Omaha daily bee., 1896-05-14
COUNCIL BLUFFS DEPARTMENT
STORM TEARS UP THE STREETS.
SIX Hundred Feet of Paving Ruined
by the Floods.

six Hundred Feet of Paving Ruined
hS the Floods.
The continuous downpour Of rain yesterday
inflicted a good deal of damage in various
parts Of town. Streets in the suburbs that
we're not paved were badly washed, some of
them to such an extent that they were i'm
passable last evening. Street Commissioner
Sneathen Joined his forces with the en-
gineers department and the sswer gangs and
went to work Systematically to find wash
outs They we're repaired wherc 1t was pos
sible and where 1t was not red lights were
hung out last night The stock Of red Ian
terms was exhausted in the early evening
and a new supply was ordered.
Scores of washous were reported by tele-
phone, and all were investigated. The most
serious damage was inflicted upon the brick
paving on Little Frank street one OF the
approaches to Morningside. The paving had
been taken up recently for the purpose OF
laying a water pipe to connect with one or
the residences. The rushing water coming
down the steep hillside started to work un-
der the paving at this point, and when 1t was
discovered yesterday afternoon 1t had eaten
its way under the pavement for a distance
Of nearly 900 feet. The hole at the start in
front of the residence of Will Officer is six
feet deep, and the earth has apparently been
washed out to a depth of several feet the
entire distance of two blocks, and the paving
bricks remain suspended in the air held in
place by the arched surface of the street.
dam was constructed above the washout by
the direction Of City Engineer Tostevin and
the water thrown on the opposite side OF the
street. The washout was fenced in and red
lights hung out, and to prevent any further
damage from the water in case of more
heavy rains during the night watchman
was stationed there with orders to remain
on duty until o'clock this morning.
Another serious washout is located on Gra-
| ham avenue south of Fairmount park The
| street is not paved and ditch was cut across
| it fifteen feet wide and deep enough to stop
| all travel on the street.
Tae Fourteenth avenue sewer near Ninth
| street was broken and about twenty feet OF
! the Thirteenth street sewer was torn up.
| An Of the unpaved streets on the hillsides
are badly cut up.
II was not learned until yesterday morning
| that the ncpient cyclone that passed over
/ the city the evening previous did any further
! damage than the overthrow of the huge
| electric light tower on Broadway and Eighth
! street. The storm dipped down in the west
| crn part of town and did considerable dam
| age In the vicinity Of Twenty-ninth street
! north of Broadway the storm developed gen
uine cyclonic characteristics. house oc-
| cuped by a family named Crane and owned
| by j. f. Hunt was lifted from its founda-
| ticns and dashed to the ground. Both MI
| and Mrs Crane received severe injuries The
! woman was bruised about the head ana the
| man was hurt in the side by being thrown
against some obstruction. The house was
| damaged to the extent Of several hundred
| dol ars.
| Two cottages, one at the corner of Twenty
| eighth street and Avenue G, and the other
| at Twenty-eighth and Avenue f, were blown
| from their foundations and considerably
wrecked but none of the inmates were in
| jured
The residence of l. A. Cozad, at Twenty
ninth street and Avenue G, was unroofed
| and badly damaged. The family was In the
| house at the time, but escaped without IN
| Jury Three COWS, one belonging TO MT
| Crane, one to A. L. Payne and the other to
| J. Anderson, were STRUCK py hsn'"ihS anu
| instantly killed.
| Nnsnuito creek was reported last evening
! to be higher than it has been for seven
years. At Parks mill it was out of its banks
| and nearly 600 feet wide. The bridge was
| still standing, but a swift current was How
ing on both sides Of it. The good sense oil
n horse prevented a fatality there last even
| ing lust before dusk. A farmer who had
| ridden to town during the forenoon on horse
f, hack and had found the water on the ap-
| proaches leading to the bridge up to the
| animals sides when he crossed, attempted
{; to return the same way. The creek mad
. risen a foot or two higher and the center ol
| the bridge was still above the crest or the
| flood but the current had cut away the dirt
| anproa ches. He started his horse towar1
| the bridge, but the animal had gone only a
| little distance before he stepped off bank
| into ten feet of water. The rider hung or
and attempted to force the horse to swim tc
| the bridge but the animal resolutely turned
| around and made for the shore. The current
swept him down considerable distance
| and when he reached water shallow enough
to wade he had drifted against mass OF
| tangled barb wire fencing which extended
far out into the current.