Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1910-03-17

lloou OK lNs. when The water,
reached a point al the foot VI lhird
street some six OF olyht fee, deep
over the level lands.
There have been two previous
floods of the Missouri river IA the
last thirty years approaching this
one In lsSl there was the highest
water known in the memory Of the
Oldest lnhabltant The water at
that time reached such a stage on
the bottoms that the big steamer
Eclipse drew tp 10 the foot of 'rhiri
street and took on passengers for
Mandan, making the trip over the
bottoms. which are ordinarily dry
ami tar above tn, Mater. At that
time great masses Of ice swept over
the cntlu' bottom and the water rose
To such a stage that the whole low
land between the city and river and
from there to Mandan rescmblrd an
immense lake
Mandan was flooded, the business
section being submerged TO depth
of several feet the great ice cakes be
ing t1oated through the principal
streets. The same thing occurred
but with less damage. in the high
water of 1857
Yesterday 5 stage of water was the
nearest approach To that of lss7
The steamer Expansion, of the Ben
ton Packet Line. which was AT the
docks of the company near the
bridge. is a complete wreck Great
holes were punched i'm the hull hy
the moving ice floes Sunday, and
Monday morning saw the compile
tion of the work of destruction, when
the largest and best boat ON the up
per Missouri river WAS ground to
pieces between the shore and the ice.
Two miles of track at the west APP
proach of the bug bridge. on the Man
dan side, is said to he washed out
and il will be several days, at the
earliest. before the trans can move
between here and Mandan. In the
mean time No. is being taken to
the west over the Great Northern.
The coast bound trains arriving here
Monday were sent back to Mckenzie
and then down the Linton branch,
where. at Linton. they went on the
Milwaukee. tracks and thus TO Miles
City. where the main line Of the N.
p. was again reached.
Train No. 7, arriving in this city
Monday evening, was turned here
and sent east as No. s. 1T is not OK
pected there will be any mail from
the east until No. 3 arrives at noon
to-day.
Mandan appears to have suffered
worse than Bismarck. The wires
have been down since LEO Monday
afternoon. and there has been no
communication with our sister city
since that time 1t was reported
then that the water was up into the
business section Of the town, and
that the basement and first floor of
the Inter Ocean Hotel and the Man
dan Mercantile Company was flood
ed, and that il was IN the build
gings occupied by the N + shops.
The railroad yards were under wa
ter, also. Most Of the food in Man
dan is said to have been occasioncd
by back water from the Heart river.
That there will be thousands Of dol
lars Of damage is practically sure,
but just how high the loss will run
cannot he ascertained at the present
time. When communication with
Mandan will be established is a mat
ter of considerable guess work, but
it is Impossible at the present time
for linemen TO work.
Fifty Greek laborers ,marooned be-
tween the bridge and Mandan. were
taken from their house just IN time
to save them from being swept down
the river by the force # the eur
rent. a few deer and a large nun
Der of rabbits we're forced T. seek
refuge from the high water. and a
number If them came within easy
gunshot Of the watchers along the
river banks.
The Bismarck Gun Club stationed
guards along the river and any one
caught attempting 70 shoot the deer
will be prosecuted 10 the fullest
extent Of the laM
The ice gorge at the bridge broke
at about 3 3op. m. but did mol seem
TO relieve conditions locally. a. d
large gorge farther down the river
held, and the water continued y
flow over the bottoms
During the evening hours the
stage Of water 1iuctuated as the
gorges in the upper river would
break The water was higher IN the
bottoms near town early this morn
ing than it had been al any time
during the day but il IS thought
that the worst has passed, unless
there should be another gorge