Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-06-23
Wind, Hail and Floods Create
Havoc at Waukon, North Nc
Gregor and Vicinity
BUILDINGS WRECKED BY HAIL
Railroad Tracks Washed Out and
Trains Marooned Between Stations
Crops Pounded Into the Earth and
Trees LeveIed-only Measer Details
Received
Special to Times-Republican.


Dubuque, June 23.-Details of the
| terrific storm which swept over north
eastern Iowa Saturday night and
passed into Wisconsin and Minnesota.
are just beginning to be received here,
as communication with the stricken
| districts is being restored. Waukon
and North McGregor, Iowa, suffered
severely by wind and hail, and the
| floods that have followed have tied
| up railroad traffic. Since the storm
communication with the two stricken
| towns has been cut off entirely, wires
being Frustrated and the telegraph and
| telephone lines being out of commits
sion.
The storm was tornado in proper
lions, all-destroying in might and ter
rible in it's fury. Railroad systems
were crippled, telephone and telegraph
communications were cut off and from
the scene of grim disaster reports Of
awful havoc were received. Waukon
| was reported as wiped off the map by
| hail storm which was Immediately
followed by fire, but the story was eN-
aggerated. Trains were lost between
towns and damages to crops and other
property indicated that over a million
dollar loss had been caused.
At late hour direct communication
could not be established with Waukon,
but reports indicate no one was killed.
In that county eight inches OF hail
fell, destroying the crops. The wind
beat down all the trees in its path
and from the surrounding hills noun
tain torrents descended, washing out
tracks and destroying thousands OF
dollars, worth OF property.
Waited for the Word.
In Dubuque grim knots of men from
the northern cities awaited anxiously
reports from the storm center where
they resided. Many had come to at
tend the circus and feared for their
families. All day Sunday they waited
but no word came. The section was
as effectually separated from the rest
of the world as was Noah's Ark when
it rested on Mt. Ararat. "Toll was
besieged by anxious fathers but tele-
phone lines were so badly tied up that
waukon could not be reached.
Railroad lines to the north were
crippled but on Sunday morning the
Milwaukee came to the rescue with
two trains, one north and one south.
Over 400 took advantage of the spec
ials. The train north got as far as
Clayton and was stalled there. This
morning the Milwaukee had broken
into La Crosse, an army Of men dur
ing the night had repaired the road
bed and in short time 1t is hoped
traffic will be resumed.
Last Train Arrives.
Number 80, the train that was lost
during the storm, pulled into Dubuque
twenty weight hours late. During the
storm the train was stalled at Nc
Gregor, town that was literally rid
died by icy bullets and swept stem and
stern by a tidal wave, gigantic in pro-
portions.
Some conception Of the storm that
visited that town may be caught from
an interview given by ]. H. Kelly OF
waukon, Iowa, who was aboard the
lost train and who spent Monday in
Dubuque. Mr.. Kelly said:
1--WE were just pulling out of the
North McGregor depot when the storm
broke in fury over that town. Our
train continued few rods to the
freight depot in fact and then could
proceed no farther. The windows OF
the car were riddled with hail. Rain
beat in upon us and in a short time
regular tidal wave swept down the
main street Of McGregor, carrying
away all before It. In depth this wave
was estimated at six feet.
Hills a Water Shed.
'The hills formed a regular water
shed and McGregor was the basin that
received and carried of the torrent Of
water. Store fronts were first beaten
out by the hail and the flood crashing
madly down the street carried on
building fronts, TANNED stores with
tree trunks, dead cattle and debris of
all kinds, and in some cases carried
away entire stocks Of furniture, cloth
ing, and so on, to dump the booty into
the rapidly rising river to the east.
"The scene was wild one and the
- - Q