Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-05-26
SIOUX clTY.s DISASTER.

The List of Victims Growing Larger-Tho
Damage Placed at Four Million Dollars
Possibly One Hundred Persons Lost.
SIOUX CITY, Ia, May 20.-The food
which swept down upon this devoted
city Wednesday morning was even more
disastrous in its frightful havoc than
was believed possible that night. 1t is
now certain that at least sixty and pos
sibly 100 lives were sacrificed to the
waters.
Estimates place the property loss at
about a 100000. The packing interests
and stockyards lose 81 1000, 900, the rail-
roads 81, 900, 900 and the city and indi-
viduals $4,000, 900. Nearly 100000
worth of cedar block paving was de-
stroyed, being torn up and carried away
by the food.
No list of the dead can be given. In
fact, the terrorized people have sought
refuge in so many quarters that it is
impossible to determine exactly what
the number on the death roll will be.
Sioux CITY, Ia, May 20.-Searching
parties to look for dead bodies began
work early yesterday, but at noon the
authorities reported only two bodies re-
covered and identified. One is that of
Peter Anderson, engineer of the Sioux
City & Northern foundry, and Mrs
Frank Henderson and child of Leeds
The child was found clasped in the
mothers arms.
The flood at its height extended from
Court street to the Floyd bluffs and
from the suburb of Lynn to the Nilsson
ri river. This comprises district five
miles long and a mile and a half wide.
For q distance of a mile and half
above the mouth of the Floyd the bot
tom was densely populated, a large por-
ton Of the inhabitants. being employees
OF packing houses, railroads and facto-
ries, with many retail shops.
AT the height of the food the current
struck straight through the residence
streets. Along the streets nearest to
| the river scores of dwellings were swept
from their foundations, carried long
distances and either destroyed or over
| turned. 1t is no uncommon sight to
see a dwelling turned over on its side
or roof. Many two story buildings
Were swept away. The buildings which
were twisted or carried q short distance
are innumerable. Over all this area
! for six or eight street from the river
| the water was far above the second
| stories, with swift current and the
| wind blowing hurricane. Every
where fences, outhouSes, sidewalks,
| wooden pavement, railroad ties and
tirnbers and lumber yard debris are
scattered about among the contorted
and overturned dwellings.
| Many of the streets are paved with
| cedar blocks and the water lifted hun
dreds of thousands of them and carried
them away. In some places there are
immense masses of debris piled on top
of houses. Several thousand people fol-
! lowed the receding flood to search for
their homes and missing ones.
AT one place the river cut across the
| bend and scooped out a great channel,
starting in about Eighth street. All
houses in that vicinity but very few
were utterly wiped out The railroads
| and the stocllyards will suffer the great
| est individual losses.
The quick tempered Floyd river is
subsiding into its banks and a rough
| estimate of the loss from the flood is pos
sible. The pecuniary loss viii be heavy.
| D. E. Hedges. presidentof the stockyards
company, estimates the loss to the
stockyards and packing interests at
from s45O,00O to $500, 900; the loss to
houses and furniture of the residents of
| the flooded district will aggregate about
$3.50, 900. and the stocks of goods dam
aged 100000. The damage to the city
| in pavements, etc, will foot up 500, 900.
The rapid transit lines are considerable
losers but the railroad companies suf-
fered most. Up the Floyd for twenty
miles the Sioux City s. Northwestern
and the Illinois Central tracks, built on
! entertainments, are washed out or dam
/ aged. The loss of the terminal COM
| pany and on all the railroads is esti-
mated at from $3.50, 600 to ss00.OO0
The Floyd river is almost back to it's
| banks and hundreds are returning to
their homes which they We're compelled
| to abandon Wednesday. Scores of
houses were swept from their founda-
tons and others were badly wrecked.
| The damage to movables is large where
they were not hoated off. Fifty or
sixty retail stores on the low ground
We're destroyed or badly damaged
Near the Floyd the river cut across a
bend and scooped out a great channel,
starting in about lower Eighth street.
All the houses but a very few in that
| vicinity We're utterly wiped out.
REHRING SEA ARBITRATORS,