The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-03
Is MILES
OF PACKED ICE
The Chippewa River Situation
Is No Better.
Ice and Logs Heaped Up High
For Miles.
1T IS FREEZING COLD.
People Have Almost all Moved
Out of Danger.
They are Still Waiting for What
Nay Happen.
1T IS FREEZING COLD.

Chippewa Falls Wis, Dec with
the thermometer still lowering not
very far above zero and the water
again climbing the outlook for this
threatened valley is still rather un-
comfortable For Is miles below Chip
peTa Falls and Eau Claire and for
nearly the same distance at Durand.
the river IS a mass of packed ice and
lumber and hourly becomes worse The
water has been backed up flooding part
OF Durand and the lower levels in this
city out the worst damage is really
what threatens rather than what has
actually occurred
The lumber mills are all surrounded
and partially engulfed by the water
winch has frozen and seized them in
It's clutches Nearby business places
ana dwellings, are in the same Drediica-
meut although being a little farther
away from the river channel their sit
uatIon IS not serious The railroads
are not suffering 50 much as might be
expected
The Omaha runs along high bluffs
and has not been in the least hamper
cd IN its workings. The Wisconsin
tracks are lower and have at times
been covered by the water so that
many Of their trains had to use the
Omaha tracks. Last night the water
dropped over q foot and they used their
own tracks bat early today the water
started up again and their line had TO
be abandoned The river branch of the
Milwaukee & st Paul has stopped all
business for the present. its line ex-
tending along the course of the Chip
peWa river where the ice gorges and
floods prevail
One Of the great uncertainties is the
way the water rises and falls Tt will
drop foot or more and the people be-
gin 10 hope for relief from their fears
and then the water rises faster than
before and their fears are redoubIed.
The water seems to find occasional
ora u
these lowers the waters which imme-
diately rise again afterwards In this
way the level was lowered u inches
during the night and then elm bed five
hours
Colonel W. A Jones. Z. s. A. of St
Paul. in charge of the government
works in this section arrived during
the night and will confer with the au-
thorities in regard to another attempt
to break the ice dam here.
Along the river there are a mum Der
of critical situations In this city there
ara more fears from the result il the
Little Falls dam should break than
over the local flood situation. Tt is
feared that a break in this Little Falls
dam. thirty miles above here would
carry nearly everything away here. In
the same way the people of Eau Claire
fear the result if the ice gorge here
breaks too suddenly while those below
Duraud are entertaining the fear for
the outcome there.
The water yesterday reached q feet
eight inches. the highest yet and later
dropped back nearly a foot but at $50
o'clock this morning again had risen
to the highest figure of yesterday and
was still rising slowly at o'clock.
Mayor and Manager Irwin of the log
girg company drove down the river 10
Gravel island six miles from here,
where an attempt Will be made TO break
the gorge
There is still a good deal Of moving
from the houses today as the water is
rising rapidly and the only thing for
the people to do seems TO be TO get
away from the food. Yesterday. how
ever. saw the most of the exodus and
the people today are generally watch
ing the rising and wondering when it
viii stop
Many offers of relief have been re
ceived from various quarters but Moth
ing Yet has seemed necessarily along
that line although relief viii be needed
by some before the end of the trouble
comes