New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-26
THE WESTERN FLOODS.
DETAILS OF THE LOSS TO LIFE AND
PROPERTY.
IOWA GETS AN AWFUL DRENCHING-rHE TOWN.
OF CHEROKEE fsoLATED-HuNDREDs OF
PEOPLE HoMELEss-GREAT LOSS
TO THE RAILROADS.

|
| TO THE RAILROADS.
| Waterloo Iowa. June 25-Cberokee and the
country adjacent, which Tuesday nights Dig
storm devastated, is entirely cut on from Hie'
| graphic communication, the wires working only
10 Aurelia the first station east OF Cherokee. AL
the bridges across the Little Sioux at Cherokee
| are gone. The later reports of the storm lnalcate
that it was worse than at first reported.
courier has lust arrived at Aurelia from Cherokee
giving the information that 100 houses at Chero'
kee have been washed away. But no further loss
of life is reported there beyond the four persons
whose drowning was reported yesterday IL IL
impossible TO learn their names or how the un-
fortunate people met their death. Everything Is
| I'm the widest confusion. The same Is True az
Correctionvillc. and no word by telegraph can be
received from there 1t is now known though
that six persons met their death In the country
| around about Correctonville and the numper Is
| reported increased to eight. Houses, barns anu
outhouses were reported floating in the Little
Sioux past Cherokee all day. No one knows
| where they came from, but are presumed
70 be from Switzerland. No loss Of
| life is reported from the up country
| Aurelia reports from two to four feet OF
water in the streets there yesterday. The cellars
are flooded and thousands of dollars worth OF
merchandise and household goods arc destroyed.
At Storm Lake the merchants were unable to got
| into their stores on account Of the water. All
passenger and freight traffic west Of Aurelia has
been abandoned The railroad bridge at Chero-
kee is lodged in the river half mile below town.
| Aurelia nine miles east of Cherokee. reports
at l:lO D. m. that storm clouds are gather-
| ing in the vicinity of Cherokee again. An
Illinois Central work train has succeeded In
| reaching point about one mile east OF Cherokee.
! Further progress is barred by a vast expanse
of water. stretching as far as the eye can reacn.
| 1t is feared there will be added to the present
| sufferings of citizens the pangs of hunger. All
the surplus stock of provisions was destroyed oy
the food and the town is efectualy iso-
lated from the rest of the world as though no rail-
roads were in existence. No one dares to brave
the food in boats owing TO the mass OF heavy
debris the river continually bears forward. There
is no prospect seen of reaching the people from
any direction until the water subsidies.
Sioux City, Iowa, June 25.-" The Journal"
is receiving reports from all quarters OF unpre-
cedentedly high water in the streams, injury 70
railroad property, loss of bridges and destruction
of crops along the rivers The Floyd River Is
out of its banks and people have been compelled to
make hasty departures to higher ground. The
| waters are receding this morning and The worst
is now over The following additional particu-
lars of the food at Cherokee were received this
| morning:
The wagon-bridge over the Sioux, south Of the
town. went out about 10 o'clock Tuesday night.
This was followed by all the houses on the fas
in that part Of town, numbering over 90. The
n.,n,ber of people driven from their homes waa
bes,yeen 200 and 1900 The river. Continued
10 rise until o'clock at that time being ten tees
ffrher chan was ever known. Every bridge
across the Sioux River, both wagon and railroad,
is gone between here and Onawa, and probably
every bridge in Cherokee County the Sioux
River. Last night most Of the distressed people
found shelter in the G.. A. r. and Odd Fellows
halls. and arrangements were made whereby they
might be cared for until some action is taken
This morning the town presents sorrowful ap-
pearance Those houses that remain on the
fiat are almost buried in mud. People have
already begun to clean up the rubbish. The
destruction of property in Cherokee is about
100000 Almost all of the stock pastured
along the Sioux were carried away by the food,
only few animals being saved as they came down
the river.
Fort Dodge Iowa, June 25.-The storm Of Tues
day was the severest that ever visited North
western Iowa, and the rain, which fell in tor
rents. was accompanied by high wind that
rescmbcd a tornado. Hundreds of acres of crops
we're devastated and the destruction to other
property was enormous Many houses in Lemars
are flooded over the first floors, while the towns
of Merrill, Hinton and James are reported sub
merged. and Leeds, Lynd and Lewiston are
threatened with like fate.
Chicago, June 25.-Advices received at the
| headquarters of the Chicago and Northwestern
| Railroad in this city this morning indicate that
the destruction by the cloudburst in Northwestern
Iowa yesterday is more widespread than the news
| oba %buc far
damage to its lines actually reported to the road
it appears that the deluge covers at least por-
| tions of the counties of Sioux, OBrien, Clay.
| Plymouth. Cherokee Buena Vista, Woodbury.,
| Ida Sac. Monona, Crawford, Carroll, Harrison
| and Shelby, territory three counties in width
| along the western border of the State. and five
counties in length. The telegraph lines in this
| territory are greatly demoraized, and IL Is next
to impossible TO get accurate detailed informa
ton touching the general losses and casualties
| The territory 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 cOuiNes which traverse this great sec
| tion of the State.
Several of the general officers of the North
western Railroad left here for the scene last night
and are making strenuous efforts TO penetrate into
| the devastated region Their reports to head
quarters give only the results OF their observa-
| tions in regard 10 the damage 10 the property Of
| the company, leaving that Of the adjacent COM
| munitcs 10 be inferred. Their reports show that
| the main line of the road, the Northern Iowa di-
| vision is demoralized from Linn Grove 20 Alton,
distance Of forty miles; that the Neville branch,
| from Moville TO ochaller, distance OF iorty-tve
miles, is in the same cOnditlOn: and that the
| Onawa branch, from Onawa 10 Ida Grove, fifty
miles, is also badly oil. Those lines, with an
aggregate length of l35 miles, entirely blocked
| by the carrying away of bridges and the washing
out of tie roadbeds. All traffic this side Of and
beyond the points named is being carried by
| roundabout lines.
On tie main line, from Linn Grove to Alton,
| the bridge over Waterman Creek, with its trestle
| $50 feet long, has been carried away, and ten
other bridges on Waterman Creek have been
| ried away. One bridge 100 feet long, near
| Paulina is gone, together with two smaller ones.
| The track is washed away ia many places Al
| Waterman Creek the track and ties have been
i ,iada Of q I1,iln from tLa roadhod