Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-07-10
THE INCESSAN7 RAIN
Railroads In Nebraska Suffering
from Miles Of Soft Tracks.
PASSENGER TRAINS are DELAYED.
At Herman, Neb., a Family Had to He
Rescued In B0at-Nearly All Iowa
Railroads Also In =
Had Plight.

Omaha, Neb., July 0.-Passenger
trains into Omaha were late on near
ly every road yesterday. The Rock
Island is especially unfortunate, as
Its tracks south of Fairbury, Neb.,
are in bad shape and no trains were
able to get in from the west or de-
part for the west yesterday. All
other roads In Nebraska are suffer-
ing from like trouble. The excess
of rainfall has been so great for the
past two weeks that every road run
ming west has many miles of soft
track. Freight is beginning to pile
up in many places and only a season
Of sunshine will prevent more seri-
GUS congestion.
The situation was aggravated last
night by downpour of rain which
in many parts of the eastern half of
Nebraska and western Iowa amount
ed to nearly cloudburst and con-
tinued until late hour One town
in Nuckolls county reports ten inches
of rain during the past 60 hours and
many other places have been equally
well soaked.
At Herman, Neb., the scene of n
tornado two years ago, there was a
cloudburst which washed several
houses from their foundations and
one family had to be rescued in n
boat, their home having been washed
quarter of II mile from its original
location.
In eastern Iowa the downpour has
played havoc with railroad traffic.
The main line Of the Northwestern
road between Missouri Valley and
Denison, Ia, is washed out in several
places and the Ute branch has also
suffered bad washouts. On the Fort
dge-Omaha division of the Illinois
Central road there are a number Of
washouts reported and all traffic,
freight and passenger, is tied up and
unable to move either way.
The damage to crops is thought to
be very great, especially in the val
leys. The low lands, already flooded
by recent rains, were again over
flowed last night and rivers and
creeks are torrents.
No End Of Damage Done In Iowa.
Council Bluffs, Ia, July 9.-The ex-
ccssive rains throughout western
Iowa have created no end of damage
to railroad property as well as to
growing crops. No trains have left
for the east since noon yesterday
over the Northwestern, Rock Island
nor Illinois Central. On the North
western between Logan and Missouri
valley there is washout fully 1000
feet long, and on that road and the
Illinois Central the tracks in scores
of places are under water, rendering
their use impracticable.
A dispatch from Marshalltown
says all the bottom lands are covered
for a distance Of IS miles north and
east Of there. Families In the low
lands there are moving out in boats.
Fields of grain planted since the
high water of month ago are again
threatened with destruction. The
damage to live stock will be heavy.
Carcasses Of hogs are coming down
the river in large numbers.
AT Des Moines the false work OF
the new Sixth avenue bridge over the
river went out last night and the
street railway company's bridge Is
threatened. A score Of families have
been driven from their homes. The
steamer Lohman, the biggest OF the
river excursion boats, was sunk ana
| Is in danger Of breaking up.