Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-04-12
RELIEF BOAT SUNK
Goes Down in a Dakota River in
Twelve Feet of Water,
STARTS ON AN ERRAND orNERoY,

hut Meets Disaster Before Il Reaches the
Location Of the Distress-Farmers LIVING
on Housetops and In Trees-Another Ex
petition En- Route to the Rescue-Cle.r
Weather and y Falling River Encour,xe
People ON the Mississippi.
st. Paul, April IA Bismarck, N. d..
special to The Pioneer Press says: Re-
ports are constantly reaching the CITY
of privation and suffering among the
farmers down the river. Every effort
is being made to reach them with re-
lief. A committee has been appointed
by Mayor Dinnie to look after the work.
At 8 o'clock Saturday afternoon the
government steamer swung into mid
stream on its errand Of mercy to the
suffering farmers. No reports have been
heard from the expedition since it
started. but it went thoroughly equipped
to fight the ice gorges and aid the peo-
pie, who are said to be on house tops,
and even in trees, waiting for help.
Hardly Any Change Locally.
Locally, there is hardly any change
The river in the morning was rising
slowly. but during the afternoon it
came to stationary point and just be-
fore 6 o'clock commenced to recede
slowly, which went long way to ailay
the fears of the people. For the last
three days the water has been at the
critical point where any great rise
meant the destruction of thousands OF
dollars worth of property, but although
the danger point has been almost
reached as yet it has not been passed.
East Grand Forks continues to be very
much submerged, with every business
house in town excepting three still I'M
der water. The Pioneer Press CORE
spondent made tour through the south
part of the town by boat and found the
damage to residence property to be very
large. Many residences are entirely of
their foundations and all are ruined in
the first story.
Farm Houses Wrecked at Bridge.
Saturday afternoon an ice gorge broke
and came down the Red, carrying with
it beautiful farm residence from about
one mile up the river. This was hurled
against one OF the bridges and complete
ly smashed to pieces, the furniture and
timbers being strewn along the ice and
thrown into the water. On Minnesota
point. just below this city, is a school
house where many families had taken
refuge. They were forced to flee by
the rise and were rescued with difi-
Guilty. The first report of loss of life
in this part of the valley comes from
down the river where a widows two
children We're carried away by the flood
and drowned.
Relief Steamer Right Side Up, but Sunk.
A Pioneer Press special says: The
government steamer Ogemaw, which
started down the river Saturday after
noon on relief expedition. lies right
side up, sunk in twelve feet Of water
about seventeen miles below here The
Grand Forks members of the relief par
ty returned yesterday with the story of
the disaster. The boat Saturday night
was unable to get more than eight miles
down the river, on account of the rapid
ly moving ice. The steamer was ac-
cordingly tied up in a sheltered place
in the river until yesterday morning,
when progress was again made down
stream for several miles. The ice was
running fast, but all seemed to be
progressing well. when suddenly water
began to pour into the engine room,
and the steamer began to sink. BY the
cool head-work of Lieutenant Colonel
Jones and Captain Hayes the boat was
run into shallow water where she
quickly grounded.
Did Not Reach the Distressed People.
The crew with Colonel Jones remained
to look after the craft. The Grand
Forks people, by rowing some miles in
an open boat, wading several others,
and using a hand car for the rest of the
distance, finally arrived in Grand Forks.
The Great Northern steamer Grand
Forks started down the river yesterday
afternoon for the scene of the disaster.
An effort will be made to get around
the ice today. There are miles of ice
just below the point where the wreck
occurred, and it gorges easily. Many of
the farmers who were seen are living in
the second stories of their houses. but
with one exception had plenty of food
and fuel. Where thu restitution and
distress occurs is at a point some miles
beyond the farthest reached by the
steamer