The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-12-04
OUTLOOK IS VERY bad
Water Again Rising in the Chip
pewa River.
MILES AND MILES OF PACKED ICE.

/
Chippewa Falls Under water-Lumbel
Mills Surrounded and Partly Engulfet
by Water. Which Has Frozen and Seized
Them I'm Its Clutches Railroads Not
Suffering ms Much as Expected.
Chippewa Falls. Wis. Dec. with
the thermometer still lowering very far
above zero and the water again climb
ing the outlook for this threatened vail
ley is still rather uncomfortable. For
fifteen miles between Chippewa Falls
| distance at Durand, the river is a mass
Of packed ice and timber. and hourly
becoming worse. The water has been
backing up flooding parts Of Durand
and the lower levels in this city, but
the worst damage is really what threat
ems rather than what has actually CO.
Cured. The lumber mills are all sur
rounded and partially ehgulfed by the
water which has frozen and seized
them in its clutches. Near by busi-
ness places and dwellings are In the
same predicament. although being a
mel their situation Is not so serious. The
railroads are not suffering as much as
might be expected. The Omaha runs
along high bluffs and has not been in
the least hampered in its workings. The
Wisconsin Central tracks are lower and
have at times been covered by the wat
er so that many of their trains had to
use the Omaha tracks.
Water Rises and Falls.
Wednesday night the water dropped
over a foot and they used their own
tracks, but early Thursday the water
started up again and their line had to
be abandoned. The river branch of the
and 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 |
Hoods prevail. One Of the great I'M |
is the way the water rises |
and falls. 1t will drop a foot or more |
and the people begin to hope for re-
lief form their fears and then the water
Uses faster than before and their fears |
Ire redoubled. The water seems to find |
occasional crevasses in the ice and the |
falling of these lowers the waters |
which Immediately rises again after
wards. In this way the level was low
,red twelve inches during the night |
md then climbed five inches in two or
hree early morning hours Further
attempts to break the ice wall will be |
made. Colonel w. A. Jones, United
states army, Of st. Paul, in charge of
he government works in this section,
-rrived during the night, and will con-
or. tyff thA /
mother attempt to break the ice dam
ere.
Critical Situations.
Until he looks over the ground thor
ughly he cannot say just what action
nay seem necessary to relieve the sit
Iation. Along the river there are a
lumber of critical situations. In this
ity there are more fears from the re-
ult II the Little Falls dam should
reak than over the local flood situa-
lon. 1t is feared that a break in this
little Falls dam, thirty miles above
ere, would carry nearly everything
way here. In the same way the peo-
lie of Eau Claire fear the result IL the
,e gorge here breaks too suddenly.
'hile those below Durand are enter
aiming fears for the outcome there.
he water Wednesday reached twenty
our feet eight inches, the highest yet,
nd later dropped back nearly a foot,
ut at $3.50 o'clock Thursday morning
ad again risen to the highest figure of
Wednesday, and was still rising slowly
o'clock Colonel Jones. accompan-
ID by he mayor and Manager Irving
the Logging company, drove down
ne river to Gravel island, six miles
rom here, where an attempt will be |
lade to break the gorge. Wednesday
overall attempts were made there, but
ley resulted in no particular improve
tent.
People Still Moving.
At that point there is a stretch of
nooth ice, with gorges piled up above
nd below. Work was begun on the
'wer end Of the upper gorge, but as
he ice was torn away from there il
lodged against the lower
orge, and no special benefit to the
eneral situation resulted. That being
he situation after Wednesdays blast
IL, 1T Is hard to say what may be de-
ded on. There is still good deal of |
loving from the houses, as the water
rising rapidly, and the only thing for
he people to do seems to be to get
way from the flood. "Wednesday.
owever. saw the most Of the exodus.
nd the people now are generally
atching the rising waters and won
ering when 1t will STOP Owing to the
nortage of water caused by the ice
orge and flood combined, the entire
ght works worked but part of their
ant Wednesday night. Aside from a
wv lights on the down town street
'rners. the people went to bed by can
lie light. Big floods have been known
efore and hard freezes, but this is the
rst recorded combination of flood and .
eeze up.