Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-12-10
a GREAT CALAMITY


Threatening the City of Chippewa Falls.
the Result OF Enormous Ice Gorges-
Possibility that the CITY May be De-
stroyed, and the Entire Chippewa VAL
ley swept Clean to the Mississippi
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis, Dec. 2.-This
has been moving day in Chippewa
Falls, and along the Chippewa valley
down to the Mississippi. The lower
streets of the city are alive and noisy
with moving wagons, all descriptions
of draYs, sawdust carts, farm wagons
and delivery outfits. Everything that
can be drafted into service has been
set at work and the merchants OF
Spring street are rapidly getting back
to places of safety.
At midnight the water forced back
from the Chippewa ice gorge, was
creeping up the street toward the
Wisconsin Central station.
At eight o'clock this morning the
water was two feet above the tracks.
an hour later the tracks were aban
doned. The water has been steadily
rising since and at noon Spring street.
in it's business section, was lake of
ice water. For several blocks further
back, hotels and business houses were
chilly, the water having extinguished
all fires.
For ten miles below the Chippewa
liver is filed with ice gorged well to
the bottom, obstructing the flow, and
back of it the water is constantly and
rapidly rising to the dam at the upper
end of the city. Below the gorge to
Eau Claire the water is receding.
while reports from above the dam in
dictate that the water on the upper
Chippewa, Flambeau and other streams
will soon go down.
There is a complete cessation of
business here and hundreds have been
put to great inconvenience and loss
that is ali as yet. But the shadow of
great calamity lies over the Chippewa
valley. 1t is record that so years ago
an ice gorge formed near here anC
that, when it went out in the spring,
it swept the valley clean to the Mis-
sissippi. There were no houses then
but great trees were cut off, the
banks swept clean and devastation
followed. If the weather is not just
right from now until spring, history
may repeat itself-not in an unin-
"
ley lined with farming homes and
rich, prosperous cities.
Eau Claire might be swept out of ex-
istence by such flood, and the loss
would be incalculabIe and terrible.
This is a possibility, perhaps a prob
ability. If the weather should mod
crate now, or should the force of the
bacl1water become SO great as to
| loosen or break the jam of ice and
| logs, packed almost inextricably be-
| tween this city and Eau Claire, the
| calamity would come now. With the
mercury at zero, the suffering from
| the flood would be hey ond the power
Of ma gination.
| Vast masses of water are flowing
over the upper dam above the Weyer-
hauser mill at the upper end of the
city, bringing down broken ice in large
quantities. Below the rapids, at the
dam, this water flows under theuice
pack for miles, showing against the
bridges and backing into the town.
The water is 25 feet above the low
mark. In 1854 it was % feet above,
but that was a summer flood without
obstruction.
kilograms are being received here
continually from persons who have
friends in the city, asking as to their
condition. 1t may be said there is no
danger to life here, nor will there be.
The city is in darkness tonight. the
gas plant having been long ago aban-
1oned. The electric light plant at the
dam was last night forced to run I'M
der check, by reason of loss of power
by the Iessened mead. And this may
be so much further lessened as to stop
| the whole. The Wisconsin Central
roped in its depot buildings to hold
| them.
Later reports from Little Falls,
| where the Weyerhausers have the big
| gest dam on the Chippewa, are that
/ the jam there is likely to hold. If
| it should not, or if the dam should be
| opened, probably great destruction
| would result there, as the head Of
| water at the local dam would be raised
six or eight feet.