The Red Cloud chief., 1892-05-27
SIOUX cITY's DISASTER.

NfNtshfN EoWH hsNh v
damage Placed mt Four Million Dollars =
Possibly Ono Hundred Persons Lost.
SIOUX City, H., May 20.-The flood
which swept down upon this devoted
city Wednesday morning was even more
disastrous in its frightful havoc than
was believed possible that night II Is
now certain that ut least sixty and pos
sibly 100 lives were sacrificed to the
waters.
Estimates place the property loss Mt
about $4,000, 600. The packing interests
and stockyards lose 81, 900, 900, the rail-
roads Al, 900, 900 and the city and indi.
viduals $4,000, 900. Nearly 500, 900
worth Of cedar block paving was de-
stroycd. being torn up and carried away
by the food.
No list of the dead can be given. In
fact, the tcrrorizcd people have sought
refuge In so many quarters that IL IL
impossible to determine exactly what
the number on the death roll will he.
SIOUX Cry, Ia, May co. Searching
parties to look for dead bodies began
work early yesterday. but at. noon the
authorities reported only two bodies re-
~ huVhtiiitt. WIZ IL tItit vi
Peter Anderson, engineer of the Sioux
City u Northern foundry, and Mrs.
Frank Henderson and child Of Leeds.
The child was found clasped in the
mothers arms.
The Hood at its height extended from
Court street to the Floyd bluffs and
from the suburb of Lynn tn the Missou-
ri river. This comprises u district five
miles long and u mile and u half wide.
For n distance Of u mile and u half
above the mouth of the Floyd the bot
tom was densely populated, n large por-
ton OF the inhabitants being employees
of packing houses, railroads and facto-
rics, with many retail shops.
At the height Of the food the current
struck straight through the residence
streets. Along the streets nearest to
the river scores Of dwellings were swept
from their foundations, carried long
distances and either destroyed or over.
turned. 1t Is no uncommon sight to
Sec q dwelling turned over on Its side
or roof. Many two story buildings
were swept away. The buildings which
were twisted or carried n short distance
r innumerablc. Over all this area
for six or eight street + from the river
the water was far above the second
stories, with n swift current and the
wind blowing a hurricane. Every
where fences, outhouses, sidewalks,
wooden pavement, railroad ties and
timbers and lumber yard debris nre
scattered about among the contortcd
and overturned dwellings.
Many of the streets are paved with
cedar blocks and the water lifted hun
dreds of thousands of them and carried
them away. In some places there arc
immense masses Of debris piled on top
Of houses. Several thousand people fol-
lowed the receding flood to search for
their homes and missing ones.
At one place the river cut across the
bend and scooped out n great channel,
starting In about Eighth street. All
houses in that vicinity but n very few
were utterly wiped out. The railroads
and the stockyards will suffer the great.
est individual losses.
The quick tempered Floyd river Il
subsiding into its banks and u rough
estimate of the loss from the flood Is pos.
sible. The pecuniary loss will be heavy.
ID. L. Hedges, president of the stockyards
company, estimates the loss to the
stockyards and packing interests Mt
from s45O,0O0 to $500, 900; the loss ia
houses and furniture Of the residents OF
the flooded district will aggregate about
$3.50, 900, and the stocks Of goods dam.
aged 800, 0OO. The damage to the city
In pavements, etc, will foot up 500, 900.
The rapid transit lines are considerable
losers but the railroad companies suf'
fered most. Up the Floyd for twenty
miles the Sioux City & Northwestern
and the Illinois Central tracks, built on
entertainments, are washed out or dam
aged. The loss Of the terminal com
pany and on all the railroads Is csti.
mated at from $3.50, 900 to $500, 900.
The Floyd river il almost back to its
banks and hundreds are returning To
their homes which they were compelled
to abandon Wednesday. Scores Of
houses were swept from their founda'
tions and others were badly wrecked.
The damage to movables is large where
they were not ioated off. Fifty Oh
sixty retail stores on the low ground
were destroyed or badly damaged.
Near the Floyd the river cut across q
bend and scooped ont a great channel,
starting in about lower Eighth street.
All the houses but n very few in that
vicinity were utterly wiped out.