Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-07-01
ACRES ARE SUBMERGED.
One of the Most Terrific Storms Known
in Iowa.

One of the Most Terrific Storms Known
| in Iowa.
Sioux CITY, Ia, June 24.-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. The towns OF
Merrill, Hinton and James are
completely submerged Thirty-fve-
miles of tracks on each of the.
Illinois Central, Chicago, St. Paul.
Minneapolis & Omaha and Sioux City &
Northern are flooded north of this city.
Thousands of acres of crops are under
water. On the Central of Iowa brancla
of the Illinois Central 800 feet of track
was carried out on the Sioux Falls Gen.
trail branch seven bridges were also
washed out. The Chicago G. North
Western tracks in the Sioux VAL
ley, are out for over half
is also washed out at Carroll. At Mer-
rill. eight miles from this city, the
Floyd River rose fifteen feet in three.
hours this afternoon, and at o'clock.
tonight the flood is sweeping through
the Floyd River Valley towards this
| city and devastating hundreds of acres
of crops. The manufacturing towns o2
Leeds, Lynn and Lewistown are in it's
course and will be submerged by morn
ing, causing thousands of dollars OF
damage.
Tonight hundreds of families on the
Floyd River flats in this city are moving
out onto higher grounds The railroad
companies have abandoned their yards
and shops and engines. Cars and alb
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. Wires
east and north of here are all down.
A cyclone at Sutherland last night at &
o'clock destroyed fifteen dwellings, four
warehouses, several barns and the Chi
cago q North-W estern freight depot.
The people took to caves, and no one
was injured. All county and railroad
bridges were washed out.
LAMARs, Ia, June 24.-Ore of the.
most fearful rain storms in the history
of Northwestern Iowa visited this sec
ton last night. This morning Floyd
River is a mile wide There is great
are out on the railroads. All trains are.
abandoned. The Omaha pay car here,
has the only engine available for work,
At Sutherland it is reported that ffteer2
houses are swept away, the sidewalks
gone and the cellars flooded
| EAIRMoNT, Mimi, June 24.-The>
heaviest rainstorm in the history Of this
city fell to-day. Some wind and haiB
accompanied it. Lake Sisseton rose,
eight inches in one hour The lowlandss
are flooded, and the damage to crops is
considerable.
CHEROKEE, Ia, June 24.-The terrors>
of the Johnstown flood were in part re-
peated in this place to-day. Seventy
five houses have been carried out OF
sight in a Niagara-like torrent How
many lives have been lost is yet mat
ter Of uncertainty.
A terrific cloud hurst thrice repeated,
and wind almost hurricane, are what
consummated the dread work The
storm which began last night appears to-
have swept in vast circle of North
western Iowa, fully 100 miles in dame
ter, with Cherokee as the center. Up,
| to 1880 tonight, owing to the destruc--
| ton Of wires and railroads, only the
vaguest reports bave reached here from
the devastated territory to the west.
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 the extraordinary rise
in the Sioux River, resulting from the
tremendous dOwnpOur of water FROM
the sky. Some idea of the immensely
and suddenness of the flood can be in
ferred from the fact that it carried off,
apparently without an effort, the big.
truss bridge on which the Illinois Cen
trail Railroad crossed the river, and With
the bridge went 400 feet Of trestle on
which the company g tracks approached
the river.
Tonight the Little Sioux is at the
highest stage ever known. The bestin-
formation indicates that the Illinois
Central rails are under water contin--
uouslv for many miles on the Onawa~
branch, and that the havoc both 10 road
way and bridges is something seldom
paralleled in railroad history. Ad-
vices have been received stat
han and a majority of the other
high officials Of the Illinois CentraE
Company are already en- route for the
stricken territory. Many days Will
probably elapse before traffic, either
passenger or freight, is in anything like
normal condition. Orders have been
issued to receive no more freight untiA
further orders for any point beyond
Aurelia.
Every effort is being made tonight to-
bring order out of the chaos, but the
absence of accurate information and the
paralysis of transportation almost nulli--
ties progress. Gangs of workmen and
several railroad telegraphers had
reached this point tonight, but could
get no further. 1t may be week or
more before the full extent of the dis
aster is known.
other railroads besides the Illinois
Central can scarcely have escaped great
damage, particularly the Chicago d
North Western and the Chicago, Mil
waukee & st. Paul. AS near as can be.
learned, the area of the storm as given
has been, if anything, underestimated.
According to latest advices the storm
falls little short of great tri-state Attic
ton. affecting not only a huge stretch oE
country IN Iowa, but large portions also
of Minnesota and Nebraska
FATALITIES AT A PICNIC.