The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-26
Ruin Wrought by Cloudbursts
in Iowa and Nebraska.
CHEROKEE ISOLATED BY WATER.
Hundreds Of People Glad to Escape
From Their floating Houses.
lightning Hits Dwelling, Meits Bed
Springs and Spares Sleeping Persons
A Train Wrecked by q washout--The
Town Of Neville Gone.

Sioux CIry, June 25.-The last news here
is to the effect that the town of Movlile is
completely gone. Out of forty or fifty
houses only one was left standing. The
people got most of their goods out, but
they are camping out in the fields
The flood in Floyd river, which came
past Lemars and Merrill yesterday and did
great damage in the country, reached here
early this morning, and the river rose
about twelve feet. One hundred and fifty
houses IN the valley are partially sub
merged and the families have moved to
hills. The large stove works shoe factory,
flour mill and foundry in the suburbs OF
the town are closed. No loss of life occur
red here
Additional particulars of the flood at
Cherokee indicate that it is the worst
known. 1t is stated that 100 houses ara
washed away, rendering from /, 200 to 800
persons homeless. Reports are coming
from all quarters of the unprecedented
high water in the streams and injury to
railroad property by the loss of bridges
and the destruction of crops along the
rivers. The waters are receding this
morning. The destruction of property at
Cherokee alone is about 500, 600, and be-
sides almost all the stock pastured along
the Sioux was drowned. No further loss
of life is reported at Cherokee beyond the
four whose drowning has already been
noted. 1t is possible that eight persons
lost their lives around about Correction
vile.
HEMPsTEAD, Tex, June 25.-Two torna-
dos within an hour this afternoon did
much minor damage in town. No one was
injured.
OMAHA, June 25.-Specials to the Bee
from various parts of Nebraska indicate
that last nights rain amounted to gen.
eral deluge. At Wahoo, a house occupied
by John Gunderson and family was struck
by lightning and torn to pieces. The FAM
lily were in bed at the time, and the springs
of the bed were melted. None of the folks
were hurt.
At Fremont rain fell in torrents for
hours. Trains on the Fremont, EIkhorn
a Missouri Valley road were detained by
ashouts. In the vicinity of York the
,.,ifs ty bridges are nearly all washed out,
especfsily in the southern section. Dwell
IVES in ~ places in town were invaded
by the risilss waters in the night, and the
inhabitants rs 70 move.
At Harrison kse ls.geas-old - shtsss - -.
| John Johnson was Dire al in 8 ravfna.
At Kearney there was considerable cleo
trical display with the rain. Many build
ings were struck by lightning, but no one
was seriously hurt. The damage is great.
At Grand Island four inches of water fell
during the night. Much damage was done
in town.
LINCOLN, Neb., June ga freight train
on the Burlington & Missouri River road
went through culvert at York today.
The engine fell into the creek and twenty
three cars piled on top of it. Brakeman
Delaney and Engineer Moore were killed,
and Fireman Bean fatally injured. Heavy
rains had washed out the culvert.
TOPEKA, Kan, June 25.--This morning
the heaviest rain storm of the season set
in at this place and continued almost un-
til noon. Reports along the railroads in
dicate that the storm was general only in
the eastern part of the state. Both the
Santa Fe and Kansas Pacific roads are
washed out between here and Lawrence,
and all west-bound trains are laid up at
Lawrence waiting until the track is fixed.
There are washouts also at Williamstown,
on the Union Pacific & Santa Fe. The
damage to crops will be great.
CHICAGO, June 25.--Advices received
at the headquarters of the Chicago Il
Northwestern railroad in this city this
morning indicate that the destruction by
the cloudbursts in Northwestern Iowa yes
terday was more widespread than the dis
patches thus far received suggest. From
the damage to its lines actually reported, il
appears that the deluge covers a territory
three counties in width along the western
border of the state and five counties in
length beginning within one tier Of coun-
ties from the northern boundary of the
state and extending southwark. The tele-
graph lines in this territory are greatly
demoralized, and it is next to impossible to
get accurate or detailed information touch
ing the losses and casualties. This 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 courses which traverse
this great section of the state. Several
general officers of the Northwestern road
left for the scene last night, and are max
ing strenuous efforts to penetrate into the
devastated region. Their reports give
only the result of their observations re-
garding the damage done to the property
of the company, leaving that in adjacent
communities to be inferred. The reports
show that the lines of this road. some l35
| miles in length, are entirely blockaded
| by the carrying away of bridges and the
washing out of roadbeds. The section Of
country where the food was most severe
was traversed by numerous branches. not
only of the Northwestern, but also of the
| Illinois Central, Milwaukee q st. Paul.
and the main line of the Chicago, ST. Paul.
| Minneapolis e. Omaha road. No reports
of damage to these lines has been received
except from the Illinois Central, whose
lines, from Cherokee to Onawa, are blocked
| by washed-out tracks and bridges.
FoRr DoDGE, Ia, June 25.-Reports say
that in the sixty miles trayersed by the
storm hundreds of acres of crops were de-
wasted and the destruction of other
property was enormous. Seventy-fiye
houses were destroyed at Cherokee and
forty at Switzerland. A large number
were unroofed besides.
WATERLOO, Ia, June 25.-Cherokee in
shut in by vast expanse of water and it
is feared that there will be added to those
already suffering the pangs of hunger. as
all the surplus stock Of provisions has
been destroyed by the food. There is no
prospect of reaching the people from any
direction until the water subsidies.