Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-05-27
THE BIG STORM.
A Condensed Account of Damage
and Accidents to Our Neigh.
bors during the Recent
Floods.

~
bors during the Recent
Floods.
The Chester Herald says:
Ole Skare sustained the heaviest
loss. He was away from home and
during the storm his flock of sheep
came home and rushed into the sheep
shed where they were thoughtlessly
locked up although the shed was even
then filling with water. The flood
swept away the shed and the 10 sheep
were drowned, their bodies being
found later scattered a long distance
along the course of the flood. A pc
culiar circumstance occurred when Ole
Skare's sheep were carried away by
the flood. The next morning fright
ened eve was found hanging by the
wool to the branch of tree fully
fifteen feet from the ground. Unlike
Absololh her wool procured a timely
refuge and saved her life.
Sunday morning, the day after the
flood, VIII Blade and two boys, Mr..
Rice and his little boy and Mr..
Skinner OF Cresco went to tile Henry
Boyle farm which borders the river to
see if ths flood had swept away the
Boyle family. The party were stand
ing on the bank of the river when the |!
alarm was given that Mr.. Rice S little |
boy had fallen into the river. The
father leaped in after bis son and IN
eXpectcdly found the water very deep.
Being unable to swim he was as bad
off as the boy. MIR. Blade went to the
rescue and the three were floundering
in the deep water, the boy having
gone down twice, when Mr.. Boyle
waded and with Mr. Skinner holding
his hand took hold of Mr. Blade
dragged the three out of the water.
But for Mr.. Boyle's timely assistance
the result might have been tragical.
The water was pressing down the
channel In a torrent when suddenly
the current come to standstill, then
a moment later the great body of
water began to move again but, quite
contrary to the laws of nature, 1T was
moving up stream almost as rapidly as
it had previously been moving down.
Drift wood in large quantities swerved
around the corners which the current
takes and continued it's unusual course
on, on up the stream. The sight
attracted universal attention and
large crowds gathered to witness the
phenomena. The great deluge of
water pouring into the river lower
down was accountable for the condl-
tion.
j Tuesday night and Wednesday
, morning succession Of heavy thunder
storms from the southeast caused q
} fall of 81 inches of water which raised
the river to high water mark, about
d feet higher than the Saturday storm.
: Q. A. L. Loomis had ii head of fancy
Jersey yearlings and calves in his river
pasture and when daylight come he
was unable to rescue them from the
; flooded fields. They remained in the
pasture until the current carried
them over the fence and swept them
down the stream. Four were seen as
! they went down the river nearly two
: miles, keeping close together, but un
. able to reach shore until three were
a rescued below town. One tired out
q and was drowned. Six head reached
J, some brush land near town and founl
, footing where they remained unit
taken away. One was caught in
fence and drowned.
The Chester Herdld's correspondent
!, > from Cherry Grove, MINI, record
= the drowning Of three children, aget
4 months, years and years, of Mr
and Mrs. Herman Willbright. The,
had started for the home of a neighbo
who lives near on higher ground, ant
G "while he was opening a gate wav,
II three or four feet in height came rush
l. ing down and swept them all away
The father and mother were carried
about 40 rods by the rushing torren
: and lodged against a tree. Mrs. Will
bright had already sunk twice and j
Mr.. Willbrighth had not been an exper
swimmer they both would have share
the fate of their little ones: as it wa
they clung to the tree for two Ion
hours in the storm and darkness whe
help came"
At York, MINI, much stock ws
drowned and Geo. Sprague, York
merchant, had 4 feet of water runnin
through his elegantly furnished home
Tuesday night it poured all nigh
long and as consequence hSCices an
grades are washed out for many nile
Several hundred feet q The rsli.roa
grade was washed out between hei
and 'McIntire. The bridge on tr
county line road three miles mort
IN was washed down Stream.- Ricertl
~ Recorder.
is AT McGregor, during the storm
Saturday night the stores of McLaug
lin Y Gilmartin, Henry Frere, T.
Sullivan and a pool room were strGs
re- by lightning. Flames consumed 4
- F'rere Store aud men waded waiStdet
to save people who We're caught und
the debris. Many narrow aScap
were reported and in spite Of the b.
r. efforts OF the fire department. tue Il