Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-03-17
AND THE FLOODS CAME.
MANY THOUSAND DOLLARS OF
PROPERTY DESTROYED.
Two Lives Lost I'm the Angry Waters ana
Much Serious Damage Throughout
the state. Whisky's RoT!..


The rivers throughout Michigan are
swollen beyond their banks and are
creating enormous loss of property in
all directions. Several accidents have
been reported but the. most serious
was the drowning of Fred Laisure and
his sister-in-law, Mrs. Hattie Sullivan,
near Midland.
Laisure was driving with his sister
in-law from a camp above here, where
Mrs. Sullivan had been cooking, when
they came TO place where the river
had overflown the road. Turning aside
to ascend a bank he got into deeper
water. and the carriage upset. Lais-
ure, assisting his sister-in-law, tried to
swim, but being burdened with heavy
clothing both sank in ten feet of water
They were washed toward the river
and Laisures body was found. Fred
Laisure, 40 years old, was well known
throughout the state, he being a
trainer and owner Of trotting horses.
He leaves a wife and two young child,
rem. The young wife is nearly crazec!
at the loss of both husband ana
sister in so sudden manner.
At Ionia: The citizens were startled
from their beds at 3 o'clock in the
morning by the clang of the fire alarm
II was soon known that help was
needed to prevent the Grand river from
DESTROYING the Capitol wagon works
and the Ionia Furniture company :
plants Every available man and team
was put to work, and soon the road
(which was the sole protection of the
factories) was filled with great timber
stones and gravel forming heavy
breastwork.
The bed of the river lies at least ;
half mile away, but the whole coun
try for miles is now but raging, rush
ing torrent. The bridges on the d., u
III. q NJ. and the d., l.. & \. railroad
,, were in immiue mt danger. Many mel
were engaged to weight them down
and tons of sand bags were piled OF
them. Fifteen families residing OF
,, Bavard's flats were driven from thel
homes. The cellar of the Michigan
! Clothing company was flooded, an
damage done To new clothing TO TN
extent of 50, 1000. The grounds OF tn
= Ionia Agricultural Society, west OF TN
: city. were entirely submerged, waite
1 reaching the tops of the fence an
stock sheds. Webber's planning an
: saw mills were also nearly surrounde
by water, and timber was floating.
, At Portland: The Grand and Lookin
Glass rivers played sad havoc. An ic
: gorge formed in Looking Glass canal,
II half mile east of town. The dam thu
formed turned the stream full acros
: the main track of the d., l.. IL n. roa
and the track was submerged Oh
u lance of GOO feet. When the water sui
{ sided the tracks were left suspended
/ midair, the earth having been washe
" from under them. The electric hgl
II plant was seriously crippled.
e At Flint: The Flint river went on
u rampage. 1t reached its former hlgI
water mark and wrought serious dan
age along its course. Ice accumulate
in such quantities that the dam ga
Of away with a thunderous crash and II
V, rush of water and ice threatened u
S, bridges. Over 1000, 900 feet of phi
t. logs tore from their moorings and we
a carried away.
e. At Grand Rapids: Grand river reach
40 the highest point since 1885. Sever
c. -four mills and factories were tioode
st The Grand Rapids electric light wor
were flooded so that il was necessa
to shut off the big engine. The hu
warehouse of the Valley City Stora
company was carried mile and final
re anchored against a tree. Wallln's Ia
merry and the plaster mills were und
four feet of water. The Michigan IL
rel company and Quimby Lumber co
pany lost several hundred thousa
no feet of lumber, and the latter conce
lost its huge dry-kilns. The basemeI
of the Goshen Carpet Sweeper co
~ pany, Berkey & Gay, and the Ora
Rapids Chair company were HOOD
be and the machinery suffered severe
At The press and composing rooms OF !
Evening Press were covered by
feet of water. The total loss alrea
' ',', aggregates 100000.