The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1896-12-11
A GREAT
threatening the city of Chippewa fais'
the Result OF Enormous Ice 'srsss-
Possibility that the tity MAY Dc DC
stro,-d. amt the Entire Chippe"" va
lev >wept Clean To the Mississippi

tho Result at
ra..,h,l,,y that the tity May he De-
.tro,~d. anu the Entire Chippewa VAL
lev swept Clean To the Mississippi
CnlppEwA FALLS, Wis, Dec. This
has been moving day in Chippewa
Falls, and along the Chippewa valley
down to the Mississippi. The lower
streets OF the city are alive and noisy
with moving wagons, all descriptions
OF drays, sawdust carts, farm wagons
and delivery outfits. Everything lhat
can be drafted into service has been
set at work and the merchants OF
Spring street are rapidly getting back
to places of safety.
At midnight the water forced oaeN
frcm the Chippewa ice gorge was
creeping up the street toward 'no
Wisconsin Central station.
At eight o'clock this morning the
water was two feet above the TRACKS,
An hour later the tracks were q
doned. The water has been steadily
rising since and at Don Spring street.
in its business section, was Il lake Oh
ice water. For several blocks further
back. hotels and business houses were
chilly. the water having extinguished
all fires.
For ten miles below the Chippewa
river is filled with ice gorged well TO
the bottom. o~bstructing the dow, and
back Of it the water is constantly ana
rapidly rising TO the dam at the upper
end of the city. Below the gorge to
Eau Claire the water is recedlng,
while reports from above the dam IN
dictate that the water on the upper
Chippewa, Flambeau and other streams
Nill soon go down.
business here and hundreds have been
put to great Inconvenience and loss
that is all as yet But the shadow of a
great calamity lies over the Chippewa
valley. 1t is record that 50 years age
an ice gorge formed near here and
that. when il went out in the spring,
il swept the valley clean to the Mis-
sissippi. There were no houses then,
but great trees were cut OFT, the
banks swept clean and devastation
followed. If the weather is not just
right from now until spring, history
may repeat itself-not in an unln
habited, wooded country, but in a val
lev lined with farming homes and
rlcn. prosperous cities.
Eau Claire might be sweptout Of ex'
i~stence by such a flood, and the loss
would be incalculable and terrible.
This i, a : . lily, perhaps a prob
ability. Ii 'ne weather siould mod
crate now, or should the force of tn,
backwater become SO great as u
loosen or break the jam Of ice ane
logs. packed almost inextricably be-
ween this city and Eau Care. the
calamity would come now. With the
mercury at zero. the suffering from
the Hood would be hey ond the power
vi imagination.
Vast masses of water are flowing
over the upper dam above the Weyer
hauscr mill at the upper end OF the
city, bringing down broken ice in large
quantities. Below the rapids, at the
lam, this water flows under theaic'
: pack for miles, showing against the
bridges and backing into the town
Dt NdlcI ID - AGtN Wv VIZ AV'
mark. In 1854 it was % feet above
. but that was a summer flood withou
obstruction.
| kilograms are being received her
continually from persons who nav
friends ia the city, asking as to theil
condition. 1t may be said there IS n
o ianger to life here. nor will there be
The city is in darkness tonight. tn
b gas plant having been long < abar
ioned. The electric light plant at til
dam was last night forced to run VI
der check, by reason of loss OF powe
4 by the lessened mead. And this ma
q be 50 much further lessened as to sto
the whole. The Wisconsin Centri
n roped ia its depot buildings To hol
them.
Later reports from Little Fall
where the Wcyerhausers have the bll
gest dam on the Chippewa, are TIL
a the jam there is likely to hold.
il should not, or II the dam should
opened, probably great destructi'
l. would result there, as the mead
T. water at the local dam would be rais'
I. .fx or eight feet.