River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-06-30
ouT oE THEIR BANKS.
Streams In Illinois Overflow, Causing /
Vast Amount of Damage-Many Towns
Under Water Cyclones in Iowa and |
Miseonsiu

OOI OF THEIR BANKS.
Streams In Illinois Overflow, Causing a
Vast Amount of Damage-Many Towns
Under Water Cyclones in Iowa and
Wisconsin,
Gar INA, H., June 25.-The terrific
rainfall of Wednesday night and
Thursday has proved the most disas-
trous of any storm ever before ex-
perienced in this locality. The Galena
river rose Thursday at the rate of an
inch minute. All day Commerce and
Water streets We're like rivers, as were
also the cross streets leading to
Main. by o'clock Main street was
flooded. Row boats were resorted to
as the only means of crossing the street
and obtaining entrance into some of the
buildings. Easements and lower floors
of every business house in town were
flooded. At the Lawrence hotel the
water stood feet deep on the dining
room floor, and at the European hotel
the parlor floor was several feet under
water. Business men attempting to
rescue books and papers found them
selves up to their necks in water in
their own Office sand were obliged
to leave everything in order to
escape with their lives
The upper bridge, owned by the Illi-
nois Central, Notwithstanding a heavy
ballast of stone-laden freight cars,
broke away and was hurled into
the river, ballast and all. The
heavy iron structure known as
the Green street bridge was car
ried off and completely demolished.
OTTAWA, ILL.,, June 25.-The Fox
river is : feet higher than it was ever
known to be before. 1t is spread out
over vast area between Aurora and
Ottawa and thousands of acres of grow
ing crops are ruined. 1t is feared that
there is not a dam left in the stream.
That at Millington went out Friday
morning. Many small buildings have
passed this point.
Dayton, miles above Ottawa on the
Fox river, is perhaps the heaviest loser
in the Fox valley, the large clay indus
tries and mills along the banks
of the Fox being from 5 to IL
feet under water.
All of the cities of this district have
been almost daily sufferers from heavy
rains for the last fifty days and hun
dreds of cellars in ottawa, Marseilles,
4 La Sale, Peru and surrounding towns
and villages have been partly filled
with water since the first of May.
1 As fast as this water is pumped
ont it returns and, unless the
rains cease, the present conditions may
prove a menace to health
CHICAGO, June 25.-Tne damage in
the business district caused by flooded
Easements will easily reach 500, 600.
In the downtown district the flood
gathered by the transforms of the last
week swept INTO the lower floors of
many wholesale houses and damaged
valuable dry goods. On the west and
south sides the water lifted whole sec
tions of pavement out of place and sent
them floating with the stream. Streets
were injured to the extent of 500, 900
in this way. Sewers in the residence
quarters choked up and backed into
Easements and lower floors.
Passenger trains on nearly all the
railroads centering in Chicago have
been from one to fifty hours late owing
to floods and washouts IN nearly all
Q 4
and western roads have suffered more
heavily than those entering from the
south. The postal service was in a ter
ribly demoralized state. Fully Is per
cent of the mail service was more or
less affected and not few trains were
abandoned altogether.
Navigation was also impeded and the
vessels were unable to move up The
swollen river. The loss to the ship
ping interests is estimated at close to
$3.50, 600. In the lumber district havoc
was caused by the overlooking river.
Outside of the suburbs and as far as
Lemont the waters covered everything.
filling up the stone quarries and forcing
the workmen to run for their lives.
Cicero suffered most of all Chicago's
suburbs.
SPRINGFIELD, H., June 25.-Returns
from twenty-three counties in the
flooded districts to the state board of
health give the following facts and fig
ures: Total area overfiowed, 1876 square
miles; overfowed area under cultiva-
ton, 234.47 acres: total money lost.
Sc, 094, 900; number of families driven
from home. 2, 1917, making 0, 957 persons,
men, women and children; families alb
solutely destitute, 957; persons abso-
lutely destitute, 4,S06; sum estimated
necessary for the support of the desti-
tute, $50, 800. In response to the gov
ernor's proclamation calling for con-
tribdtions a total of S13, S27 has been re-
ceived and distributed.
MINNEAPoLIs. Mimi, June est is
stated that cyclone passed over Chick
asaw county, Ia, Thursday night.
One man, a resident of Frederick town
ship, was killed and thirteen injured,
two, it is feared, fatally. The eastern
part of Iowa is flooded with water.
GALENA, Ill, June 25.-The village of
Cuba City, Wis, about fifteen miles
north of Galena, was devastated by a
tornado Wednesday evening The
storm swept everything in its path for
a distance of several miles. At Cuba
| City every business house in town
was totally demolished. The stone
dwelling house of George Wilkinson
was the first object of the cyclone
wrath. The building was blown down,
stones being placed high on Mr.. Wilkin'
sons bed, which was otherwise unoc-
cupied Horses hitched to buggies
were lifted high and in some cases set
down without injury many yards away.
Not tree, windmill or house is left
standing between Cuba City and Hazel
Green.
Horrible Death of Another Resident of
Titusvilte, Pa.