The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-25
Cherokee Narrowly Escapes
Being Washed Away.
JoHNsTowN ON A SMALL SCALE.
Several Persons Drowned and Houses
and Bridges Carried Away.
Cioudbursts Glut Little Rivers,
Which Tear Down All Obstacles In
Their Foaming Rage-Heavy Losses.

MINNEAPOLIS, June PA special to the
Tribune from Sioux City says: The terri
BILE 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 inun-
dated for thirty-ive miles north of here.
Many houses in Lemars are flooded over
the first floors, while the towns of Merrill,
Hinton and James are in a worse con-
dition. Thirty-five miles of track on each
side of the Illinois Central, the Chicago,
st. Paul IL Kansas City, the Minneapolis
d Omaha and the Sioux City & Northern,
are flooded north of this city, with bad
washouts at Lemars. The Little Sioux
river bottom at Cherokee, is entirely inun-
dated, and thousands of acres are under
water.
On the Central Iowa branch 900 feet of
track was carried out. On the Sioux Falls
branch seven bridges were washed out.
The Chicago & Northwestern tracks in the
Sioux valley are out for over half mile at
Sutherland. The same road is also washed
out at Carroll. At Merrill, eight miles
from this city, Floyd river rose fifteen
feet in three hours this afternoon, and to-
night the flood is sweeping through Floyd
river valley towards this city, and devastat-
ing hundreds of acres of crops The
manufacturing towns Of Leeds, Lynn and
Lewiston are in its course, and will be sub
merged by morning, causing thousands of
dollars of damage. Tonight hundreds of
families on the FLOYD river flats in this
city are moving out on to the higher
grounds. The railroad companies have
abandoned the yards and shops, and
engines, cars and all kinds of material
have been removed to higher ground. The
stock in the Union and Central stock
yards, packing houses, railroad shops and
many houses will be partially under water
and great damage will be done. The wires
east and north of here are all down.
Reports from South Dakota are that the
Vermiliion river is out OF its banks and
flooding thousands of acres of growing
grain.
A storm at Sutherland, Iowa, last night
at O'clock, destroyed fifteen dwellings,
four warehouses and several barns.
People took to the caves and no one was
injured. All the county and railroad
bridges are washed all out.
CHEROKEE, Iowa, June A-The terrors
of the Johnstown flood were in part re-
peated in this place today. Seventy-five
houses were carried out of sight in a
Niagara-like torrent. How many lives
were lost is yet q matter of uncertainty. A
terrific cloudburst, thrice repeated, and
wind almost hurricane are what consum-
mated the dread work. The storm, which
began last night, appears to have swept in
vast circle over Northwestern Iowa fully
100 miles in diameter, with Cherokee as
fha mt JTr, 10
ing to the destruction of wires and rail-
roads, only the vaguest reports have
reached here from the devastated territory
to the north and south.
The damage here, taking into account
the relatively small size of the town, is
enormous.
Most of the destruction in Cherokee was
wrought by an extraordinary downponr of
water from the sky. The food carried off.
apparently without effort, the big truss
bridge on the Illinois Central, and with
the bridge went forty feet of trestle ap-
proach. Tonight the Little Sioux is at the
highest stage ever known. The best in
formation indicated that the Illinois Cen
trail rails are under water continuously for
many miles on the Onawa branch. and the
havoc both to the road and bridges is
something seldom paralleled in railroad
history.
WATERLOO, Ia, June 24-Reports con-
tinue to be received confrmatory of a dis
astrous storm and floods along the Illinois,
Central. Reports of the drowning of
four persons at Cherokee and four at Cor
rectionville are confirmed by a dispatch
from Superintendent GILES, of the Iowa
division, who is at the scene of the dis
aster.
The railroad depot at Calumet was
blown down, and much damage to town
property is reported.