Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-10-09

! q Stcd0 ulduy hOuoSS otl uCh III OhO SiJJ
and a few persons during the time, some
of which the PILoT will recount in the
notes which will follow this article
/ just after the opening discharge of
electricity there was heavy fall of
hail. By Thursday the Old Wisconse
was on tear, and its equal had not
been seen for nearly twenty years. So
heavy was the fall and in so short a
time that much damage resulted in
many parts of the city, notably in the
Stinchfeld creek district at the foot of
East Hill, where the old marsh used to
be and which has been filled in and
drained, until a stranger would laugh
at the statement that there ever was a
body of water mile and half long by
one-half mile wide, but it SO, neverthe-
less. A large 20-inch sewer has man
aged to carry off the water nicely from
this district, but on this occasion was
perfectly inadequate and the result was
filled cellars, floating sidewalks and
crossings throughout the low district in
the eastern part of the city, and much
damage was done to all kinds of prop
erty. Stinchtield creek, from a tiny
brook, was transformed into a raging
torrent. The new Seventh street bridge
which was washed out by the last July
freshet, and which had been rebuilt by
the city at cost of about $500, was
again washed out slick and clean. At
Sixth street there WAS great activity.
There was hardly any danger of the
stone culvert being taken ont that
point, unless the opening become filled
up with flood trash. 1t kept crew of
men busy there, also at the Third street
culvert, to keep the passages clear.
Below Third street, where the low
ground is filed with small dwellings,
was a sight to behold. Eight or ten
small houses were surrounded by swift
running water, and couple of them
had to be tied to the shore with cables
to keep them from floating off.
Sixth street, from Steppert's to the
four-corner saloon, some six or seven
blocks, was under water to the depth
of from one to three feet, and sidewalks
and crosswalks were atloat A crew of
of men removed what distractions they
could and made good large outlet in
to Stinchtield creek, and soon the
water lowered on the street, but all day
the full width of the street was like a
fast running stream, the water being
supplied from Stony creek, a very quiet
little brook when in its natural state,
but, as it runs /. long distance up among
the hills, there are times hen it is quite
respectable stream All the houses
along the street were under water in
this neighborhood, and during the past
wet season the condition of the street
has been simply horrible, and the cell
lars of the>resdences have been filled
more or less with water. The city
should put in larger sewer and run
the water off on to the lower ground.
This will have to be done before those
living in that neighborhood can get
any relief.
The old marsh which used to
be much in evidence thirty years
ago, below the hill on the fiat,
south of the city, was again re-
vived and the houses in that vicinity
had to take the consequence, and much
damage was sustained. On east Wash
ington street, James Madden, Ed. Kret-
low and Phil. Stadler lost very heavily
on goods in their cellars, their damages
footing up to about 81, 200.
At the east end of the guardlock,
where the railroad passes under the
high bridge, planks had to be placed in
and dirt thrown in to prevent Shingle
street and the City Hall from being
flooded. The store houses of Charles
Wegner and Kuckuk 4 Holman, sit
uated on the east bank of the river, just
above the guardlock, were flooded.
On the west side the Elm street sewer
was unable to carry off the water, and
that district was flooded. The low
land, below the factories, was all oyer-
flowed, and at NJ. H. Bedells place it
was necessary to use boats to get to the
farm house on Thursday morning. All
household goods were moved to the
hay loft, in the barn, as the water
was up to the lower floor. The
whole country from Bedelrs farm up
the Bib Rib river valley was vast lake,
this extended for miles back in the
country on both sides of the river.
THE WISCONSIN.
The river began to go up the early
part of the week, in fact it had been at
high stage for long time. On We'd
nesday night it made jump and raised
nearly five feet. This put it nearly TO
where it was last July, which at that
time was the highest ever known here,
with the exception at the time of the
flood of 1880 But the river kept right
on raising and by Thursday noon it
reached and passed the July mark, and
during Friday night il reached within
ten or twelve inches of the mark of
1880. The conditions here are some
what different than eighteen years ago.
Some who know, say that the river on
Friday reached the high water mark
placed on one of the piers, north of the
city, in 1886. There was not much diff.
ference any way, between the two
floods. Old big Bull'' was a sight to
behold aud was a great attraction
Thursday, Friday aud Saturday Dur
ing those days, from morniug until
evening, the main bridge and the rail
road bridge were filled with people
most of the time. The Barker & Stew