Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-15
BAD STORM AT WHAT CHEER
Cloudburst Makes Torrent Out of Dry Run
and Buildings Are Damaged.
RIVERS IN EASTERN IOWA OVERFLOW
skunk, Iowa and Lower Des MOines
Spread Out over Bottoms and
Immense Damage Done
to Property.

osKALoosA, July 14-(special.)- "A
terrible storm of wind, hail and rain WIS.,
tied this part of Iowa Sunday and Sunday
night and two inches of rain fell here.
This place seemed to be the center Of the
district, with Grlnnell on the north, where
heavy hail was; reported, and Eldon on the
south, the limits. The rainfall here was
the hardest of the year and there was
much damage also by reason of wind.
At What Cheer was the hardest of the
storm. At 8 o'clock this morning what
amounted to a cloudburst occurred at the
head Of a dry run which trends directly
through the city OF What Cheer. Usually
this is entirely dry, but this morning the
water came down in a torrent four feet
deep and swept through the heart of the
city, taking everything before 1t. Nine
buildings we're moved from their founda-
tions. including the Methodist church. One
large building, the Palace livery barn, was
carried a mile down the stream and lodged
in the trees.
The following buildings were moved from
their foundations: Methodist church, Pal
ace livery barn, Ed Nanny, livery stable;
Ed Grow, chophouse; Neiman's saloon,
ivan laundry, ]. N. Wilson, restaurant;
Stanley's lumber Office and yards, Standard
Oil company, gasoline tank.
A number of residences were moved from
their foundations, but not carried away,
The people barely had time to get out Of
their houses and escape without making
any effort to save their property. The loss
is conservatively estimated at $685. 900.
Improvement Mt Des Moines.
DIES MONIES, July 14.-(special. 1.-THE
food situation. in Des Moines and along the
two rivers which meet here is becoming
better. The rivers are down about five
feet from the high water marks Of last
week and are steadily declining. They are
now in their banks and the work Of re-
pairing levees and rebuilding roads and
bridges has already commenced. All the
heavy rains of last night were in the south
eastern part Of the state and will not af-
feet the river at this point.
There is no doubt that the ice supply In
Des Moines the rest Of the summer will fall
short Of the demand. Three houses have
been wrecked by the floods and hundreds
Of tons OF ice either 1oated away or VIII
melt in the black waters around the plants.
kilograms from Brighton and Coppock
say the Skunk Is over a mile wide In some
places and is filled with buildings and car
casses of dead animals. Residents along the
three rivers, further down, are moving out
In anticipation OF a situation similar to
that which prevailed here. Between Eddy
Vile and Ottumwa on the Des Moines and
the territory along the Rock Island be-
tween oskaloosa and Knoxville the situa-
ton Is said to be the most serious ever
known. At Oskaloosa, ottumwa, Keosau-
qua and other towns in this section severe
electrical storms were reported last night
and nearly two inches of rainfall. At Of
tumwa two houses were struck by light
ming.
Ottumwa n Heavy Sufferers.
The crest Of tho food in the Des
Moines river has now reached Ottumwa
and is rapidly drawing toward tho
towns farther down stream. The Des
Moines has risen six feet at Ottumwa since
yesterday morning and is still rising. 1t is
eighteen feet above low-water mark and
has driven eighty-four families from their
homes.
Trafac on the Rock Island and Iowa Cen
trail railways has been abandoned and 1t
was suspended temporarily on the main line
OF the Burlington, trains being compelled
to make a detour from ottumwa on the
Wabash yesterday.
Eddyville and oskaloosa report great
damage from floods and heavy rains last
night. The Skunk river at Brighton and
the Iowa river at Iowa City are at their
l1enGBL points, buDMcTBlub many uOubtn
and doing great damage.
Iowa Central Tied Up.
MARsHALLToWN, Ia. July 14.-Im-
mense property damage has been done the
Iowa Central railroad by high water In the
skunk river. Several hundred feet Of track
has been washed away and approaches to
the Skunk river bridge undermined, rem
dering II unsafe for use. There has been
-- - M
~culverts being washed out. Passenger
trains are running ten to twelve hours
late and a number have been annuled al
together.
IOWA CITY, July 14.-(special.)-The
Iowa river has Joined the Des Moines In its
rampage and has overlooked its banks, In
undated adjacent roads and submerged
property In a manner unprecedented since
1881. Property loss will be large. The
swollen stream Is now almost a quarter Of
a mile wide here-whereas the normal
width is but a little over thirty feet. This
tremendous rise has all come in forty
eight hours.
Floods hit Shenandoah.
SHENANDOAH, Ia, July 14.-(Speeial.
The big rise in the Nishnabotna river
which had been expected for a couple Of
days reached this place Sunday morning
and in d few hours the river was nearly
a mile wide all along the bottoms.
All day sunday 1t steadily rose. and 81
dark last night was still coming up. Farm
ere and others spent the greater part Of
the day rescuing stock that had beer
caught on the higher knobs in the imme-
date vicinity Of the river, but SO far nc
live stock has been reported lost
Small grain fields and all Of the corn
Aida funnadfafalU aIoUU fha rfVaF ara in.