Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1909-07-29
IDULUTH SUFFERS HEAVY loss
SECOND DELUGE in 24 HOURS
CAUSES GREAT DAMAGE.
Rumors of Tornadoes at MiIaca and
Princeton Are Found to be an
Error.

Duluth.-Duluth was flooded again,
damage will be enormous and may
reach $1,000,00O. The damage to
streets alone will be several hundred
thousands of dollars. Scores of base
ments are flooded and the loss can
not be known before daylight, but it
will be very heavy.
Two and sixty hundredths inches of
rain fell in about one hour and a half.
The water was two feet deep on the
sidewalk on the lower side of Superior
street. Women were swept off their
feet and were in actual danger of
drowning in number of cases.
The water poured into the floor of
the Bijou theater where perform
ance was in progress, and panic was
narrowly averted.
Sixteen street cars are off the
tracks in different parts of town and
the service is utterly demoralized.
The st. Louis hotel basement has
seven feet of water in it and the house
is in darkness. Automobiles are dead
in streets and several were aband-
oned for the night.
There were several large picnics and
summer dances in progress in the
parks and suburbs Tuesday when the
storm broke, and the pleasure-seekers
to the number Of nearly 1000 trooped
back to the city in bedraggled parties.
One house at Duluth was struck by
lightning, and little Ellen ,Towner, the
daughter of the postmaster, received
severe shock.
Washouts are reported from all
parts of the range country. ct Two
Harbors more than five inches of rain
fell and the electric light plant was
put out of business. There was a big
washout on the Iron Range road be-
tween here and Two Harbors and the
passengers had to be transferred
There were wild rumors afloat last
night of tornadoes at Princeton, Mia
ca and Zimmerman, but ommunica-
ton with these towns was secured and
the reports found to be baseless
AS a result of Wednesday nights
flood, and the city officials don't
know just what to do amout it. The
! damage to the streets alone is esti
mated at 100000 to 100000, anG
there is no fund at present upon
which to draw.
Mayor Haven and other city officials,
are discussing plans. One suggestion
made was to issue bonds, but this has
! been rejected. The charter provides
|
another, and the city attorney will be-
| asked to ascertain if, in such an emer
gency as this, the sinking fund ma;
not be borrowed from.
The entire property loss is roughlr
estimated at $1,500,000
Two Children Drowned.
The only fatalities reported occur
red at Ninth avenue east, when Mrs,
Ralph Ginsberg, who was attempting
to save her 2-year-old son, Abe, an
6-year-old daughter, Sophia, was swept
| off her feet by the flood and, losing
her grasp on the little ones, they were
swept away before she could receive
assistance. The bodies were recov
cred half hour later. The frantic
mother was taken to st. Luke's hospi
tai and cared for, where she is re-
ported as being in a critical condition
The damage done to property is al
most impossible to estimate. Nearly
every business house on Superior st
and in the entire downtown district
suffered heavily from flooded base
ments. Flooding was not confined tc
the business district, and hundreds OF
residences in all parts of the city were
damaged.