Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-06-05
WENT INTO A WASHOUT.
Five Railway Employees Meet Death
on the Burlington Road in
Nebraska.

Omaha. Neb., June "a special to the
Bee from McCook, Neb., says that at 1
clock last night while searching for
washouts between Edison and Oxford,
the engineer of the repair train plunged
into a washout about two miles east of
Edison and of the five men on the engine
four were killed. The names of the dead
are:
B. V. HALEY, roadmaster.
FRANK JEFFRIES. engineer.
c. NJ. ROWELL fireman.
SAMUEL MUNDY, conductor.
Frank Harris, private secretary to
Supt Campbell of the Burlington road,
miraculously escaped with slight injuries.
All but Mundy are married men whose
families reside in McCook, where the
dead men were brought this morning.
This is the most disastrous accident to
life that has ever occurred on this divis-
ion and is one of the results of the break
ing of Curtis lake dam.
The Curtis Lake Flood.
Curtis, Neh, June 3.-Curtis lake burst
from its banks late yesterday afternoon
and the volume of water released carried
destruction through the Medicine valley.
The lake covered an area of 100 acres
and was constructed as an irrigat ton
reservoir and incidentally to furnish
power to the Curtis roller mills. An
enormous dam was built across the mouth
of Wild canyon, where it intercepts the
Medicine river at this point, and all
the water drained from the territory to
the north, some thirty square miles,
was confined in the artificial basin The
enormous food of water that has passed
into the lake during the past five days
was too heavy for the dam. The first
intima ton Curtis citizens had that the
city was threatened with disaster was
when the bank of the lake burst.
hot ho hos,
eral miles, a wall of water ten feet high
rushed down the valley, carrying every
thing in it's path. Houses. freight cars
stock and a mountain of debris was
caught up and dashed about like feathers
The fine roller mills which occupy the
east side of the great ravine received the
first shock of the torrent and the build
ing was almost ruined. The damage in
this direction alone is estimated at $780,
600.
A few hundred yards below the mills
Medicine river passes under the railroad
tracks of the Burlington When the
flood struck this narrow defile its progress
was impeded, but only for an instant
Then the heavy embellishments gave way
and the wall of water rushed through,
cutting a path 100 yards wide. A num-
Der of freight cars were standing on the
tracks close to the point undermined and
were precipitated into the river, being car
ried down stream like StraWs. Much of
the track was left spanning the chasm
while other sections were carried over
bodily by the great pressure of the flood.
The railroad company's loss is about So,
600.
Crops Are Ruined.
As the wall of water passed beyond
the city it rapidly spread out over an i'm
mense territory and its powers of destruc,
ton We're cOrrespondingly decreased. The
damage, however, was merely shifted, as
the extensive alfalfa meadows for many
miles to the south were flooded by several
feet of water and fears are entertained
that the crop will be permanently de,
stroyed. All details from the south where
the torrent passed indicate very extern,
sive damage. Farm products of every dc,
scription were engulfed and in many in
stances where the homes of the farmers
were in the immediate vicinity of the val
ley the disaster was almost ruinOus.
Small buildings were swept away or I'M
dermined in such a manner as to be rem.
dered worthless and in some sections the
water rose so rapidly as to seriously
menace the lives of families. No loss
of life has thus far been reported. TWEEN
ty miles to the SOUTH where the Medi-
cine valley is confined to a small space,
it is believed the damage will be heaviest