River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-05-17
RIVER FALLS FLOODED!
Great Damage to Property But
No Lives Lost!
THE KIHNlCKINNIC ON A TEAR 4!
Bridges and Dams Swept Away,
Buildings Wrecked
A Night of Terror 10 Our Citizens!
Narrow Escapes!
Damages will Probably Exceed
$4,000.

1 QfOyOOOs
| lit never rains but il pours" was
strickingly exemplified in this vicinity
on Tuesday night. A terrific thunder
storm came up from the northwest
against the wind" early in the
evening. This storm was accom-
panied with strong wind and some
hail. For an hour and a half ii
rained continuously and water stood
in every depression and flowed down
every decliyity. AT six O'Clock the
wind had lulled, the rain had ceased,
and the blue sky appeared radiant
above the western horizon and people
ventured out of their houses with a
sigh of relief. The storm is over! But
an hour afterwards the western sky
was as black as ink. The ominous
blackness advanced rapidly, ended
with binding flashes of lightning. 1t
looked at first as if the force of the
storm would pass to the north, and
perhaps no greater misgivings were
felt than at the approach of several
pOrtentous looking storms that swept
over this locality the past week or
two. At nine o'clock, however, the
storm clouds had completely shut in
the view at all points. The storm
was upon us. The roar of thunder
for a time before the rain commenced
TO fall was terrific and lightning
almost continuous. Then the wind
ows of heaven were opened and the
water came down in torrents from
this time until long past midnight.
The headwaters of the Kinnickinnic
are but eight or ten miles above the
city and the frequent heavy rains of
the past two weeks had kept the
river filed TO high water marx. The
superabundant water from this cloud
burst must find its outlet through
the heart of the city OF River Falls.
There was, as matter of course,
numerous bridges spanning the river
above the city.
At two O'Clock, Wednesday morn
ing, the city Marshal, watching the
threatening rise of water proceeded
to ring the fire alarm which being
Immediately answered by other bells
called out the citizens to do all that
could be done to save life and proper
ty. Soon the rapidly rising waters
began to bring down the shattered
wrecks of bridges, trees, fences and
other fiotsam from the upper part OF
the river. In a little while the dam
of the Prairie Mill in the upper part
of the city that confines the waters OF
the river in the Mill Pond, covering
an area of forty or fifty acres, was
undermined at the west end and the
bank so rapidly disintegrated as to
let the immense volume confined
above into the narrow limits below
with disastrous consequences. The
iron bridge across the river on Cedar
street collapsed, the filling at the
| west end mingled with the turbid
! waters, the large barn of q. Krauth
on the flat near the Omaha depot,
containing several horses, some cattle,
| mems, feed, wagons and machinery, top
pied over into the raging waters and
was lost in the promiscuous debris.
| The long foot bridge was swirled into
| the stream and increased the confu-
sion of hoating timbers; the new iron
bridge across the main stream on
| Maple street could not long with
| stand the shock of the accumulated
| waters loaded with the whirling
wrecks from above, the abutments
were soon undermined and the fine
/! structure went with the current.
Contiguous. across the Greenwood
/ Mill race were two bridges, one wooden
bridge leading TO the Omaha depot,
and the stone arch bridge on the
main street. The filling between the
iron bridge and the arch bridge was
soon washed out and the magnificent
arch was no more. The wooden bridge
disappeared from sight and the fiume
was a wreck. The Greenwood mills
were now in serious danger and were
only saved by the voluntary labor of
heroic men shoveling new channel,
standing in the water knee deep. As
it was the mill is seriously damaged
but stands. The fiume of the Prairie
/ Mill had succumbed long before. The
railroad bridge below the Greenwood
Mills stood the onslaught intact, and
| is almost miraculous monument
frcm the general destruction. But
the explanation is not hard to find;
the confines of the food were more eX-
tended than above and the spans were
wider apart The iron bridge at the
Junction Mill crossing was uninjured.
The butments were the native rock
in the banks and the structure is
high above the water. 1t is the only
bridge by which traffic can cross from
one part Of the city TO the other. Be-
low the railroad bridge was the old
saw mil of the Fosters, about the first
structure built ON this stream, and
near this was 5. j. Mealy's large
starch factory. The mill went along
with the ruins from above. The
starch factory was built against the
bank east of the mill. This bank
forms right angle to the bank of
the river below the saw mill, con-
seQuently when the waters wrecked
and fioated -he factory it must needs
PASS around this square corner into
the rocky confines of the river above
the Junction Mill bridge, in doing this
a part OF the roof was split off against
a large pine tree and was forced up
the bank out of the river where il re-
mains among the tops of trees. This
immense wreck crashed around the
angle of the rock among the trees,
was torn into splinters and -foated
over the falls in the shape of kind
ling wood.