The Dickinson press., 1896-12-05
WATERS STILL RISE
THE SITUATION ALONG THE CHIP.
PEWA GROWS DESPERATE.
Chippewa Falls Are Flooded aad
the Water Continues 10 Rise-The
situation Critical for Miles Along
the River-The Damage Alrealy
Done Amounts OF Hundredn of
ThOusanls of DOllars.

Chippewa Falls, Wis.,, Dec. 3-Con-
tinued cold weather increases the OK
tent OF the ice gOrges .;hich have
formed in the Chippewa river. and the
stream continues to rise until it has at-
tanned maximum height of twenty
three feet. The city is in Il more de-
plorable condition to-day than ever.
and the business portion Is abandoned
t" the flood. Large retail stores have
moved their effects to places of safety.
and as Il result there are six blocks OF
empty structures in the heart of the
business portion of town. The mer-
chants used good Judgment in remOv-
ing their possessions beyond the reach
Of the water. for to-day over fifty
stores. restaurants. saloons and shops
are flooded to the depth of three feet.
The river continues to rise at the
rat" Of two inches per hour and ruin
and devastation follow in the path Of
the waters. The lpostofiice is under
three feet of water and Postmaster
Mccall has moved the office seven
blocks from it's old station. Heller Il
Jacobs. Jenkins Bros. f. Posenanski,
Weyenberg Bros. Goddard & Watson.
the Good Luck Drug company. the
Mitchell restaurant and about twenty
lesser firms have all vacated their
buildings and the water has filled the
recently occupied structures above tll..
first floor. The Independent office is
flooded and the edition was not deliv-
cred to its subscribers until almost
noon. The Herald basement is filled
and the water surrouns it OH every
side. Both papers will be compelled
to remove their plants before morning.
provided the river continues to rise
Another Gorge Forms.
Reports from various portions of
Chippewa county through which the
Chippewa runs indicate a deplolabic
condition of affairs. At Flambau farm
ltifteen miles above, another gorge has
formed. The river has overflowed it's
banks and inundated the country to
the extent Of twenty miles on either
side. Domestic animals have perishetl
by the score. farms and farm houses
are flooded and the losses will reach
into the hundreds of thousands. These
reports are meager and uncOrrobOrat-
ed, hut it Is safe to estimate that at
least 1900 horses. cows and hogs have
het death in the food
At Chippewa Falls the river presents
Il wild yet beautiful appearance. 1t ia
fully three-Qllarters of n mile wide and
its surface is covered with anchor ice
to depth varying from ten to thirty
feet. The most stubborn resistance Of
fered by the obstruction Is in that pOr-
ton of the river between the wagon
bridge and the central railroad brd, ,,e,
about. about half mile in length.
To-day Mayor Lindley ordered all OK
pl0sion Of 500 pounds of dynamite. but
after 300 pounds had been exploded
the experiment was abandoned ais Il
failure. A railroad official who viewed
the gorge stated that there is not suf-
ficient dynamite in existence to blast n
channel for the river through the
frozen mass of snow. logs and ice. The
river is rising slowly and 1t is feared
that the worst il yet to he encountered.
Fears of IA General InundatiOn.
Reports indicate that the Chippewa
river is filed with eorgcs ut many
p0in;S. At Flamhau farm the river ran
over its banks. 1t is feared to-day that
the course of the river will he changed.
throwing it directly on the ,Own and
completely inun,lating 1t. In that event
heavy loss of property and life cannot
be averted. There is much excitement
in town. but everything Is orderly.
About fifty families on the South side,
who were forced to NOV" from their
homes. arc reported in want. and re-
lief was Immediately dispatched. Some
Of these families had taken refuge in
empty houses and We're withou: food
or warmth. The ice gorge which be-
gun at West HOwton. OH tile Missis-
sippi ard gradually extended up the
Chippewa since Friday, has reached
Round Hill. three miles below Durantl.
The nearncss of the gorge has forced
the water ut this point higher than nj
any time during the food. although
the river is slightly falling. The eigl.
teen miles of the Chippewa below
Round Hill is one field Of packed ice,
and the bottom lands over which the
Chicago. Milwaukee T. st. Paul rail
road track runs is completely sub
merged ut Round Hill. The river is
ftanked by bluffs which makes a
gorge there dangerous to this city, al
though the wide bottoms on the west
side, making the river over Il mile
wide at this point. causes the water to
rise slowly. AS far as known 10 lives
have been lost, but those living on the
Chippewa bottoms have been rescued
with difficulty. Several families on
the Buffalo county side were driven
from their homes at 2 o'clock Sunday
morning by the forming Of a gorge at
Plum island. Scantily dressed, they
waded through the ice and water to
high point on the railroad track, from
whence they were rescued by relief
train. Several were badly frozen. 9th
ers have escaped on the ice pack after
it formed around their homes. Du-
rand has not had a mail since Friday
forenoon.
Eau Claire. Wis. Dec. 3.-Owing to
the floods there is a total suspension Of
railway traffic OH the Wabasha and
Durand branches of the Milwaukee.
Great damage has been done to farms
along the Chippewa river. The farm
ers' families escaped to the railway
tracks from the rising water and We're
rescued by trainmen and an engine
The great ice gorge three miles from
Eau Claire is causing the inundatiOn
Of Chippewa Falls. but is protecting
Eau Claire and Durand. 1t extends
for miles and cannot be broken. Tn
less it should give way no great dam
age is looked for.
Trains Caught mt Wausau.
Wausau, Wis. Dec 3.-The food in
the Wisconsin river continues and at
Granite Heights, ten miles north Of
here. the Milwaukee tracks are about
IL foot under water for a mile This
is thinly sheeted with ice which is
not strong enough for transfer and yet
is enough to seriously impede any at
tempt to clear the track. No part Of
the track is yet washed out. but it is
not considered safe to attempt to run
through the water. The IOrtll-bound
passenger train got through yesterday
morning and was caught by the rise,
SO that it can only rrr now between
MinocQua and Merrill.
MORE STORM VICTIMS.