Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-07-07
SEVERE STORM.
Results in Two Deaths and Loss ol
Property.

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Results in Two Deaths and Loss oi
Property.
One OF the most severe storms that
this section has experienced in years
visited this part of the state last Tues.
day afternoon and resulted in pre-.
cipitation of over five inches of rain
within few hours. While the storm
was general, the western part of the
county appears to have suffered worst.
During the afternoon of that day there
were few light showers but at eight
O'Clock in the evening the storm broke
forth and continued alEdost without
cessation until after midnight, the
wind blowing hurricane after twelve
O'Clock. The rain fell in such volume
that the city sewers were unable to
carry the water off fast enough and the
cutters became streams that extended
out into the streets. Water was carried
into yards and flooded many cellars,
some people sustaining losses of con-
siderable amount. Previously, the Wis
consin, Rib, Eau Claire and Eau Pleine
rivers had been very low, and a great
many of the creeks had dried up, but
the latter soon became raging torrents
and flowing into the larger streams,
raised them to higher stage than they
have been this season. The booms in
the mill pond at Marathon City were
loosened and about 800, 600 feet of logs,
belonging to Philip Menzner, were
carried down stream.
The railro ads in this section, while
sustaining several washouts, were par
ticularly fortunate, and traffic was not
delayed, though in some sections OF the
state the loss to railroad, telegraph and
telephone property was more serious.
1t appears that the storm travelled from
the west, for some sections of Mime
sofa were visited 5y cyclone at an
earlier period, resulting in death to
number of persons.
THE STORMS EFFECTS.
The barn of s. NJ Quaw was
struck by lightning but only slightly
damaged. Carpenters were at work
making improvements and had re-
moved the roof. When the shower
started they sought shelter in the lower
part of the building, and Immediately
following binding flash of lightning.
discovered that the hay in the barn was
on fire. The men at once went into
the loft and succeeded in extinguishing
the flames.
In the town of Wausau the farmers
in a certain district have been engaged
in road repairing. Four teams had for
as many days been hauling rotten gran
ite upon a section of road, but the storm
undone their work. The granite,
which was loose and very fine, was all
washed away and with it part of the
road bed.
Shnchfield creek was raised to good
sized stream and overfiowed its banks.
People living contiguous to it suffered
their cellars to be completely filled with
water and number of chicken coops
contained deceased poultry next morn
ing. We have been told by certain
individual who lives in that neighbor-
hood that these people have had
chicken pie for dinner each day since,
but we discredit the story, and think it
slander on the Behind the Greek ma
tives.
The culvert crossing the creek near
the old Smith farm on the Marathon
City road was washed out. The bridge
builders working on the bridge cross
ing Rib near the McCleary farm have
been forced to allow teams to cross the
structure since the flood for the river is
too high to ford.
Part of the sand bank near the Stew
art mill was washed down onto the
Northwestern tracks and workmen had
to clear same before trains could pass.
In the vicinity of the st. Paul coal
sheds there was veritab,e lake, ex-
tending from the tracks and covering a
portion of the Bells farm and Jail
grounds. The water was as high as the
sidewalk in front of the Jail although
there is gutter three feet deep beside
it.
1t has been reported that some of the
members of the Krause family living at
724 Mcclellan street when about to re-
tire that evening were momentarily
dazed by crash of lightning and when
they had recovered found that a portion
of their bedstead had been shattered
and the house damaged to some extent.
The Eau Claire river rose to such a
height that the surface of the mill pond
at Schofield became greatly extended
in area. Below the Means hill the
water was backed up to the roadway
and part of the low lands are still
covered.
1t is thought that great damage to
growing crops will result. Acres upon
acres of low land lying along banks of
streams and in many instances at some
distance from the latter, were covered
with water which has not yet receded.
Crops planted on clay soil suffered
the most.
A farmer living in the town of Maine
named Aug. Barteld. suffered the loss
of large barn and other out buildings.
The barn was struck by lightning early
In the evening, setting fire to it. The
flames were SO rapid in their eonsump.
ton of the building that only the farm
machinery was saved.
A man named OFT, who recently pur-