The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-06-07
JOLIET FLOODED.
erty Valued at $75O,OUO Ii
Damaged.

erty Valued Mt S75O,OUO Is
Damaged.
Joliet, ILL.,, June 4.-Joliet is in the
grasp of the worst flood in its his
tory. All the lower portion of the
city is under water and it is rumored
that several lives have been lost. The
police have the names of Eddie Nc
Covers, Lizzie Mclean and a little girl
named Kennedy drowned. Several
families had narrow escapes, and the
police rescued many in boats. Several
houses and other buildings were swept
away in the floods; jefferson and other
principal streets are under water, and
business places are flooded, causing
thousands of dollars of damage. The
street car lines are all severely dam
aged, and no cars are running. All
trains are stalled, water being two feet
deep over the railroad racks. Sew
eral washouts have occurred on the
electric lines between here and Chi
cago. Heavy rains, which continued
all night. caused Hickory and Sprong
creeks to burst their banks, and it is
rumored that Hickory creek dam, east
of this city, has partially collapsed,
sending the flood waters down in tor
rent. Scores of homes have from one
to three feet of water in the first stor-
les.
Mayor Barr has called special
meeting of the city council to take
measures for the relief of the home
less. Scores of people were driven
from their homes by the flood. The
damage was more widespread than at
first supposed, the estimated property
damage reaching $75O,000. Fac
tories and stores all over the city
are flooded. Many streets are ruined,
the pavements being all washed away,
and hundreds of small buildings are
in wreckage all over town. The early
report that a portion of Hickory creek
dam was washed out has been con-
firmed. There has been no serious
trouble as yet from the drainage canal.
Part of the penitentiary was flooded,
but not serious, and the convicts are
at work as usual. The water did not
reach the cell houses or shops. The
flood is slowly receding.
The railroads are in a helpless con-
dition. The Rock Island bridge over
the drainage canal has been moved is
inches out of line by the flood. and no
trains can pass. The tracks of the
Chicago & Alton and of the Santa Fe
are under water and Santa Fe bridge
south of the city was washed away.
Ten miles of Michigan Central transfer
trackage is ruined, and bridge lead
ing to the Union elevator was carried
away.
The Joliet stove works plant is
flooded with four feet of water. and
the damage amounts to nearly $4,000;
the Joliet Warehouse company is dam
aged to the extent of $4,000, and 9TH
err losses in the same ratio are report
ed from all parts of the city.
Business is paralyzed, and all the
schools are closed. The streets that
are not submerged are thronged with
sight-seers. The police and firemen,
assisted by volunteer squads of help
ers, are at work all over the city re-
lieving suffering and trying to restore
order.
Prompt measures were taken to re-
lieve the sufferers from the morn
ing's cloudburst, and the citizens sub
scribed literally to fund which was
started at meeting. But Joliet was
not alone in it's misfortune.
The torrent swept into the Des-
PLANES river, already taxed to the
limit from the heavy rains, and Tues
day night the towns along the llli-
nois river, into which the Desplaines
empties, reported that the water was
overfowing the country and doing
great damage. The Illinois river is
rising steadily, and only the fact that
the Drainage canal controlling plant
was shut down Tuesday to relieve the
situation in Joliet prevented whole
sale destruction through the whole
valley.
At Ottawa business was practically
suspended and train service to thai
city was crippled. The river there is
higher than it has been in a decade.
Further damage is expected to-day.
At Havana and Morris similar condi-
tions are reported.
To Succeed Late Consul Prentiss.
Washington, June 4. - President