The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-12-02
PERILOUS SITUATION
e, Gnges Of Gigantic Sis, Forming
in Northern Wisconsin.
MANY FLY FOR THEIR LIVES
Back Water From ice-Choked Rlv-
ers Does Inestimable Damage
Farms and Towns lnun-
dated Worst Not Yet.

Chippewa Falls, Wis, Dec. This
has been day of excitement and anx-
iety and tonight finds the inhabitants
Of this little village In state border
ing on panic. The worst OF the situa-
ton is the knowledge of the impend-
ing danger and of the fact that they
are utterly helpless to stay or TO
avert IL. Those whose houses have
been flooded have removed much of
their household goods and belongings
to higher ground and are huddlod to-
gether in the school houses and other
vacant buildings out Of the path OF the
torrent that is sweeping down several
of the main streets.
All hope of breaking the gorge and
thus allowing the pent up waters to
gradually subside Is now abandoned.
All efforts to-day were directed 10 re-
moving household goods and mer-
chandise out of reach Of the food.
Every team in the city has been en-
gagged In this work. Every resident
and business firm of River street have
moved out The Chippewa Lumber x
Boom company's mill and yard are
under water and all hope has vanished
of saving the entire business portion
of the place from being submerged,
and the water will soon reach the
court house, eight blocks from the
river.
A report from Little Falls was
brought in this morning that another
gorge was formed 80 miles above here.
and this greatly added TO the alarm.
us in case Ii should break, nothing
could save the city from being swept
away. Reports OF very serious na-
ture came from down the river. The
country everywhere Is flooded. The
gorge continues to grow In extent. 1t
is now more than five miles long and
in many places 30 to 80 feet high. 1t
completely dams the river and this Is
what Is causing the rapid rise of the
river here. The heavy rains of last
week here. followed by Sudden
freeze, which suddenly mase<4 The
floating ice in the Chippewa, ard the
swiftly running current confipu4ily
added TO 1t Until it reached lts. pres
ent gigantic proportions. Below here
the river Is falling.
There is TO flood at Eau Claire. but
this fact is causing the people Of that
place much uneasiness, as II indicates
the water Is being piled up as by a
dana above them-----schn.knRa pack al
Badger Mills. half way between Eau
Claire and Chippewa Falls. Is growing
in extent and everything seems TO in
dicate that tie river Is choking up.
At 6 o'eiock tonight every business
house on Spring street and Bridge
street from River 10 Center street, is
deserted. and the contents Of the build
ings have taea stored in unoccupied
structures in remote parts of the city,
where the Hoods canot roach unless the
entire city Is overwhelmed ard swept
away. The Chippewa river shows no
signs Of atIteTent. 1t rose four feet
to-day, end at 3 o'clock this evening
the water is rising at rate CT two
inches an hour. The pcsto.iice is un-
der three feet CT water and the postof-
flee has been moved seven blocks from
its cid location. Ten stores on the
south side of Spring street are inunda-
ted.
The Offices of the Herald and Inde-
pendent newspapers are flooded and
the papers will be issued from other
buildings. At the Flambe1u farm, II
miles above the city. another ice gorge
has formed. The river has overilcwed
| It's banks and inundated the country e
miles on either side. Domestic animals
have perished by the score. Farms
and farm houses are flooded ard the
losses VIII reach in the hundreds of
thousands. The reports are mcagrr
ard uncorroborated. but IL is safe "a
| estimate that at least 5000 horses
cows and hogs met death in the flood
Pa!lrcad officials, who viewed the
gorge, say there is not sufficient dyna-
mite obtainable to blast chanenl for
the river through the frozen mass OF
| snow, logs and ice.