River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-05-12
STILL RAGING.
Floods Continue Their Work OF Destruc-
tion in fninols, Indiana, Missouri and


districts surrounding TINS clty. Inc {
river is still a raging torrent, with a 4
roar that can be heard for a long dis 1
lance. The cattle pens OF the lower I
sugar works, in which thousands of /
head are fed, are under water, and I'M T
less the water quickly subsidies the cat /
tie must be removed.
At least $50 families Of 500 souls on !
the river banks in this city, between /
here and Pek.n. and in the La Marsh /
drainage district have been driven /
from their homes by the rapidly rising /
waters. When the dyke in the I
La Marsh drainage district broke men I
were sent out to warn the people in the |
bottom, about thirty families living I
there. Some of them were on the roofs /
of houses and barns, while others /
had climbed trees as a measure /
of protection. Hogs and calves |
had been taken up on the roofs, /
too, but horses and cattle We're |
left 10 their own resources. One man
had sought refuge in a wagon oox and
taken pig in with him. When the
water raised the box began floating
about the district and he drifted with
the tide.
All the residents have been accounted
for with the single exception of the
family of George Nichols. Many took
refuge on this side of the river, but they
have all been heard from. Nichols
lived in small house at the extreme
lower end of the district, so far that it
was impossible to prepare him for the
threatened catastrophe.
OTTAWA, H., May 9.-The cool, dry
weather of the last few days has re-
moved load of anxiety from the peo-
pie hereabout The great Hood un-
parallea since 1874. is Snbsiding.
Wednesdays eloudburst has cost the
people of the Illinois, Fox and Kanka-
kee valleys some millions Of dollars.
AS the waters recede the full extent Of
the damage becomes apparent. The
heaviest losses are to farmers. Thou
sands of acres of newly planted crops
have been washed out and total
ly destroyed. Roads have been
destroyed and bridges and culverts
swept away. At many points where
the lands lie low whole farms have
been inundated and the only property
saved is that in the second stories of
barns and houses. Along the river
banks in the towns md cities the dam
age to manufacturing interests has
been great, but the loss TO farming in
terests is now widespread and will en-
tail great hardship.
The river towns from Joliet to Peoria
are the heaviest sufferers by the stop
page of MANUFACTURES. Within radi-
as of 10 miles from ottawa the direct
losses from the flood are estimated at
500, 600 AT Marseilles, Ottawa, Utica,
Peru and LA Sale hundreds of men
have been temporarily thrown out
of employment. The sudden rise
of water has destroyed manufacture
ing plants or rendered them useless.
ALEXANDRIA, Mo, May 9.-Another
period of high water las struck this de-
voted country and for awhile it looked
as if the unprecedented floods of 1881
were to be repeated. The worst dam
age has resulted N and around
the town, which is periodically
subject TO rapid rises of the
Mississippi, Fox, Skunk and Des
Moines rivers. The great and con-
tinued rains of the last few weeks have
swollen the upper rivers and streams,
making great lakes of them and sub
merging the surrounding farming
country, carrying off stock and
small buildings and doing thousands
of dollars of damage Thousands
of acres of wheat in Clark county
Mo-, are now submerged. Stockmen are
taking their animals to the highlands,
and the inhabitants of Alexandria are
preparing TO take their families to a
place of safety. People now go about
this modern Venice in boats, aud there
is a great demand for this me; rs of To-
comotion. The business in the town is.
in some lines, at a standstill.
GosHEN, Ind, May 9.--Afrer all dan
ger was thought to be over the big
Goshen dam broke Saturday night and
let an awful flood of water over the
river bottoms bstween here and Elk
hart. The water had fallen feet sat
urday and every one had begun hoping
that the crisis was past. The dam.
which was erected in 1866 at a cost of
SIS. 600. win be at once rebuilt.
FoRr WAYNE, IId., May 9.-Reports
OF extensive devastation by JIle WiteIs
of the St. Joseph St Mary and
Maumee rivers continue to come
in. Not less than 500 farms
on the lowlands were overflowed
and great deal of timber that was
cut for the mills went down the stream.
KANSAS CITY, No, May 9.-Accounts
of floods have been coming in from all
over western Missouri and eastern Kan
sas, telling of flooded rivers and over
flowing creeks and streams. In
some localities the towns have
been flooded and some damage is
reported TO dwellings by having their
foundations washed out. The foods
came so suddenly in other districts
that the farmers had no time TO pre-
pare for them, and much of their stock
has been drowned ana washed away.
In Oklahoma territory steady pour
ing rain has been falling for twenty
four hours and half ae streams in the
territory are out of their banks. Many
bridges have been washed away. Near
w all the overland mails nave been
abandoned. The Santa t'e has suffered
several washouts anG trains are badly