Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-07-07
PRECEDING OF FLOODS AT couN-
GIL BLUFFS REVEALS I'M.
MENsE DAMAGE.
MERCHANTS AND FACTORIES
LOSE HEAVILY FROM STORM
Water Fills Easements and In Many
Instances First Floors Of Stores and
Manufacturing Particularly Mar
row Escapes From Drowning, But
No Loss Of Life.
Special to Times-Republican.

SpGCldl 10 llN1CSs1S0pUOllCdH,
Council Bluffs, July Tt will be
days before the traces of Monday
nights terrific baptism of water and
mud will be effaced from the streets
and from the business houses and homes
in the flooded district in Council Bluffs.
And the damage to wearing apparel of
the 10000 who got caught at Laks
Manawa and Fairmount Park by the
storm can only be guessed. In the
basement of the New Theater there is
deposit of mud four feet thick, and
to remove it will require the removal
of a section Of the basement wall.
Not in fifty years, and old-tin,ers
say never before has the city suffered
from so severe flood. That no one
was drowned is looked upon now as
bordering on the miraculous. The ex-
per1ence of party who started for
Carson early in the evening in two
touring cars in typical of a number of
similar incidents. The members of the
party in the cars of j. P. Coons, of
Carson, had preceded as far as the
Underwood place, near what is known
as the give Mile House," when the
first storm broke upon them. They OBJ
tanned shelter at Mr.. Underwood's and
when the rain was apparently over re-
sumed their journey, soon after decid-
ing to return to Council Bluffs.
Headed Into the Worst of 1t.
The machines got along all right I'M
till they reached Graham avenue on the
outskirts of Council Bluffs There the
water was running over two feet deep,
concealing the holes in the street
Finally the cars were precipitated into
water four feet deep and the engines
ceased to work. The women in the cars
were carried to the home of nearby
family and the machines abandoned
until today.
Train Caught in Flood.
The Northwestern yards, which had
just been cleared Of a mass of mud
left from the storm of last week. were
inundated to depth of several feet
about the passenger station and the
beautiful lawn was totally destroyed.
At the station the floood reached A
depth of several feet An outgoing
passenger train was caught by the
flood at the station and was abandoned
there.
Two aged women who were ma
rooned in their homes and who
probably would have drowned had they
not been rescued, were carried to places
of safety They were Mrs Mary f.
Price and a widow named johnson
who occupied small dwelling next to
fho IF Mig pr;oo
officers effected their rescue.
Some of the sights witnessed at Lake
Manawa and Paramount Park, where
the pleasure seekers were gathered.
were comical, pathetic and tragic.
Twice the special train on the Burling-
ton chartered by the Council Bluffs ard
Omaha Street Railway Company to
carry their patrons to Omaha, made
the trip to this city and the cars in
Omaha, which usually cease traffic at
2:30 a. M, were kept running until 6
o'clock.
Merchants Lose Heavily.
In addition to the loss sustained by
property owners in the residence dis
tricts many merchants suffer heavy
damage to stocks of goods in cellars
and from mud on the first floors Of
their business places. A row of frame
business houses collapsed and in the
cellars were miscellaneous mixture
of goods, one business house thus af-
fected being a commission house which
had the basement filled with bananas
ripening. Flower beds, lawns, walks,
euthouses, etc, were either ruined en-
ltire1y or damaged. The family of
George c. Wise, 1923 Fourth avenue,
awoke in the morning to find three
feet Of water in their dining room and
kitchen. Many others were similarly
affected
Factories Heavy Losers.
| Several large factories are in the
flooded district. KimbaM Brothers
elevator factory at Ninth avenue and
Eleventh street, was filled with two
to three feet of water and mud and
was forced to shut down for several
days. The most damage here was to
wood patterns. The Alfalfa Meal Com
er ground than the Kimballs. The
age it sustained.
Not until today were the fears OF
some people as to the safety Of mem
bers of their household allayed and the
air has been full of wild rumors, keep
ing the newspaper men busy running
them down.
Ground is Thoroughly Soaked.
The rain, which fell in torrents for
three hours and continued turnout the
balance Of the night with varying Sc
verify, fell upon ground soaked to the
limit by previous hard rains. In fact
the deluged district had only partially
recovered from the last flood and In
dian creek, the cause OF the heaviest
damage. had not yet found its normal
level, hence there was no place fol
the water to go but out over the low
lying land on either side Of the creek
On Broadway from the postoffice on
Sixth street west, was a raging torrent
in which neither man nor beast could
keep a footing. For eight blocks the
water coursed thru the street, grad.
ually widening out on the side streets
into cellars and stores. and hotels and
wholesale houses and the opera house
With the first possible moment the
city will put a force of men at worl
clearing the streets Of the mud and
filth. fearing a possible epidemic
should the hot weather continue.
Three Inches Of Rain in Two Days.
4 Ottumwa, July 7.-Ottumwa haa
been drenched with more than three
inches of rain since early Monda,
morning and there is every promise o,
more coming. The weather station req.
listered q rainfall OF one inch anS