The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1904-01-21
ICE And DESTRUCTION.
Great Property Damage and Bust.
ness Badly Crippled.

One of the most damaging vista
tions of the elements ever recorded
in Mahaska county has prevailed
since nine O'Clock Tuesday evening.
All out doors is covered with ver-
neer Of ice one half to three.fourths
sol an inch thick. The great weight
lice upon trees, commercial wires
and everything the weather could
touch has caused thousands of dol
lars OF damage to property of all
descriptions. Telephone poles were
snapped of and thrown sdown and
wires hopelessly tangled. Some of
the heavy cables of. the telephone
companies are lying on the ground.
All electric service about the city was
suspended during the morning ex-
cepting the street car service, which
was maintained only short time.
The trolly circuit was intact but the
many telegraph, telephoneI and light
wires lying on it made operation too
dangerous. Shade trees and shubs
A4bery in all parts OF the city are
broken down and greatly. damaged.
The storm commenced about nine
O'Clock Tuesday evening with light
The rain troze as it fell to
whatever was touched. Later the
rain poured down and the freezing
process continued and soon every
thing was sheathed In ice. Weighty
icycIes depended from! all wires,
limbs and projections and soon the
burden became greater than could be
carried and things began to break
under the heavy load that nature
imposed. Branches of trees broke
and feH upon wires and carriedtthem
to the ground. And still the rain
Continued and the ice was.constantly
fgrming The damage Increased
until bs morning it seemed as il the
work Of destruction could not be
CREATE,
amage is Immense.
The q atest amount of damage is
that sastained by the Home Tele-
phone company. The amount of
their loss will be between FIVE and
eight thousand dollars. Four OF the
large cables are broken. Many poles
8 !, 81 s. s.ld through service are orok
en down. The service was aban-
doned for the day, as the exchange
was practically useless. Manager
w. D. Dunsmo-e and large force
of men labored early and late in the
effort to clear away the wreck. They
could do little, however, as the dam.
age continued in all parts of the city.
Oloye,. Potter, of the Iowa Tele-
phone company, estimates that their
damage will be less than one thous-
and dollars. About half to two-thirds
of their exchange was in operation
at noon, but the damage was grow
ing steadily.
Power Is Cut off.
Many of the manufacturing and
business places about town, depend
ing upon the electric light plant for
power, had to suspend operations
The HERALD was completely tied up,
being unable to operate either its
linotype machine or press. But as
necessity is the mother Of invention,
the Office force went back to first
principles and set the type by hand.
A traction engine was secured from
Lewis Brothers & Miller, hitched on
to the press, and the paper today,
such as it is, ia the result.
s'News Is Scarce"
The storm completely knocked
out all telegraph aud telephone con-
nection so that 1t was utterly impos-
sible to secure late outside news.
Trains were all late and everything
conspired against the attempt to is
sue daily paper The weather SER
vice gives promise of fair and colder
weather tomorrow. If 1t gets too
cold, however, so that the Ice re-
mains frozen, conditions will not be
much improved,