Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1892-05-20
Sioux City's Calamity.

GEORGE COX. aged { years.
GEORGEC. MttLARD, aged G..
NELLIE WEST, aged 5,
Daughter OF y. Leonard, aged 9.
Sonof l.. I%aenard, aged &.
Tics. reported drowned by persons claiming
to have beeu e,e-Eritnesses are;
FRANK HENDERSON, wife and child.
a. i. McCLANA,rN.
Mrs. II. TICKS.
Mrs. PETER RASMUSSEN as,d two children.
Two boatmen, unknown. in attempting torres
cue the Henderson family.
Two mem unknown drowned on Fourth street,
near Fairmcnt areGNe bridge.
An unknown man. drowned ut the north end
ol the Sioux City and Northern material yards.
An unknown man, In Il house OH lover Fifth
street.
Several children and infants of unknown fam
lilies.
No such a disaster or calamity u
on record in Sioux City's history Is
that of the anod which swept down
the Floyd valley ut an early hour
yesterday morning.
The almost continual rains of
tie past three weeks, eliminating III
the terrific downpoIr Of Tuesday,
resulted in a food which caused the
loss OF a great number Of lives and
destroyed property to the extent of
hundreds OF thousands OF dollars.
So good an authority as A. s. Gar
retson places it at sl,0O0,OOO. 1t is
thought, however, that there must
have been some further and more
sudden cause added to the great
volume of water which has fallen in
the recent rains to produce such an
unexpected and awful volume of
water rs swept down through the
gateway of hills aud on its way to
the Missouri sweps almost all before
it. Nothing less than u cloudburst
could furnish an explanation for the
wall of water which came down the
Flovd valley. The bursting of Il
dam at LeMars, which was reported,
could not have affected the Floyd
river at this place to the extent OF
| more than a few inches.
The food did not come altogether
without warning. Great damage
was noted in yesterdays Journal,
and the Floyd liver was already
ru,nously high. The great food of
1881 taught the people that the bot
tom lands were liable to be sub
merged in any spring after an UNI
usual rainfall. But the real damag-
ing food came SO suddenly, and in
so well defined wave, seen by hun
dreds of witnesses, That no ordinary
cause could be assigned for it.
The heads Of families on the bot
tom lands went to their work as u.s.
ual yesterday morning, but the It'd
ings of the coming food spread rap
idly, and not many minutes after.
ward there was every evidence that
nobody's fears had been exaggcrat.
ed. The police department had
word OF it, and mounted men wert
sent through the streets below the
tracks to warn the people to flee
from their danger. Most of them
acted promptly, and leaving Their
homes and household goods they
left for places Of safety.
The Floyd had already left it,
banks when the wall of water came
and in Il few moments the streets
below the city's great railroad yards
were flied with water. Even then
there was little thought that it woult
creep higher, but the food steadily
rose, measured by it's progress on
Fourth street at the rate of more
than block every half hour, ant
at 10 o'clock it lad reached Cour
street.
The food at its height EXTENDED
in the city FROM Lynn to the Mis-
souri, river, and from Court street L
the Floyd Bluffs. This comprised
district four miles long and its wild
est part a mile wide. 1t is II o
the most populous sections of til,
city, and houses in East Sioux Cit,
and the packing house district mos
Of them being small, places close to
gether,and nearly all sheltering larg
families. 1t is estimated that 3,OO
people were homeless last night.ant
many ofthem cannot return to thei
homes, for they have been swep
away wrecked or rendered uninhal
table.
1t was the inevitable human ten
dency to doubt and to delay whicl
caused unnecessary loss of life an,
ct property, for while it was impos
sible to remove any great bulk 4
goods,i if the househoiders and shop
keepers in the flooded district Ia,
taken the warning in time the,
might easily have placed many Q
their possessions out Of reach of til
water. Many merchants, even wiel
the water was within a block G
them scoffed at the idea that it woul
come further, and in less than hal
an hourthey were compelled to see
places of safety.
II was the same with many pei
sons. They insisted in believin
! that the food had reached it's heigl
and refused to leave their home
until the only means OF egress wa
by boats. Some even then shove
the greatest stubborness and a nm
!. her CT relief crews literally had
fight with people to get them out
9 imminent danger. Hundreds wei
4 chased from the first floors OF the
houses to the second story and agaj
to the roof, while others, seekir
{ safety while it was too late TO wac
in the seething torrent, took refui
in tho tops Of trees.
i 1t. is as yet impossible to estima
!, the loss OF life. An estimate viii,
it is believed may be called conse
vative places il at FIFTY. 1t is mo