The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-06-25
DELAoED.

OELu0EO.
Terrific Cloudbursts in several IIiiaois
vlllaees-Slx Feet Of Water In the
streets OF Ctica-People Forced 60 K1es
for Their JIves-severai Deaths by
Drowning in Nebraska
OTTAWA. ILL.,. June 10. - The little
village of Utica, eight miles west Of
this city, came within . hairs breadth
Of being wiped out Of existence Thurs
day. Shortly before noon two heavy
black clouds met almost over the cen.
ter of the village. There was . rush
which was followed . few moments
later by terrific cloudburst Torrents
of water came rushing down over tho
north bluff, the cutters filed with
water, and in less than half m
hour the principal streets Of
the town were flooded to depth
of 21l feet. During ali this
time the rain fell in sheets Busi-
ness men and people living on tho
ground floors moved their stocks,
household furniture, etc, to the second
story of their stores and dwellings.
The Rock Island road runs through tho
village at the north, and twenty min
utes after the storm burst the tracks
were all washed away. The torrent Of
water that rushed over the north bluff
carried with it thousands Of tons OF
sand, and at o'clock there were fully
feet of sand on the tracks
The excitement and anguish of tho
fleeing, panic stricken villagers was ter
rible in the extreme Many of them
believed their last day 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 ruin. Merchants re-
moved their goods to upper floors.
Small boats were pressed into service
and persons imprisoned by the water
were removed to places of safety.
Within q few minutes Of the cloud
burst the water was fully s
feet deep in the streets. It
began receding at o'clock, when the
great damage TO property could he dis
cerned. Sidewalks, fences and bridges
were washed away; dwellings and
places of business were partially ruined,
and household goods on the lower floors
were rendered worthless. In the manu-
featuring portion of the place the dam
age was great. The fires in the kilns of
the Utica lire brick works were put ont
and the contents ruined and the kilns
badly damaged.
Large gangs of men are ut work re.
moving the great beds of sand which
washed upon the tracks from the Utica
pits, while others are replacing the
broken bridge. The loss is hard to APP
proximate, but $3.50, 900 is . conserve
tive figure.
PEORIA, ILL.,, June 19.-The storm Of
few days ago, which did such extern
sive damage in East Peoria, was moth
ing compared with the one Of Thursday
night. This was terror which will
never be forgotten by people living be-
tween here and Farmdale. The early
part of the night was full of electricity,
which played fantastic freaks up to
about 1880 o'clock, when the rain be-
gan. 1t did not seem to be rain but
q succession of cloudbursts ac-
! companied by the most fearful
thunder and sharpest lightning.
At Hilton, just across the river,
in a few minutes the first stories of the
buildings were full of water and the
people were compelled to flee to the
heights, where many OF them passed
the night, some escaping only in their
night clothes. There was not time in
| some instances to release horses from
stables and many were drowned Mum
bers of cattle and hogs shared . similar
fate. Five bridges were carried away
in the immediate vicinity Of Hilton.
The water in houses at Farmdale,
miles east, rose to q depth Of 5 feet,
and the people narrowly escaped drown
ing. Herds of cattle, horses, hogs
and chickens were swept awny,
and the crops Of farmers over q
large tract Of land in the valley were
utterly ruined. The only fatality re.
ported was in the Copperas creek val
| ley, just across the line in Fulton
county. A family named Gray had q
cabin in the valley, and when the
dood left the banks of Copperas
creek and rushed down the valley
the inmates grew alarmed. The
father took his three boys and started
| to the hills. while the mother re.
fused to leave the house. When hall
way across the valley floating log
struck Gray and stunned him. The
rushing water drowned the boys tagged
12, = and 81 and he narrowly escaped
by clinging to the log. His wife 60,
on the roof of the house and was res
cued during the afternoon. The dam
age. to bridges. railroad tracks ant
crops will reach thousands of dollars.
NEIGH, Neb.. June 10.-Wcdnesday
the heaviest rainfall ever experienced
With, twenty-cight years in Nebrask,
fell here. Over 5ls inches fell within
three hours. Drains and ravines becam,
torrents and brooks became rivers
About o'clock j. Lorensen, farmer o
Neigh. left for home in company witt
his neighbor. Peterson. While crossin.
flooded ravine the box was washe,
from the wagon and Lorenson wa
drowned. Peterson returned to towI
for assistance and q search body nc
companied Sheriff Haverland to tht
I SCCuC duo lOuuu lAOICuSOH UOuI
lodged against wire fence onc-hal
mile below.
TILDEN, Neb., June 1e.-Three chill
dren living in Limerick township, abou
Is miles southeast of here, wcr,
drowned Wedne sday night during tn,
storm while trying to reach the hons
from school. A ravine which the chill
dren were accustomed to cross sud
denly filled with the food, washin,
them away.
i Flood In tho TyrOl.
| VIENNA. June 19-An artificial lax,
1000 feet long, $50 feet wide, and .
feet deep, formed by the Martell glacie
behind the Zufallferner mountain il
Tyrol, burst its confines Frida.
and flooded the valley. The hug
volume of escaping water causes
shock like an earthquake to the SUI
rounding country, and made deafen