Omaha daily bee., 1909-06-23
Council Bluffs
INDIAN CREEK ON RAMPAGE
Sudden Rise Leaves Train Of Mud
and Slime on Broadway.
BUSINESS HOUSES ARE FLOODED
Debris Catches Under bridge on
North Eighth street and Forms
small Lake-DamaEe IL
Heavy.

Indian creek overlooked it's banks shortly
before 2 o'clock yesterday morning and left
q train Of mud and slime on Broadway
and adjacent streets in it's wake, besides
flooding buildings and Easements and caus-
ing damsge running into the thousands of
dollars.
Debris swept down by the flood in In
dian creek taught in the low hanging
RITders of the bridge at North Eighth
street and IN a short time formed a for
midable dam. 1t was at this point that
the creek first overflowed Its banks and
the water poured like . mill race onto
Broadway. with this dam at Eighth
street the water in the creek naturally
backed up and II was not hong bsfore It
was pouring over the banks At Seventh
street and half way along the block be-
tween Seventh and Sixth streets.
For two hours the water poured out of
the crock in many places. finding an out
let onto Broadway through buildings and
cellars. At the corner Of Broadway and
Seventh street the water ran through the
little grocery store of Dan Wright, leav-
Ing behind II a coating Of mud and slime
several inches thick. The Saltzman wood
yard adjoining was turned into a veritable
lake and west Of this, at Charles Lei
bold's saloon, the water filled the cellar
and covered the floor Of the saloon two
feet deep. Much Of Mr.. Lelbold's stock
of cigars and case goods were practically
ruined.
At the Council Bluffs Dye works the
water poured into the building in a tor
rent and here considerable damage was
done.
West of Eighth street the Metropolitan
hotel was flooded and when the waters
~eceded there was a deposit Of mud a foot
deep over the ground floor. The fremont
hotel further west was also badly flooded
and at the Blue Front restaurant near
the Northwestern depot the inmates had to
abandon the first floor. Mud a foot deep
had to be dug out of this place.
Eighth street as far as Avenue @ was
covered with mud deposited by the water
from the creek and many cellars OF
houses on Avenues A. B and c In that
vicinity were flooded. South Of Broadway
Eighth, Ninth and Tenth streets we're
covered with mud and debris several inches
deep as far south as First avenue.
The Northwestern railroad, the Street
Railway company and the city had large
forces OF men at work early yesterday
morning clearing away the mud on Broad.
way but II was a s~tupendous task and It
will be several days before It is all hauled
away. The streets and alleys fund is al
ready badly depleted during the first two
months of the fiscal year and this will Il
is suspected put a finishing touch to this
appropriation.
The force of the cNSrent on Broadway
was so great during the height Of the
flood that big whisky casks were carried
) from the Stein junk yard near Seventh
street clear down to the Illinois Contra
railroad tracks.
: At the city hall yesterday It was esti
mated that the damage to streets, pave
mcnts, curbs, sidewalks and sewers by tn,
flood Monday night would amount to a
least 5000. The hill streets were badly
washed and It will take weeks to repair al
the damage, This damage cannot, O
but all of that along Broadway and tn
adjoining ~thoroughfares, from Seventh
street to the railroad tracks, can be,
At Crescent City considerable damag
was reported done by the overflow of Lit
tie Pigeon creek, which cuts through tn
town. Some families had to abandon thei
homes and made their escape in wagons.
A washout on the Milwaukee line nea
Weston caused the first section OF freigh
train No. 81, which left Council Bluffs a
o'clock yesterday morning, to go int
the ditch. Fifteen cars loaded with fruit
for eastern markets were piled up, but IN
locomotive passed over the place withou
leaving the rails.