Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-05-27
IA Resi.tie.s Torrent,

IN the valley OF the flOy0 RIVER. Inc
loss Of life is appalling, but it's exact
extent is not yet known. Fifteen bodies
have already been recovered, and it is
feared the victims will be at least double
that number.
Reports Of the missing show fully 100
1 persons are not yet accounted for.
Most Of them are children, and it is
thought that the majority Of them have
wandered away in their terror and ure
being sheltered by strangers.
The valley of the Floyd. from the
manufacturing suburb of Leeds down to
the Missouri, is from one to two miles
wide, a low fiat, n includes the manu-
featuring and industrial districts OF the
city, the railroad yard and shops, and
the houses of a large part of the labor
ing classes of tho city. The water came
down with a rush and in an hour the
valley was u roaring sea from river to
bluff. The river continued to rise, COM
ing up Third and Fourth streets i'll the
Missouri bottom at the rate of Two
bio ks an hour and rcaching across
most of the business part of town.
The people We're taken by surprise and,
some We're SO struck by terror as 10 be
unable 10 make 81 move to escape. One.
rider in a sulk,y was net by tho wave as
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drowned. Many fled but half dressed.
Others We're unawa OF the danger and
their first warning was when they were.
snatci,cd by the re=cucrs, placed in,
wagons and hurried to places OF safety.
There We're many helpers, hut most OF:
them, having 10 boats. We're powerless..
Early in the day Il woman was seen,
wadins in the str an. holding Il child:
above her head. y rescuing party went
for her in o boat, hut tho current car
ried them by, and the woman and child
We're seen to disappear under IL mass of
rubbish and were drowned. Nellie West:
and IL man named Polly and three chill
drcn We're also drowned, and when last.
seen the mother was wildly waving a.
piece Of carpet out OF y sccond-story'
window as the house 'iloatcd away. Onei
old lady was found sitting astride tho.
roof of a house up to the caves in water
and was rescued.
a house containing q man, a woman,
and a large family OF children tloated
q bridge and went under. The rescuers
made for the spot and the woman was
rescued after four attempts. Cheer on
cheer went up from the throats Of the
watchers on the road. A house with
seven occupants fioated down, and a
barge made several unsuccessful at
tempts and finally saved all of them.
One man was seen swimming ashore
with a IN and u child on his back.
The woman was chilled and frightened,
and dropped the infant. One woman
gave birth to q girl baby, and both will
survive the terrible day.
A rescuing crew of two men, whose
names could not be learned, saved sew
eral families and finally, in order to get
a family out, cut into the roof of a
house. They got the family of three, a
man, wife, and child, and started for
the shore. The boat capsized in the
middle of the stream and all five were
drowned. Twenty-one bodies were seen
to pass under the structure Of the ele-
waited railroad in a space Of two hours
after the flood came. To add to the
the Queal s. Co. lumber yards. Pieces
OF this huge raft of blazing lumber float
ed down the stream, setting fire to
houses In their path.
The first note Of warning was q tele-
gram received from Hinton, twelve
miles up the valley, saying that a four
teen-foot rise was coming. Intelli-
gence was sent to the police station,
and Chief Hawman was notified. He
sent at once for an engine, loaded a
boat. and started up the Illinois Central
tracks for Leeds. The wave was struck
when but a short distance up, and the
boat was launched at once.
From one house three children were
taken, but the mother could not be res
cued and persisted. From another house
seven people were taken who had
crawled into the attic. Five people
were removed from a tree. The debris
piled up so that 1t would bear the weight
Of a man and greatly hindered the work.
When the word came Captain of
Police Wicks AMI a posse made haste
for the fiat and warned as many as
Many would not listen to words
Of warning, saying they had seen high
watcr before. They stayed and were
drowned. Others were saved, with lit
tie OF their belongings.
The water rose four feet in one hour
and q half, and from O'Clock continued
to rise steadily, but not 80 rapidly.
Probably 1000 inhabitants OF the city
live on the low ground which is over
flowed. So rapid was the rise Of the
tide that great numbers were unable to
escape and the work of rescue engage ed
every energy Of the people.
At 10 o'clock the fire alarm was sound
ed to call out more workers. All the
boats from the bont houses on the Sioux
River were brought i'll and used to save
life and property.
At / o'clock p. m. the water had
reached to jennings store on Fourth
street. Tho Hotel Fowle and the Boston
Investment Company's building were
surrounded. The Union depot was cut
on ut 8 O'Clock.
It is estimated that 5000 people have
been driven from their homes. All busi-
ness is suspended. Before noon the
ladies had several soup and lunch
houses opened for the flood sufferers.
At noon 375 people had registered for re-
lief and the applications had then only
Just been begun. The scenes along the
verge of the waters 9 pitiful. There
was neither gaslight nor electric light,
as both plants were under water.
Tho water was slowly receding at
night. A citizens meeting at the COURT
mouse organized 10 provide severalthou-
sand people with shelter. The damage
to property will reach 81, 0OO 900. The