The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-05-23
GREAT FLOODS
CAUSE Death and Destruction In
Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The Downpour of Rain the Greatest Ever
Known In the Observation-Disclosures
Dams and Houses Washed Away
Five Lives Lost.

ST. PAUL, MINI, May 17.-Half a mil
lion dollars will scarcely cover the dam
age done by the great storm of Tues
day and Tuesday night in Minnesota
and western Wisconsin. The down.
pour Of rain was the greatest ever
known in this section Of the northwest
and in many places was as destructive
as water spout. The damage is great
est along the River st. Croix, Eugalle
and Chippewa rivers where the rise in
the water was so rapid that bridges
could not resist it and dozens Of them
were washed away. In several places
also dams were washed out and the
swift flowing floods did large damage
to business property.
The death list so far includes five,
one being killed by lightning near
AnolSa, Mimi, and another near Rich
mond, Wis. A woman and two children
were drowned in the Eugalle river
near Springvalley, Wis. Railway traffic
was in a state of paralysis all day, be-
cause of lost bridges and wash-outs in
the tracks.
Reports from the farming districts in
dicate that the loss to farmers will be
very large On rolling land the rainfall
was so heavy as to wash out the tender
young wheat and oat plants. Hundreds
of acres of grain are reported ruined in
Goodhue, Washington, Pine and Benton
counties. The potato planters Of Chi
cago county also report serious loss.
At Saltwater rain fell in solid sheets
from II o'clock Tuesday night until
o'clock yesterday morning and the dam
age done will amount to at least $780,
900. The water rushed down the hill
sides at such a rate that 1t carried
everything before it, including several
buildings. The Sawyer house, the larg-
est hotel in the city, has three feet Of
water on its first floor.
At st. Cloud one Of the results Of the
deluge was the drowning Of two men.
John Mooney and Andrews Swanberg,
in attempting to cross rivulet on
horseback in the town of Mandon, Ben
ton county, lost their lives. The water
was twelve feet deep and the little
creek was several hundred feet wide.
At Sauk Rapids, Mimi, the heaviest
rain OF the season, accompanied by hail
centered over that place Tuesday night,
setting in at $50 and continuing until
6a. IN. Wednesday. The Northern Pa
ciic track suffered badly, all bridges
between Rice and Clear Lake being
washed out and the track made inn
passable. The Wisconsin Central tracks
from Stanley Wis, to Chippewa Falls,
distance Of thirty-hve miles, have
been washed out. Not piece Of track
half q mile in length is left. West Of
there, as far as Glenwood, q washout
occurred wherever the road crossed q
creek. No trains can reach the city on
the Central fer about q week.
MILWAUKEE, Wis, May IA food Is
sweeping down Black river valley. A
large number Of dams, mills, iron
bridges and other property have been
destroyed. A dispatch from Chippewa
Falls reports great destruction TO prop
erty in the Chippewa river valley. All
the railroads report washouts and no
trains from the north or west were rum
ming yesterday.
The wall Of water sweeping down
Black river valley struck River Falls at
o'clock Wednesday morning. The
dam of the prairie mill checked the
rush of water for few minutes, but
the wall of stone could not Withstand
the pressure and the dam gave way.
Two big bridges were swept from their
fastenings and were carried away on
the torrent.
Railroad lines suffered severely from
wash-outs. At Bloomer, in the Chip
pewa valley, several dwellings, large
planning mill, the city pumping house
and the fire engine house are gone.
The great dam across the Black river
near Black River falls was in danger,
and the west wing was blown up to
save the remainder Of the structure
This sent great food down the valley
on Black River falls.
The mill district OF Glenwood is q
scene of ruin. The big dam and sluice-
way Of the Glenwood Manufacturing
Company were carried away. Every
bridge on the whole length Of Tiffany
creek is gone. Many dwellings, in the
lower part Of the village are under the
water. The Wisconsin Central Chicago
train is cut off by wash-outs and is in
the woods about mile and half from