The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-12-09
THE ICE-GORGeD CHIPPEWA.
Streets and Houses FIooded-Psopte
Panic.Stricken.

Streets and Houses FIooded-Psopte
Panic.stricken.
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis, Dec. l.
This has been a day of excitement and
anxiety. and tonight finds the inhabi-
tants of this little village in a state
bordering on panic. The worst of the
situation is the knowledge of impend-
ing danger and of the fact that they
are utterly helpless to stay or avert it.
Those whose houses have been flooded
have removed their household goods
and belongings to higher grounds, and
are huddled together in the school
houses and other vacant buildings out
of the path of the torrent that is sweep.
ing down several of the main streets.
Ali hope OF breaking the gorge and
thus allowing the pent up waters to
gradually subside is now abandoned.
All efforts today were directed towards
removing household goods ana mer'
chaudise out of the reach of the flood.
Every team in the city has been en-
gagged in this work. Every resident
and business firm of River street has
moved out. The Chippewa lumber
and,Boom Ccmpany's mill yards are
under water, and all hope has been
given up of saving the entire business
portion of the place from being sub
merged.
1t was reported this morning that
another gorge was forming thirty
miles above here and this greatly added
to the alarm, as in case it should break
nothing could save the city from be-
ing swept. away.
Reports of a very serious nature
came from down the river. The coun-
try everywhere is flooded. The gorge
continues to grow in extent. It is now
over five miles long and in many
places thirty to fifty feet high. II
completely dams the river, and this is
causing the rapid rise of the river here.
The heavy rains of last week were fol.
lowed by sudden freeze, which quick.
ly massed the floating ice in the Chip.
pewa and the swiftly running current
continually added to it until it reached
its present gigantic proportions.
Below here the Chippewa is falling.
There is no food at Eau Claire, but
this fact is causing the people at that
place much uneasiness as it indicates
that the water is being piled up as by
q dam above them.
The ice pack at Badger Mills, half
way between Eau Claire and Chippew wa
Falls, is growingin in extent and every
thing seems to indicate that the river
is choking up. It is not believed that
anything serious can happen unde,
the present conditions for at least 8
day or two, and it is believed thai
every one mas been sufficiently warned
and is in readiness to fly the moment
the crash comes.
The Chippewa River shows no sign
OF abatement tonight. It rose -four
feet today, and at 9 o'clock this even
ing the waters are rising at the rate oi
two inches an hour.
Reports from various sections indi
cate deplorable condition of affairs.
At the Flambeau farm, Is miles above
this city, another ice gorge has formed
The river has overfowed its banks
and inundated the. country twenty
miles on either side. Domestic ami
mails have perished by the score
Farms and farm houses are flooded
and the losses will reach into the hun
dreds of thousands. These reports art
meagre and ,uncorroborated, but it is
safe to estimate that at least 5000
horses, COWS and hogs have met death
in the flood.
At Chippewa Falls the river is fully
three quarters of mile wide and it:
surface is covered with anchor.ice tt
a depth varying from ten to thirty
feet. The most stubborn resistance of.
fered by the obstruction. is in. that por.
ton of the river between the wagon
bridge and the Central Railroad
bridge, about half mile in length
Today Mayor Lindley ordered an ex
rlosion of 500 pounds of dynamite
but after 300 pounds had been ex
ploded the experiment was abandoned
as a failure. Railroad officials who
viewed the gorge state that there is moi
sufficient dynamite obtainable to bias
a channel for the river through ths
frozen mass of 81 -, logs and ice.
| Make Up of the House.