The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-05
DAMAGE FROM THE ICE GORGE
AND FLOOD ON THE CHIP
PEwA HEAVY.
SITUATION IS UNCHANGED.
TRACKS AND FILLING In
wAsHOUTs.
REPORTED Loss OF LIFE FALSE.
But Farmers in Bottom Lands suf-
fer Destruction of Live stock
and Provisions.

Special to the Glooe.
EAU CLAIRE, Wis, Dec. 4.-Willi am
Carson, president of the Valley Lumber
company, reports thatshis company has
lost 5000 worth of manufactured lum-
Der by the flood. Eleven cribs which
had been moored at the company's
plant, in this city, were torn from
their fastenings when the river was at
It's height and carried down stream.
Only small portion of the lumber
was recovered at the jam below Du-
rand The loss of life reported to have
occurred below Durand by sensational
newspaper correspondents is a myth.
There have been no deaths by drown
ing on the Chippewa as a result of
the flood, and no parties are reported
missing Work has been commenced
repairing the tracks of the Valley
branch Of the Chicago, Milwaukee &
ST. Paul road below Durand Conduc-
tor Sawyer, of the road, took a force
of seventy men down yesterday He
reports four feet of solid ice covering
the tracks for miles below Durand.
A force of men will work simultan-
eously from the other direction and it
is thought that the tracks will be
cleared and washouts repaired inside
fused all business offered at this place.
About seventy-five carloads of freight
are standing on the tracks awaiting
shipment. Conductor Sawyer Is the
man who rescued many people below
Durant at daybreak Monday morning.
He caused his engine and caboose to be
sent back to pick up the people who
had been driven from their homes by
the flood and only desisted in the work
when water threatened to extinguish
the fire in the engine.s Most of the
people rescued stood seantily clad and
some barefooted in a the freezing
weather, some were badly frozen, but
no lives were lost. The lower roads
between Eau Claire, IPorters Mills and
other towns down the river remain Ice
bound and communication by wagon
as well as rail has been practically
suspended The loss of live stock and
provisions by residents on bottom
lands the entire length tof the river Is
enormous.
Col A. w. A. Jones, of ST. Paul, &C
companied by Assistant Engineer john
stone and a number of railroad men,
made the trip from Eau Claire to Chip
pewa Falls yesterday morning on a
switch engine, and viewed the gorge
from start to finish. To your cores
pondent Col. Jones said: Unless there
is unusual weather the ice gorge will
remain as it is until spring Of course
a general thaw or heavy rain like you
had prior to Thanksgiving, would
change the situation materially. But
then the probabilities are that you will
have favorable weather. I find that
there are over 25,000,000 feet of logs in
the reservoir. between the -Dells dam
and the cutoff. Should the ice gorge
come down all together, 1t must OF
necessity carry these logs before it
I will not venture to say what the con-
sequence might be. On the whole how
ever, l think there is no further cause
for alarm"
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis, Dec. A.
TIE. river was today six inches lower
than last night, but the fear Of the
people were much allayed since learn
ing that the general river was falling
The continued cold was also tending tc
quiet their fears and they are settling
down to an all winter companionshiI
with the ice gorge. Col. Jones started
| down the branch line Of the Milwaukee
| & ST. Paul road at s o'clock, gong
| along the banks of the river for sew
| eral miles on further investigation OF
| the gorge. He does not believe there
is anything to be done, and rather dis
| approves the use of dynamite or other
| explosives as useless or unnecessary
| work The worst is undoubtedly over
| The peple of the valley are becoming
| acquainted with that fact, and conse
OllQnfIv faa1 r1o1Ioh rn1iauad