The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-05-27
WOEF'UL WATERS.
Fearful Destruction By a Sudden
Flood at Sioux City.
At Least Twenty-Five People Reported
Drowned BY a sudden Rise in Floyd
River-Great Loss of stock and
Other Property.

Sioux CRY, Ia, May ia great food
disaster has overtaken Sioux City. Yes
terday morning a great wave came down
the Floyd river which flows through the
center of the city and which was already
swollen bank full.
The wave came few minutes after
o'clock. Warning had been given but
a short time before TO the inhabitants
of the low lands, but only a few of them
had been notified The first intimation
was a volume of water spreading over
the bank TO the depth of three feet and
throwing mist of foam before it In
a few minutes the water had risen above
the first floors and several thousand
people fed in terror to the higher
ground. At beast twenty-five people
drowned.
The water rose four feet in an hour
and half, and from O'Clock continued
to rise steadily, but not so rapidly.
Probably one-third of the inhabitants
of the city live on the low ground which
is overfowed So rapid was the rise of
the tide that great numbers were IN
able to escape and the work of rescue
engaged every energy of the people.
The only names of the dead 50 far
ascertained are: Nellie West child;
Mrs. Louise Horner and two children;
Frank Henderson. wife and child; two
boatmen. unknown; y p. McClearat;
an unknown Scandinavian: Mrs. Peter
Rasmussen and two children; two I'M
known men near Fourth street. near
Fairmont bridge: unknown man at
Sioux City & Northern yards.
At 10 o'clock the fire alarm was
sounded TO call ont more workers. All
the boats from the boat houses on the
Sioux river We're brought in and used
to save life and property.
The Missouri river is high and when
the flood in the Floyd river struck it
the water damned up and rushed over
the adjacent low grounds. The stock
yards and packing houses are situated
at the confluence Of the two rivers and
they were instantly inundated. About
1900 head of live stock were drowned.
Many hundreds OF dead stock have also
been floating down the Floyd river.
The round houses of the Chicago, st.
Paul, Minneapolis Il Omaha are dam
aged to the extent of $40, 900 That
road. the Illinois Central and Sioux City
& Northern enter the city By the Floyd
valley and all are stopped. NoS a train
left Sioux City yesterday.
1t is estimated that 5000 people have
been driven from their homes. All bus
iness is suspended.
e The water Is slowly receding. a citi-
zens' meeting at the courthouse organ
lied to provide several thousand people
with shelter. The damage to property
will reach $500. O09. The loss of the
Sioux City & Northern railroad will ex-
coed S20) 600. Miles of cedar block paw
ing have been washed out
The first warning of the approach of
the food given the stocllyavds company
was a telephone message warning them
to prepare for high water and stating
that the Seventh street bridge had
gone out. TIE Whole available force of
the yarls. and also bystanders who
could be induced t. assist, were at once
pat t. WORK in an endeavor to get all
took ont of the yards
\ long train of empties were sent
down to the chUtes bat before the cars
could be loaded and pulled. the rush of
water cana ami PIT out the fires in the
engines. and they were compelled to
stay. The attendants and yardmen
who had not time to escape were perched |
on the roofs of ears waiting to be
rescued or for the subsistence of the
food
The rush Of water was 50 great that a
OF commission men and their
employees could not escape. They took
refuge l. the third story of the Ex-
change buildin-, while the water had
re: - within an inch OF the first |
floor.
The scene st the yards IS almost indie
The rush of water came |
down across the bottoms as the over
flow of the river at first flowed ont on |
the east banks. At 1890 solid blocks of |
hog pens were seen svaying with the |
notic2 IF the wind and wevos end in Il |
hort time they begin moving down |
stream. The new division started first |
and almost the whole block started off |
down street, and the report of the rend-
ing and breaking of timbers sounded |
almost like the sharp crack of cannon.
At II o'clock there was not a sign of a |
hog yard left The large corn cribs con-
tanning several thousand bushels of |
corn were also carried away. Scale |
houses and all buildings were taken
with the food. The catsle yards at the
time mentioned above were mostly in
tact bat the south portion was floating
with the evident possibility that it
would soon follow the hog pens and
sheds.
Minneapolis Convention Hall