San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-12-03
WISCONSIN FLOODS.
CHIPPEWA FALLS PARTLY mum
DATED AND IN DANGER.
A Fifteen Mile Ice Gorge Fails to succumb
To Thousands ofPounds of Dyntmite-
Wisconsin Towns Endangered.

Chippewa Falls, Dec. 2.-Confusion
reigns in Chippewa Falls today and
the thoroughly alarmed people are
making every effort to leave as little
for the incoming waters to destroy as
they possibly can. Two hundred
teams and drays have rushed hither
and thither all day and the streets are
Uttered with various kinds of mer-
chandise which dropped from the
overland wagons as they hurled to
places of safety. The water remained
stationary until about O'clock this
morning, then it began to rise rapidly
and inside of four hours an additional
rise of eighteen inches was registered.
The river at 10 O'clock is "a feet high
and rising. Spring street merchants
who had stored their goods i'm the sec
ond floors determined to take no
chances and everything was moved
today and by s O'clock there will not
be dollars worth of material remain
ing. Business is abandoned and the
city is lin a state of turmoil. Thous-
ands of people are anXiously waiting
the flood and groops of fifty or more
eXcitedly discuss the situation on ev-
cry corner. Anything is expected and
nothing may happen, but the great
est danger lays in the probable chang
ing of the rivers course to throw it
into the town. This danger is more
certain today for it is plainly to be
seen that the water can never cut its
way under the fifteen miles of ice
gorge which has formed in the bed Of
fha ,.iu haI hn
will soon become anchored to the bot
tom of the river. In this case the
river must flow out around it. Its
natural course in this event lies direct
ly behind the town. Three thousand
pounds of dynamite arrived this
morning and men have been at work
exploding it at various points along
the river. The attempt has so far
failed to relieve the situation.
All buildings on River street are to-
day flooded to the second story and
the formation of ice around them is
doing serious damage to the structures
The Central depot is under three
feet of water and will be carried
away before night.
The Milwaukee freight depot is in
n similar situation and the coal sheds
near by are wrecked and torn by ice.
A report reached here this morning
that the gorge at Yittle Falls dam, Is
miles above the city, had broken away
permitting n rush of water upon the
town. If this report is authentic the
entire town will be inundated just as
soon as the water reaches us. Mana
ger Irvine, of the G. L. & B. company,
discredits the theory. The report has
caused considerable CONSERVATION and
there will be no cessation Of worry
until it is denied.
Fifty of the largest business firms
have abandoned their structures en-
| tirely and every resident has made
preparations to seek places of safety
| i'm case the worst occurs.
| An estimate of the damage already
done in this city and the rich farming
| country above cannot be made, but it
is thought $1,000,O00 is conserva-
| tive estimate, This already has been
sustained, but not until after the flood
has subsidized will the full measure Of
damage be estimated.
A special from Durand, Wis, says
the ice gorge below the city forced
| the water within four feet of the great
1884 flood, last night filling cellars
and overfiowing the lower streets.
the ice closed in and the line of forrna-
| ton is mile below the city. The
river is slightly falling here. Below
Round Hill the gorge is broken and
| the river has fallen rapidly there.
| Should the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES break
Durand will be in great danger, as
the bluffs at Round Hill will hold the
| gorge there.
| A special from Black River Falls,
l Wis, says: The recent floods on
Black river surpassed anything in the
history of this county at so late a pc
l riod in the fall. AS returns from the
| lower river country come in much
loss of stock and other property is re-
ported.