The Butler weekly times., 1892-05-25
AWAVE OF DEATH.
Sioux City Engulfed in the
Twinkling of an Eye
MANY Lives Were Lost.

ter of the city and which was already
bank full.
The wave came few minutes af
ter o'clock. Warning had been
giving but short time before to the
inhabitants OF the lowlands, but on
ly few Of them had been notified
The first intimation was a volume Of
water suddenly sprea ling ovcr the
banks to depth of 3 feet and
throwing a mist Of foam before it.
In few moments the water had ris
en- above the first floors, and several
thousand people fled in terror to
the higher ground.
The water rose 4 feet in an hour
and half, and from nine o'clck till
after noon 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
unable to escape, and the work OF
rescue engaged every energy of the
people.
At II o'clock eleven persons were
reported drowned and there must
be many others.
The Missouri river is very high.
and when the flood in the Floyd riv-
er struck it, the water damned up
and rushed over fhe adjacent low
grounds. The stock yards and pack
ng-houses were situated at the con
fluence of the two rivers and We're
instantly inundated. About 1900
head of live stock were crowned
there. Many numbers of dead
stock have also been seen floating
down the Floyd river.
1t is estimated that 5000 people
have been driven from their homes
All business suspended. The cham
Der of commerce organized this
morning for relief work Before
noon the ladies had several soup and
lunch houses opened for flood suf
ferers. 1t is impossible yet TO de
termine the loss Of property, but
it will be large. There is only
one telegraph wire working out of
the city, and that runs to Omaha.
This makes it impossible to >dequat-
ly tell the story of the flood.
BRAVE REsCUERs DROWNED.
The water is slowly receding to-
night. a citizens meeting at the
courthouse is organizing to provide
several thousand people with shell
ter.
The damage to property will reach
a million and a half. The loss to
the Sioux City and Northern Rail
road alone will exceed 100000.
Miles of cedar block paving has been
washed out.
At noon 375 people had register
ed for relief and the applications
had then only just begun The
scenes along the verge of the waters
are pitiful. The loss of life is very
large but it is difficult in this confu-
sion to learn names.
At Springdale, a suburb, a wo-
man has stood in the second story
of a house 900 yards out holding
her baby out of the waters. and is
still there at s o'clock TO night. Two
men have already been drowned in
attempt to rescue her. This makes
the known deaths thirteen. The
difficulty has been the fearful gale
of wind which has been blowing all
day. Houses are being burned up
all the time, as there is neither gas
nor electric light nor fire protection,
the plants being under water.
THE DEATH LIST ONE HUNDRED.
At 1890 o'clock tonight the re.
lief committee has the names of ff.
teen persons known to have been
drowned, and authentic reports OF
the drowning Of three or four times
thavnumber. Only one body has
been recovered 1t is believed that
the death list will not number less
than q hundred.
The Floyd Valley, mile wide in
places and five through the manu-
featuring and railroad district OF
fha c;tv and vicinity dotted with