The sun., 1891-06-25
TEaRIBLE STORMS IN IOWA.
Several Towns Under water and Much
Loss OF Life Feared.

Loss OF Life Feared.
LIE MARS. Ia, June 24.-One OF the most fear
ful rain storms in the history OF northwestern
Iowa visited this section last night. This
morning Floyd River is n mile wide. There is
great loss to stock In the country. Bridges
are washed away on the railroads.
All trains are abandoned Tho Omaha pay
car here has the only engine available for
work. At Sutherland 1t is reported that fifteen
houses arc swept away. tho sidewalks gone
and cellars flooded. 1t Is raining now.
FA1RMouNr. Mimi. Juno A.-The heaviest
rain known in tho history Of this city fell to-
day. The lowlands are flooded and the dam
age to crops is considerable.
Sioux C1TY. Juno 24.-The terrible rains oil
last night and this morning have almost de-
wasted this portion OF Iowa No roads are rum
ming trains from this city East The Floyd
River valley is inundated for thirty.ave miles
north OF this city.
The towns OF Merrill. Hinton. and James are
completely submerged. Thirty-ive miles OF
track on the Illinois Central. Chicago. st. Paul.
Minneapolis and Omaha. and Sioux City and
Northern are flooded north Of this cltr. with
bad washouts at Lemars The Little Sioux
River bottom at Cherokee 10 entirely inundat-
cd. and thousands OF acres Of crops are under
water.
CHEROKEE. Iowa. juno a. seventy-flve
houses have been carried out Of sight in a
NiaRara.like torrent How many lives have
been lost is yet matter OF uncertainty.
A terrible cloudhurst. thrice repeated. and
wind amounting t. hurricane arc what con-
summated the dread work. The storm. which
began last night, appears to have swept in a
vast circle through northwestern Iowa. with
Cherokee as the centre.
Up to 1880 T. NJ. tonight owing to tho de-
atr ~ mt -
vaguest reports have 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 enor-
nous.
Most OF tho destruction In Cherokee was
wrought by the extraordinary rise In the Sioux
River. re- ulting from the tremendous down.
pour Of water.
Some idea OF the immensity and suddsnness
Of the food can be gained from the fact that 1t
carried of apparently without an effort the
big truss bridge on which the Illinois Central
Railroad crossed the river. and with the bridge
went 400 feet Of trestle. on which the COM
pany's tracks approached the river.
Tonight tho Little Sioux is at tho highest
stage ever known. Tho best information In
dicutes that the Illinois Central rails are un-
der water continuously for many miles on the
the Onawa branch. and that the havoc both to
roadway and bridges Is something seldom
paralleled.
vice-Presldent Harahan and a majority Of
the other high officials OF the Illinois Central
Company are already en- route for the stricken
territory.
Many days will probably elapse before
traf1c. either passenger or freight. is in any
thing like normal condition. Orders have been
issued to receive no moro freight until further
orders for any point beyond Aurelia-
Every effort was being made tonight to
bring order out Of the chaos. but tho absence
OF accbrats information and the paralysis o
transportation almost nulllles progress.
Gangs Of workmen and several railroad teleg-
raphers had reached this point tonight. but
could get no further and could do but little
II ANYTHING here as yet.
Other railroads besides the Illinois Central
can scarcely have escaped great damage. par
ticularly the Chicago and Northwestern. and
the Chicago. Milwaukee. apd st. Paul.
As near rs can be learned, the storm affects
not only huge stretch Of country in Iowa. but
large portions also OF Minnesota and Ne
brasE0-