Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-07-30

Severe storms, deadly with lightning
| bolts and ruinous with torrential rains,
have wrought millions OF dollars Of dam
age through the Western States. Five
persons are known to have been killed
by lightning in Illinois and Iowa alone,
! while many of the outlying districts Ire
entirely cut off from communication and
the results of the storm in them cannot
be fully told.
Heavy storms, with extraordinary dam
| age by cloudbursts, wind and lightning,
were reported Friday from western and
southern Illinois, central Iowa, NebrGs-
ka and Colorado. In the rivers the wat
or has risen rapidly, and much further
damage may be done by floods. Wash
outs, the demolition of buildings and the
destruction of crops are among the forms
OF havoc wrought by the storms. At AL
points from which reports have been le-
ceiyed the downpour of rain was exces-
give, and at some it amounted to cloud
burst.
IL Iowa especially the rains which fell
have led to flood conditions which it is
feared will cause more damage on the up
per Mississippi than has been known in
several decades. The floods of last week
had brought the Mississippi and its trib-
utaries to their danger point and many
thousands of acres were not yet free
from water when Fridays storm occur
ring has rendered the danger tenfold
greater and indeed has made it certain
that incalculable loss must result.
Joliet Again Flooded.
In Illinois, Joliet. which also suffered
from floods recently, is again rendered
a heavy sufferer by the rise of the Des-
PLANES river, while from all through the
State reports are received showing the
destruction which has been done to the
crops by the hail and the rain, causing
serious losses among the farmers. The
crops, many of them just ripe for cut
ting, are beaten down to the earth, and
! where the grain has been stacked the
rain has beaten in and Is rottins the
stacks.
| In Indiana and Wisconsin the storm
also made its appearance, but with less
| force than in Iowa. The previous con-
| ditions were not rs bad, and it is hoped
| that the rise in the creeks and rivers
| will pass by without causing very great
losses. One death by lightning, how
| ever, is reported in Indiana.
Nebraska and Colorado did not escape
| the deluge of rain which prevailed Fri
day. From two to FIVE inches is reported
in many towns in these two States. and,
| perhaps the only welcome result of the
! foods, the water famine in Denver, which
for a time threatened to cripple the In
( dustries OF the city is relieved.
| While the West was thus suffering
! from storms, intolerable weather condi-
I tons elsewhere We're caused by the ex-
I IRENE heat. Several prostrations were
reported in Maryland and Ohio.
Loss May Be Millions.
Heavy rains in central Iowa are send
| ing a food down upon prosperous Mis-
souri, farmers which viii ruin many of
them and cause losses aggregating, at a
| conservative estimate, $2,5OO,0o0. Dis
| patches FROM Keokuk state that there
seems to be no hope for the country be-
tween the Mississippi river and its Mis-
souri, bluffs between Keokuk and Han
| nibal, 800 square miles, mostly corn lad
by, with some thousands of acres of
wheat in the shock. The water had
touched the danger line the first of the
week and had begun to recede when
heavy floods started again in the Des
| Moines. Skunk and Iowa rivers. With
stage in the Des Moines river only three
feet below the tops of the great levees,
the river began to rise three inches an
hour at its mouth Friday, continuing I'M
til tn factor Of safety was wiped out.
The corn crop is all made and wheat
Is in the shock, entailing total loss OF
the years work. Crops We're never
finer and the yield promised to be Inn
! mense. Grain men say the above esti-
mate Of value is too low and put the
! figures OF the loss from the overflow at
nearer 100000 between Keokuk and
| Hannibal. 1t is believed the Illinois
levees will hold and the damage is likely
to be only $4,000 to $4,000 between
Keokuk and Quincy. Lowland farmers
river men and the weather bureau OBJ
server alike predict the greatest damage
ever known from floods on the upper Mis-
sissippi.
Reports showed half the country for G
distance OF thirty miles between La
grange and Hannibal already under wat
err long before the crest of the flood ar
rived. Points up the Des Moines river
reported water flowing through the
towns.
Near Des Moines upward of two inches
of rain fell in many localities, and near
Eddyville it amounted 10 a cloudburst
nearly FIVE inches being reported. The
Des Moines river is rising rapidly.
Near Milistadt. st. Clair County, III.
Fred weickbrod. so years old. and a SOL
and daughter of Jacob F. Muskopf, aged
IA and Is years respectively, were struck
BY lightning and instantly killed. The
same stroke killed two horses hitched tC
a wagon III which they were riding.
A severe electrical storm passe(
through the eastern part OF Tppecanot
County, Indiana. doing great damage Il
growing crops. Harvey ReeseTs gran
airy was struck by lightning and S0(
bushels of new wheat burned Oats ans
corn were beaten into the ground by tbs
downpour of rain.
CIoudburst in West.
Reports from Omaha state that th'
cloudburst at PIattSmouth, Neh., proyeC
more serious than at first reported. !
river Of water four feet deep washe'
down the main street Of the town, tax
ing with it everything movable. Hal
q dozen frame buildings collapsed, tn
electric light plant was rendered use
less. and every cellar in the place IA
filed Several stocks Of merchandss
! wore Sa-iot,s1,- azrua-a5 rTha-ssstai dam