at Farmdale rose
to depth Of three feet, and
the people narrowly escaped drown
ing Herds of cattle, horses, hogs,
and chickens were swept away. and the
crops Of farmers for Il large tract Of land
In the val ey were utterly ruined. The
only fatality reported was in the Cop
peras Creek valley, just across the line
In Fulton County. A family named Gray
had cabin in the val ey, and when the
food left the banks of Copperas Creek
and rushed down the valley the inmates
| grew alarmed. The father took hii
three boys and stated to the hills. whilt
the mother refused to leave the house
When halfway across the valley float
ing log struck Gray and stunned him.
The rcshing water drowned the boys
| tagged IL, 8, and 81, and he narrowly es
capped by clinging to the log. His wife
got on the roof Of the house and was
rescued
A water spout delugcd the country
north and east Of Canton, and did grea,
| damage to property. At Pennington
800 yards OF the Central Iowa Railway
was washed out.
Three bridges OF the Lake Erie and
Western Road between Crandall anC
Farmdale were destroyed by cloud
burst which flooded Farm Creek Valley.
Five other bridges were crippled. Sew
eral trains had narrow escapes and al
were delayed. The storm was local and
| con lined to small area.