The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-12-02

completely inundating it, in which event
heavy loss Of property and life could not
be ayerted.
Eau Claire, Wis, Dec loving to the
floods there is a total suspension of rail-
way traffic on the Wabash and Durand
st. Paul railway. Great damage has
been done to farms along the Chippewa
river. The farmers families escaped to
the railroad track from the rising wafer
and were rescued by trainmen and an en-
CINE. I ne great ice gorge three miles
from Eau Claire is causing this inunda-
ton of Chippewa Falls, but is protecting
Eau Claire and Durand. 1t extends for
miles and cannot be broken. Unless it
should give way, no great damage Is
booked for here.
Chicago, Dec. 1.-Tidings of a calamity
threatening villages and towns in the
Chippewa river valley of Wisconsin were
confirmed by passengers and crews OF
Incoming trains today. According TO
them the city of Eau Claire is in the shad
ow Of a big ice gorge which threatens to
give way al any moment and precipitate
a food on the inhabitants of the valley
Express Messenger Arthur says that the
center point of danger is at Eau Claire.
He continued.
IAN express sgert whom I relieved at
:
gorge nearly fifty feet high and five miles
long had formed near the lower portion OF
Eau Claire. This barricade of ice is form
Ing a reservoir Of water which is packed
with lumber, driftwood and great foes.
The only thing which keeps the flood
back is the ice gorge. When that gives
away something awful will happen. Fam
lilies are moving away and taking their
household goods TO high land. The wa
rer has risen everywhere. Four feet q.
water covers the Wisconsin Central
tracks and it is rising at the rate Of six
inches an hour. The bottom lands are
covered with water and a great Joss OF
stock il said TO have been reported by
farmers. Cellars, where supplies are
kept, have been conn letely filed with
water. / hear that the river has already
reached the twenty-foot mark, and is
rapidly rising"
The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul
has suspended its service through the
Chippewa valley, it being utterly impos-
siOle to get train through the flooded
country.
Train crews report that an engine and
coach sent out 10 the low lands below
Durand came back with two score OF
men, women and children on board, who
were driven from their homes by the
food and were found nearly dead from
exposure and cold. The engineer SAID
that he could not finish the trip on ac-
count OF the rising water.
Burlington bridge at Chippewa Ks re-
ported by train crews to be impossible.
Reeds Landing, above Alma, is said 10 be
totally covered with water and traffic is
pffectually stopped. Local railway Off
eials received notice that the Chicago,
Burlington and Northern road is also
handicapped by the ice gorge and rising
Goods.
Passengers on the Wisconsin Central
train which arrived from the north at
noon reported that the water was already
five feet deep in the streets of Chippewa
Falls and that dynamite was being used
In an endeavor to break the gorge.
Milwaukee, Wis, Dec. IA special TO
the Wisconsin from Chippewa Falls this
morning said:
THE situation in Chippewa Falls Is
growing more serious every minute. The
mammoth ice gorge, which formed six
miles down the river, has backed into the
rity, and the immense volume of water
coming from above is spreading to each
side, inundating large portions of the
town. Today every merchant in the
city IS moving TO places of safety. The
water has filed the Easements of the bus
mess blocks almost the entire length of
Bridge street, and before evening it IL
expected that the water will have reach
ed the court house. eight blocks from the
river. There is much excitement in town
but everything is orderly. About fifty
families on this SIDE who were forced to
move their homes, were reported in want,
and relief was Immediately despatched.
Some Of these families had taken ref
uge in empty houses, and were without
food or warmth. Bridge Superintendent
Callaghan of the Central road was in
structed to blast out the gorge, but he
would not undertake the task. He said
that all the dynamite manufactured
could not budgs it, and it seems that all
that can be done is to sit down and watch
the approach of the flood. The water
this morning began to rise at the rate of
q foot an hour, and it looks as though
the entire town would be inundated. 1t
is a critical condition of affairs, but there
seems to be no remedy"
special TO the Wisconsin from Du-
rand, Wis, this morning, said:
'"Tae ice gorge which began at West
Newton on the Mississippi and gradually
extended up the Chippewa Friday has
reached Round Hill, three miles below
this city. The neaTness of the gorge has
forced the water at this point higher
than at any time during the flood, al
though the river is slightly falling. The
eighteen miles of the Chippewa below
Round Hill is one field of packed ice and
the bottom lands over which the Chicago
Milwaukee and St. Paul tracks run is
completely submerged at Round Hin.
The river is thanked by the bluffs, which
makes a gorge there dangerous to the
city, although the bottom on the west
side of the river is a mile wide and caus-
es the water to rise slowly. As far as
L.
living on the Chippewa bottoms have
been rescued with difficulty. Several fam
lilies on the Buffalo county side were driv
en- from their homes at 2 o'clock Sunday
morning by the forming OF a gorge at
Plum Island. Seantiiy dressed, they
wa5ed through the ice and water to
high point on the railroad from which
they were rescued by a relief train from
this place. Several Of the party were
badly frozen. Others have escaped on
the ice pack AMI after 1t formed around
their homes Stock of all kinds have per-
ished and buildings have been greatly
damaged, although the growing timber
has protected them largely from the
grinding ice. Durand has not had a
mali since Friday"
special to the Wisconsin from WaIi-
cha, Wis. this morning. said: The
food in the Wisconsin river continues
and at Granite Heights. ten miles NORTH
OF here. the Chicago. Milwaukee and
ST. Faul tracks are about half foot IN
der water for about half a mile. This
water is thiniy sheeted With ice, which Is
rot strong enough for transfer and Yet
Is enough TO seriously impede any at
temp. 10 clear the track. No part of the
track is YET washed ont, but il is not
coasi iered safe 10 attempt to run through
the water. The north bound passenger
train got through yesterday morning.
and was caught by the rise, 50 that 1t can
only run now between Minocqua ana
Merrill