Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-05-19
DELUGED!
UNEQUALED RAINFALL!
Four and One-Quarter Inches In
Six Hours.
Damage to PrODerty TerJ
EEtestSice.
The Railroad q Large Sufferer and
Trafjc Delayed.

! HltLlDftb.S IN IRON county iOr the eX
tent and fury OF it, rain fall. and. II
after year. the Old inhabitants viii
doubtless refer 10 the floods Of thi.
season a. the greatest and most df-a..
troue IN the history Of the country.
He viii doubtless have u fund Of Incl
dents to verify this assertion. nor will
/ it be Necessary for him 10 draw on his
Imagination. for the bare facts and real
occurrences are more than sufficient 10
furnish material fora vOlune Of stories.
The rains and consequent wa-hout-
commenced early IL the season and on
the night Of april Sd. last. there was d
rainfall that exceeded in volume any
thing within the memory OF the oldest
residents. and the damage resulting
was great: farm, We're ruined. fences
washed away roads destroyed. and that
section Of railroad between Hogan and
Sabu-a almost q total wreck. and no
trains could pass for over Il week.
The people and the railroad had just
begun to recover from the effects of this
flood during the past week. when there
came another more disastrous and dam
aging. if possible, than the former.
! There wa, more o. less rain all the
! earlier part Of last week. and not d day
but that some rain fell. It was mostly
in showers. however. and beyond the
fact OF rendering very di-agrecable
weather and retarding the farm work.
| no special Inconvenience was suffered.
! On Friday night. though. shortly after
sunset, the clouds gathered. the SKY
| became dark a. midnight. and flashes
| OF lightning dartcd across the heavens
accompanied by distant rdmbling- Of
| thunder. Shortly after the rain com
mcEced falling and continued IT inter
walls. until midnight. when there Were
two or three LOUD and distinct Chaps Of
| thunder. and the water commenced
coming down in torrents: il didn't fall
in drops. but in sheets and those who
were up at that hour say that the vol
ume OF water fairly blinded any one
who attempted to brave the storm This
continued WITHOUT cessation Tor four o"
FIVE hours. and when daylight came
there was hardly a spot in the Valley.
that wasn't covered with water, while
the creeks We're raging rivers. and in
their fury. We're carrying all before
them.
The damage seemed TO have been
greater along Slout's creek: the cur
rents OF the stream had been changed.
banks washed away. fences swept off.
and the bosom Of the waters almost a
solid mass Of drift wood and floating
trees. Fields adjacent We're submerged
and the waters flowed over with fury
and rapidly. The work OF destruction
was complete. too. and as the creek re-
ceded it was revealed that the fields
that had the night before been covered
with richest soil. promising abundant
yields OF corn and other crops, were
now but masses of rocks and beds Of
gravel.
The damage in the Valley began in
the western corner at the Greason mill
dam which was broken by the raging
waters. and a they swept down in the
VALLEY. flooded the stream. and carried
rail and timber before them Several
fences were taken from the Greason
farm, and DR. Jones and W. \. Fetch
ers places suffered likewise. The
south approach TO the wagon bridge
across Stout'= creek. between IrontOn
and Arcadia. was cut to pieces by the
waters and made the passage Of teams
and horses by that way impossible.
The bridge itself was not damaged.
The water reached up Main street "a
far "a Baldwin's planning mill, and
covered all the land between there and
the creek Newman's gardens and
Mr.. J. W. SpecB's yards We're com
pietely submerged. Newman's fences
along the creek We're totally destroyed.
but the gardens We're not a badly
washed as would have been expected.
The residence occupied by Rev. W H.
Robert. was surrounded by water sew
III feet in depth. and when the family
was aroused bv the rushing OF the wat
er,. they AT first. feared for their lives.
but happily. no serious injury resulted
The railroad bridge was badly damaged.
IN some cases the piling was split in two
bv the force OF drifting wood. and one
especially large tree landing between
The supports. broke OF the timhers, and
knocked the track a. much Is eighteen
inches out Of plum.
And 20 on down the stream: the lit
tie house occupied by sam. Boyd col
oled. below the bridge was entirely
surrounded and he and his family had
10 wade out in water up 10 their waist
about four o'clock in the morning.
NageI'S slaughter house was carried
completely away and landed further
down the stream. In the Shut-In and
through the Valley there the waters
were higher. than ever before known.
The rain i'm the northwest does not
soon, l., have. h4.au 81 heavy and Knob
Creek was nothing near 80 high a the
streams in the southern part Of the
Valley The railroad bridge across
the former stream wa only slightly
damaged and the trains passed over
Saturday night without any trouble or
delay. The wagon bridge was not in
jureJ: some OF the farms adjacent slIf-
fcrc3 somewhat but. a. far a. reported.
nothing like those along Stout's creek.
From Belieview and out IN the vicinity
Of GranItcyilic. the reports come that
the fail Of water va, very great too.
and the streams in those vicinitics have
done considerable damage: in Belle
view. particularly the farms have been
badly washed
The railroad people evidently appre-
hended that the rain was going to be
serious one, and a early a. ten o'clock
Friday evening all trains between Pop
lar Bluff and Bismarck were tied up at
the stations. None OF the night pas
senger trains went through. the south