Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1897-03-25
THE FLOOD OF 81.
The Seething, surging Torrent
which Swept the Missouri
Bottoms, Causing Nu-
merOus Deaths and
GREAT DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY

GREAT DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY.
| From the Yankton Herald of April 2, 1881,
| THE BREAKUP.
The river at this point, long watched
with feur and trembling, at four o'clock
Sunday afte rnoOn. with scarcely a pre-
liminary sign. burst its icy covering,
and in "a few moments the whole chan
mel was one solid mass OF heavlng,
groaning, grinding cakes OF ice, tossed
and tumbled into every conceivable
shape 10y the reslstless current. AS the
ice broke up the river rose with almost
incredible rapidlty and IN d few mo-
lnents was nearly bank full. The
steamer Western, lying just below the
ways was the first victim of the ice
An immense cake was hurled against
her side near the stern, making hole
nearly twenty feet long. through
| which the water rushed with terrible
lsWiftness, and in spite Of the efforts of
large corps of pumpmen, she soon
filled and sank. The water began to
subside about FIVE O'Clock and the peo.
Pile breathed easier. thinking the worst
was over However, the upward move
nent soon commenced again, and con-
tlnued all day Monday, the whole bed
of the river being constantly filled with
moving ice. Monday afternoon word
Was received that the entire
| JIM RIVER BOTTOM
| below the city WAS overtlowed from
bluff to bluff. something never before
known, This report was quickly sue
ceeded by another to the effect that
many families in that section were
completely cut off frou escape and in
need OF assistance. Tuesday morning
several boats were sent out from the
city, which succeeded IN rescuing sew.
erai families, Others were left, and an
account of their fate will be found
| below
Many of our citizens took occasion
on Tuesday to visit the bluffs at Major
Hanson's place. and the view there
presented Was truly grand, not to say
terrible. AS far as the eye could reach
| was an unDroken volume of water.
moving steadily along. bearing on its
bosom huge cakes of ice. and dotted
here and there by half-submerged farm
I. houses, whose inmates had fled to the
AL for c,fn
current swept across the railroad track
the rails were twisted and dragged
long distances by the ice, while tele
graph poles. fence posts and small trees
were snapped in two like tallow can
dies. Cattle and horses were founder
ing and struggling in the food, every
caka of ice was freighted with pas
senger list of small animals, while here
and there IA small skltf, manned with
! rescuers from Yankton, padded about
from house to house, seeking for strag-
CLING persons who had been caught 10y
the water. 1t Was a spectacle long to
be remembered. and one that man
might well pray never to behold again
THE GORGE.
Tuesday evening at five O'Clock the
ice which had been sweeping by the
city allday, suddenly formed gorge a
few miles below the city, which held
firm all night. meanwhile extending it.
self tar up the river toward Springfield
A deathly stiffness hung over the
bosom of the river as if in omen OF the
5 awful burst of seeming rage that was
j to follow. Men watched with anxious
eyes, fearing the worst. Suddenly
Wednesday morning at IL 80 o'clock, a
shudder ran through the vast body OF
} the gorge, where great hillocks OF ICE
were piled in solid layers rods deep
The waters gave a mighty groan like
some blood-thirsty giant awaking from
! d troubled sleep, and with sudden
jerk the whole tremendous mass began
t to rear, and crash, and tumble as il ii
, knew OF its awful power for destruc.
i ton and was giving way to pranks OF
diabolical glee. AS the millions upon
! millions of tons of icy matter moved
, off down the river lmpelled by the
fourteen foot Springfield rise reported
! the night before, the water began tc
creep up the banks. Up. up it came
. faster and faster, until it could fairly
: be seen to crawl up the ascent. Huge
. cakes of ice went hurting against the
sides of the steamers on the ways
crushing great holes in their hulls
, swapping immense hawsers, and pre-
+ cipitating the Black Hills, Helena and
Butte into one common tumble. Still
: it rose, poured over the railroad track
. hurting the little ferry-boat, Living
ston, clear across it, and even carrying
. the gigantic Nellie Peck and Peninah
5 far up on the bank. 1t now appeared
: to rest a moment and then with re
/ sistless force and a mighty swell on il