River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1907-06-13

LOUISVILLE, NY W0uty-OuS u0ou,
The village devastated, and several
thousand acres of growing crops
ruined is the sum total of the havoc
wrought by a cloudburst that descend
ed on Gradyville, KY, and vicinity Fri
lay night.
All the dead are residents of Grady
Vile, and, although reports are
meager, it is believed no further IA
talities will be reported from the sur
rounding country.
The bodies of 10 of the victims have
been recovered. The names of the
known dead are:
Mrs. L. c. Nell, wife of State Sena-
tor Nell, and her four children.
Mrs. Lum Hill, and one child.
Mrs. Carl Milmore, her daughter and
granddaughter.
Paul Wilson, Is years old.
Mrs. fairfield Moss and her six
children.
Mrs. J. w. Ke1tner and one child.
Miss Mary Moss.
The disaster was due to the cratic
behavior of Big creek, ordinarily a
small stream, but which was already
swollen by recent rains. When the
cloudburst precipitated three inches
of rain in an hour on Gradyyille and
vicinity the creek leaped from it's bed
and took a new course with the i'm
petuosity of tidal wave.
Asleep When Disaster Comes.
The inhabitants of the town had no
warning. Nearly all were abed when
the foaming waters struck the place,
carrying away six residences, a mill,
and a number of smaller houses.
Nearly all the victims were drowned,
but four were crushed by the collapse
of their dwellings when the torrent
struck them.
State Senator Nell who is a phySi-
clan, owes his escape from the fate
that overlook the rest Of his family
to the fact that he was several miles
away in the hills visiting a patient
when the storm broke. He was at
first reported to be among the dead.
GradyvilIe is a village of 175 inhab-
itants in Adair county, six miles from
Columbia, and 18 miles from the near
est railroad station.
Columbia was telephoned for as
sistance and large number of citi-
zens left that place at once, but ow-
ing to the condition of the roads it
will require some time to make the
trip. Every stream in the vicinity is
out of it's bounds. The cloudburst
did serious damage aside from the
loss of life, all bridges in this vi
cinity being washed away and thou
sands of acres of corn ruined
Gradyville has population of
about $50, and is Is miles from a
railroad.
Gradyville is a village of It's inhab-
itants in Adair county, six miles from
Columbia. and Is miles from the near
est railroad station.
Six Killed at New Minden.
Nashville, Ill-Henry Weihe, his
wife and four children were killed in
a storm that swept over New Minden,
ILL.,, early Saturday morning.
A score of the villagers were in
jured some seriously, and the prop
erty loss runs into the thousands.
The storm struck the northwestern
portion of the town. The German
Lutheran church was the first to fall
before it's fury. It's roof was taken
off, and it's walls were blown down.
The large bell was carried to the low
er floor, and crashed through the pipe
organ.
On the north side of the church a
parochial school was destroyed, while
on the south side Of it schoolhouse
of more pretentious character was un-
harmed.
Bodies Hurled Into Fields.
The Weihe home, in which the en-
tire family was wiped out, was the
last in the path of the storm. The
members of the family saw the storm
approach and attempted to evade it by
going into the cellar, but were too
late. They were caught up in the
debris and their bodies carried into
the fields adjoining the home.
The schoolhouse was turned into a
temporary hospital and the injured
cared for
New Minden is about rs miles
southeast of st. Louis. It's population
was estimated at ESQ Eleven years
ago the village was swept by the
same cyclone that wrought havoc in
st. Louis. At that time eleven per-
sons there were killed.
Physicians from Nashville and
Hoyleton were, hurried to the scene.
A report has reached here that
farmer driving from Hoyleton to New
Minden with farm wagon and binder
had disappeared. 1t is believed he
was caught in the path of the storm
and carried to his death. Much live