River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-07-02
Sundays Storm Severe.

A rain storm of unusual severity
passed over the water shed of the
Kinnickinnic on Sunday morning
last. The rain commenced at about
midnight and fell in torrents until
near day break, causing the Kin
nickinnic to rise with astonishing
rapidity, the flood waters reaching
very nearly the high water mark OF
1894. Had there been as much OBJ
struction of the channel of the stream
by bridges and approaches as then,
it is quite probable that the rise
would have been very nearly as high
as at that we'll remembered time.
The long wet season has filled the
ground with water, so that even a
comparatively light storm causes a
rapid rise in the rivers, Fortunate
" at this time the damage done in
this locality is comparatively slight,
A few timbers were carried away
from the site of the new Cedar
street bridge, but those lost are of
little value. AS the lesson of 1894
was well remembered, bridges and
buildings have been of late general
| " placed on a safe height above
the streams and hence few if any
bridges were lost. A few culverts
and small bridges have been in
iured. The severest loss to the
city is the filling up of the tail race
of the power plant, which will in
vo1ve some expense in clearing il
out.
At Clifton Mills where new dam
is being erected large loss was
incurred by the promoters of the
project. Some stone walls were
thrown down and considerable
amount of piling timber carried
away. 1t is feared that the loss will
embarrass the projectors consider
ably, but we hope that the interested
parties will find their way clear to
go on with the work.
The same storm made itself felt
in the Rush River and Eau Gale
River valleys. Considerable dam
age was done at Spring Valley,
mostly caused by the water backing
up into the village and flooding eel
lars. All the railroad bridges be-
tween Spring Valley and Elmwood
were out of commission. The Rush
River was also very high and some
damage was done to the premises
where the Ellsworth Power Plant is
located, but nothing that will seri-
ously injure the plant.
The river here rose at the new
bridge to a point six feet above it's
normal stage of water and
at the height of the storm
Fortunes dam gave evidence OF
it's existence only as rifle in
the mad1y rushing stream. The
water at the lower plant rose within
few inches of the floor of the
power plant, much to the surprise
of the electricians and others who
had hand in erecting the plant
The Pomeroy bridge was injured
TO such an extent, that it was impass.
able the following morning. In
many places the roads and fields
are badly washed.
AS these floods increase in vic.
lence it becomes more and more evi.
dent that some step should be taken
to prevent their occurrence if posi-.
Bile, and if not, to give better pro-
lection to the highways and bridges
This is a work that may well engage
the Investigators as to causes and
prevention Of damages by floods
Possibly system OF tree planting
along the shores of streams and in
raYines of little value for farming
purposes might aid in alternating
the evil.
Guy Hudd1eston Of ST. Paul is
visiting his father, David Huddles