The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-05-20
Fifty Persons Drowned and About One Hun
dred Not Accounted For-0nly Dozen
Bodies Recovered from the River.
East st. Louis the Only Town in the
American Bottoms Not Under Water.
Fully 10000 People Without Shelter and 200
Squares Miles Flooded Within Radius
of Twenty Miles Around st. Louis.
SIOUX CITY's LOSS.


100000 Worth of Property Was Destroyed.
specia to the Indianapolis Journal
SIOUX CITY. Ia. May 19.-This city rang
to-day with praises of the young men of
the Sioux City Boat Club, who brought
their boats from rivers five miles away to
work in the flooded section. They had
forty boats at WORK yesterday and last
night. and took several hundred people ont
of the flood. The number drowned cannot
be very accurately estimated. 1t IS now
placed at about fifty. and those who have
been working in the district say that any
variation will increase this number. Not
over dozen bodies have been recov-
cred, and it Will be days before
the correct number can be known. The
list of missing is still large and abont one
hundred people are not accounted for. At
the mouth of the Floyd the river Is very
narrow, and on this account little debris
found it's way to the Missouri Below the
stock-ya ards is mass of debris, in which
there are the remains of hog and cattle
pens from the stock-yards. many of the
outbuildings from the packing-housest that
have gone to pieces, piles of timber and
lumber. several hundred head of hogs that
were drowned, trees. pieces of cars, and.
finally. a number of human corpses that
have not yet been found, but are known to
be in the mass.
Last night and to-day over one Thousand
people were housed and fed by the commit
tee. three times as many being cared for
by their friends or neighbors Subscription
papers have been circulated and almost
$4,000 raised. besides which the City COun-
Gil made an appropriation of 5000. The
city is the heaviest loser. Sewers, paw
ing. water. pipe and curbing must be put in
new in large part of the city. The COun.
oil has decided to begin the work
on an extensive scale at once.
and employment will be given
every Iaborng man in the city.
The lumber-yard of the Quel Lumber Com
pany burned yesterday and last night. out
in the midst of the flood where it could not
be reached. 1t is q total loss. Firemen
were detailed in boats to break up the
burning raft. which was threatening to
bep. the town. The current was fearful
and several times boats were caught IN
eddIes and almost hurled into the masses
of flames. The men worked till late at
night and when they left the fire was out
and extended but very little beyond the
lumber yard. The railroads are unable to
do any thing.
Tonight the quick tempered Floyd river
is subsiding into its banks and rough
estimate OF the loss from the food is posi-.
BILE. Three bodies were recovered to-day,
those of A. q. Anderson and Mrs. Henderson
end her baby. The pecuniary loss will be
heavy. ID. L. Hedges. president of the
stockyards Company, estimated the
loss to the stSckyarss fSdT sod paosns sn
600; the loss to houses and furniture
of the residents of the flooded districts
will aggregate about S75o, COO and the stocks
of goods damaged S100.000. The damage to
the city in pavements, etc. will foot mp
considerable losers. but the railroad CON-
panies suffered most. Up the Floyd. for
twenty miles. the Sioux City q Northwest
ern and the Illinois Central tracks built
aged. The loss of the Terminal Company
and of all the railroad companies is esti-
mated at from $4,000 to e1.00O.000. The
total loss may exceed S2.000.C00. but only a
fraction will fall directly upon individuals.
AT the ordinary stage OF water Floyd
river is as insignificant a atream as ever
meandered in PASTORAL insignificance. But
swollen by the continuous rains until its
never well-defined banks were Obliterated,
1t was In poor condition to carry away the
terday's cloud-burst. A wave. moving as
solid wall of water, swept down the mar
row valley of the stream. The Floyd flows
into the center of the city, and along its
banks are the homes OF thousands OF pee-
pie.
partial list of the persons known to be
drowned are as follows: Franz Henderson,
wife and child; two boatmen unknown. A.
Il. McClaren. an unknown scandinavian;
at Youngs ice. house, Peter Rasmussen and
two children: two unknown men at Fourth
street. near Fairmount bridge. unknown
man Mt tho Sioux City IL Northern yards;
Nellie West, Mrs. Louise Homer. A Ander-
son, wife and child William Stone. Will
lam Rose Mrs Louise Homer and two chill
dren, Mrs. Frank Luther and child. a nine.
year-old son aud a seven-year-old daughter
of +. Leonard, George Grain. George c.
Miller. Adam johnson, Andrew Anderson.
Robert Hsrney.
One of the first bodies recovered to. day
was that of A. 6. Anderson. Yesterday he
worked like q hero. hravlng all dangers III
rescuing victims, and succeeded In saving
thirty lives. When starting after another
unfortunate the boat was upset. and. eX-
hausted by his labors. he went down. The
bodies of Frank Henderson and wife were
recovered this afteanoon near Leeds but
their little child has not yet been found.
reporter who visited the scene of de-
struction to-day says that about eight OF
ten blocks above the intersection OF the
river and Fourth street the current scooped
ont q dee o channel ght through reslden C es.
They were wholly carried away. and not
even O vestige of the foundation is left.
Heavy objects like large range stoves were
carried several blocks. Just below is the
iron bridge of the Chicago. Milwaukee &
st. Paul. and against 1t Is lodged n tire.
mendous mass of debris. Here houses were
smashed TO kindlin z W. ood. and it Is heaped
ND with furniture. railroad ties and piles
of dead animals. Just two blocks away Is
the iron brid2e of the elevated road and
here is another similar lodgment. There
was neither gas nor electric light last
night, as botn plants are under water. The
elevated road served as a great point OF
observation for thousands Of lockers
FOur cars were crowded with sight
seers and from sta ation to STATION the
tracks were lined with men and boys
Many armed with ropes and long poles
rendered assistance TO people who came
floating down the river on planks, boxes
etc., and number of lives were saved III
this way.
At the old Omaha bridge there is piled ND on
the other sides thousands of new railroad
ties and reaching out from each side of the
pier for distance of nearly two hundred
feet the ties are wedged in solid up 10 q
height of nearly twenty feet. Ii was here
that the family named West met do
struotion. Mrs. West and her little five
year-old girl were unable TO get away from
the food in time. The father and two
children were safe and the rescuing party
were returning for Mrs. West and her chile
when the waves swept the house away
| They fioated down with the roarins
current until the bridge was reached