Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-20
JORDAN ON
A RAMPAGE
West Side Residents Flooded
Out of Their Homes When
Ice Dams Stream.
MANY FAMILIES DESTITUTE
Homes and Barnyards Filled With
Water-Provision Stores
Frozen.
MANY FAMILIES DESTITUTE
jake Raleigh wili Force O: Men Docs
Heroic Work Soon Aiter
-aInrm Is Received.
md
ern
lis

1lS-
When mountain Of ice jammed sor
the Ninth North bridge over the JordaT
river Sunday night. the river backed UP
TO Fifth North street, overfowlng Its
banks, flooding an area OF two square
miles. rendering a score OF families
homeless. temporarily, destroying their
winter provisions and freezing chick
ems and turkeys to death. For fivc
hours Sunday morning Jake I. Raleigh
street supervisor. with a gang OF 20
men. and 10 teams worked necessarily
to relieve the situation. Many of the
residents were carried out of their
houses which were filled with foot OF
water and Ice and taken across the
river to other homes. A canal was dug
SEQ feet long to drain the water Into
the river at point below Ninth North
street, and the men used dynamite To
blow out the ice jam and the middle
section Of the bridge to stop the over
llow of the river.
Many of the women and children SUI
fcrcd from exposure while they wero
being transferred through the ice
and water III several instances the
resculng party was unable to get 10
tho houses with teams on account OF
;ac ice. IL so-Te places it was frozen
Eard enorsh TO hold up u horse. In other
PAGES the animals broke through, the
lee cutting their legs. and the men were
unable to make much progress with
the teams. Several members of the
families had 10 be carried oy brothers
and fathers several Blocks before they
could get To a wagon, and be carried
across the river.
FREE HORSES WITli ANES.
The men went Into ths oaras and
succeeded n getting The animals out
In several instances dXes were used 10
chop the ice Tnere 1T WAS Ilozen
around the anlinaIs leet. The cows
and horses We're taken across t1e river
to ncIghbors' barns. y great many
chickens were frozen TO oeatn in the
coops where The places illled up WITH
water, and froZe solid ---,-
After all the people who lived in the
flooded section. were cared Tor, the
men turned their attention 10 the Zee
Jam. Il had been callccting all day
Sunday, tho Ice breaking up the river
where il had frozen over and coming
down the river. The Ice foe was one
of the heaviest ever seen on the river.
The old Ninth North bridge has 81 pill
inys in the river and forms blockade
for the ice. When 1t began freezing
about S o'clock Sunday nignt the Ice
lam began 10 rise and solidify against
fhe piling. forming a complete dam. Tho
tce was senfect high when Raleigh and
his men reached the scene. The i1fer
had backed up about i've blocks raising
tho level about three feet and the entire
flow OF the river was going over tho
hanks. AS soon as the people were
rushed across the bridge, the dynamtte
was used on the Jam. Two charges
were exploded before the jam gave
away. carrying the middle section OF
the bridge With II,
This let the river through with rusn
and the remainder OF the jam was car
ried down with the torrent of Ice ana
water Several OF the piles were torn
out Raleigh then started to dig
drain, which was completed by morn
ing IL is believed that most of the wa
ter viii be drained away by night The
entire country looks like snect
OF ice. In the frozen nortn.
hut now that the water has been
drained away the residents will be
able to return to their homes.
sELRYs CASE PITIFUL.
John selby. who lives at s54 north
Thirteenth West street. was struck
very hard. In his cellar he had all
his winter provisions. including all the
Christmas that his family expected TO
have. The water nlled the ccliar'
freezing his potatoes. spelling his -four
and other things. including some of
the presents stored away for the chill
dren. Selby has been without steady
employment for some time. WORKING
only when the weather would permit
He had Just got In his winter supply
and he is now In destitute circum-
stances. He also had some coal, most
OF which he will be able to save as
soon as he can get TO II.
In his house there was about SIX
inches OF water on the ground floor.
BY using chairs and placing planks
from one to the other, he built plat
form around the stove and then built
a fire. He got the children on the
pianks. drying them, and his wife was
able to boil some water and give them
something hot to drink. Raleigh and
his men relieved Selby'S condition as !
much as they could. Raleigh sent one
of his men up town who aroused q
grocer out of bed and bought groceries
TO the amount OF $1d.30. These he
distributed TO the Sclby and other
family who were In destitute circum-
stances.
j. r. Wheeler. 20 years old. was about
the first to discover tho flood. He WAS
aroused shortly after he went to bed.
He believes IL was the cold. Ho jumped
out of bed into foot of watcr covered
With thin scale OF ice. and
he jumped right back in again.
He moved the wardrobe over
next to the bed without gcttlng of OF
It. His working clothes were wet 81
he dressed up In his best bib ana
,,.o,ro,.v r,,,f on his hoots AMI started