River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-03-31
LOSS BY FLOODS
IS INCREASING
INDIANA AND MICHIGAN SUI
FER GREATLY.
SEVERAL LIVES WERE LOST

indianapolis Fire Protection Is En-
dangered-Hundreds of Persons
Flooded Out-Loss in Grand
Rapids Over 100000.
indianapolis, Ind, March 28.-This
city is in great danger from a water
! famine, and should fire break out there
would be no way to cope with it, Two
pumping stations of the Indianapolis
| Water company are shut down owing to
| the high water, and the one that is in OPP
! Grafton cannot give a pressure of over
40 pounds, whereas $50 pounds is neces-
sary in case of fire. This condition was
caused by the breaking Of the levee OF
Fall creek. The city street railway and
| interurban system are without power,
because of the flooding of the power
houses near White river. Communica-
ton with North and West Indianapolis
| is cut off by the flood, which has swept
away bridges. Many houses have been
/ carried down White river, and shattered
against the stone bridges, which con-
meet the city proper with the suburbs.
Kingan & Co., the furniture factory and
the Indiana Foundry company are
closed down because of the flood, which
has reached thessecond story of their eel
lars.
Hundreds Flooded Out.
Three hundred houses are flooded and
their occupants were rescued in boats.
/ North OF the creek the water is rising
rapidly, and hundreds of the people are
fleeing from their houses. All the high
ways, except Capitol avenue. are closed.
A sea of water swept over the lowlands
and was being forced into the better resi-
dence districts. The water stands three
feet deep at Illinois and Twenty-seventh
streets, and fully one hundred homes
were surrounded by water before the
people realized that they were in dan
ger from the flood.
Die in Rescue Work.
AtPortland John Lally and Otis Down
ing, both prominent, were drowned in
an effort to rescue David Knoll, an aged
farmer, who had driven off the levee.
Knoll was rescued later, and the bodies
of the others have been recovered. The
river at that point is half mile wide,
and 500 feet of the Lake Erie & Western
railroad track have been washed out.
Reuben Miller, aged ten, was drowned
at Huntington,
At Other Indiana Points.
The levee of the Mississinewa river
at Marion broke and 500 houses in East
Marion were submerged. All of the
residents are not accounted for and
there may be loss Of several lives.
The Wild Cat river levee at Kokomo
broke, flooding nearly one hundred res
licences. The inmates were rescued in
boats. The flood has carried out 20
bridges in the vicinity.
Southwestern Indiana is a sea of
water, 10000 acres being under water.
Farmers have moved out to high land
with their stock.
Levees Break
Vincennes, Ind, March 28.-One hun
dred and eighty feet of the levee along
the Wabash river near Oaktown broke
Sunday, and the water rushed through,
covering thousands of acres and driving
the people from their homes Many left
just in time to save their lives, and con-
siderable live stock was destroyed
Brownstown, Ind, March 28.-The
country for miles around Brownstown
is under several feet of water. The
pumping station and the power house
and nearly all of the factories have been
flooded and have suspended operations.
Sunday the levee, which protected thou
sands of acres of fine farming land,
broke, and the entire territory has been
inundated.
Highest in Twenty Years.
Bluffton, Ind, March 28.-The Wabash
river is higher than it has been for 20
years. Hundreds of acres of the low
lands are under water, and people are
fearful that the reservoir at Celina NAV
break, causing great loss of life. The
road leading north out of Bluffton and
another to the east are both under water
and impossible.
Situation Grave at Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids, Mich, March 2S.-
Conditions in this city and nearby
towns along the Grand river are very
grave, as a result of the unprecedented |
flood that has swollen the stream far |
out of it's banks for the past three days |
At nine o'clock Sunday night the river
gauge here showed depth of 1913 feet |
This is three feet above the previous
high water record, that of 1874. The |
inhabitants of flooded houses are suf-
fering greatly from cold and lack of ]
food There has been no loss of life |
thus far, but there is great suffering |
and a vast amount of sickness will. it |
is feared, follow the exposure sustained |
by many of the flood victims There is
grave danger of an epidemic of typhoid |
fever following the flood, as a result |
of the unsanitary conditions that the /
lowering of the waters will expose.
Losses Over 100000.
Many of the west side churches are
surrounded by water and were unable /
to hold services Sunday. All schools |
on the west side will be closed until |
further notice. The work of rescuing
inhabitants of the flooded houses con-
tinued throughout the day, a squad of |
local militia assisting the rescuers. 1t |
is conservatively estimated that the
loss to property and business
will ovcoad 80 O00 OA0 ESftaar +bo,,