The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-07
BLACK RIVER
FALLS NEEDS
FOOD AND TENTS
People Are Without Food or
Shelter and Many With
out Extra Clothing
P0PULACE SPENT NIGHT ON
THE HILLSIDE BY CAMPF|RES
Every Grocery Store, Meat Market
and Other Food Depot in tho City
Has Been Swept Away by tic Flood
OF Yesterday.

and Other Food Depot in tho City
Has Been Swept Away by tic Flood
OF Yesterday.
La Crosse. Wis, Oct. Hooking
down from the hillsides upon the
ruins of their beautiful little city, the
people of Black River Falls whose
homes were wiped out yesterday and
last night by the rise in the Black
river, were today forced to face the
immediate problem of subsistence. AL
most every scrap Of food in the city,
except that in the houses out of reach
OF the flood, was destroyed. Every
grocery store and meat market and
other food depot in the city is gone.
An attempt was made early today
to organize the work of relief. Mayor
McGill sent messages to La Crosse
ana other cities appealing for food
and shelter In La Crosse a commit
tee was set to work at once and at
noon quantities of food and tents
were sent to the stricken city.
Everything on the four business
streets, comprising the heart Of the
town. has been swept away The
Northwestern railroad bridge over the
Black river at that point is still stand
Ing. but is swaying as though the
heavy spans were supported only by
cables. Train service Is cut off at
Black River Falls and no persons are
even allowed to cross afoot.
Town continues cut off from world
by telephone and telegraph, and it
was only by again resorting to the
expedient of sending man up a tele-
that the cry for help could be sent
out.
At Hatfield ten miles above Black
River Falls. the river had today cut
new channel and appeared where it
was never known to run before. The
main channel has moved over 500
feet into what has until now been dry
land At the dam pressure has ceased
| and the waters have fallen far below
the crest. The main part of the big
structure Is still standing. The power
house, two miles below Hatfield was
flooded.
The president Of the City Water
Power company today estimated the
damage to his company's property at
$4,000. The plant may he out of
business for months because. of the
moving of the channel.
l AT Hatfield Mrs. ]. w. Ebertowsky
| who lives in rooms over a store build.
ing was obliged to flee the day after
the birth of her baby. She walked
two miles down the track to a farm
house. CARRYING her child. Today the
building she left is in ruins.
Never Rebuilt.
Black River Falls can never be re.
built in its present location. The new
channel occupied by the river today
goes through the heart Of the town.
The giant wall of water which swept
the city was ten feet in height when
! hn1 ho
gather force later. Black river makes
a turn at the falls and the channel
narrows down. with high steep banks.
Into this narrow space. the twenty five
miles of water sixty feet deep in the
Hatfield storage reservoir poured and
gathered impetus from this condition
leaped with resistless force upon the
town.
Offices, stores, warehouses and resi-
dences went down before it. like paper
cards. With the big buildings. went
also great chunks of earth. a hill of
considerable size 100 feet from the
river was leveled even with the sur
rounding land
The mayor of the city today esti-
mated the loss at not less than ST.
100000 at Black River Falls alone.
not considering the damage at other
points.
Rumors are heard today that three
lives were lost. but there is no verifi-
cation Of them and a remarkable spec
tacle is presented of the town being
utterly destroyed with perhaps no loss
Of life. '0''~
The principal buildings DESTROYED
included the Freeman and Spaulding
hotels. the jackson county and the
First National banks. the Jackson
County Journal newspaper, the office
of Spaulding Machinery company, and
the Marsh and Jones dry goods stores,
several large warehouses and all the
saloons. restaurants and practically
al the retail stores in every line. The
have been saved had their owners
needed the warning sent them when
the water broke through at Hatfield.
but they refused to believe that the
situation was serious. until the flood
struck them. Then it was too late to
save anything but their lives.
Men went frantic and all about out
groups. people fell upon their knees
praying the Almighty to stay the work
of destruction, hut the PRAYERS were
unanswered.
This morning when the residents OF
Melrose. village eighteen miles north
of here on the Black river, awoke
they found that the river had risen
'''5 tN-e NuA ing lIS ana tnat
all roads into town had been de-
stroyed. The town is cut off from out
side communication. but as it is situ-
ated on high ground. the danger Of
being destroyed. as Black River Falls
was, is not SO great.
Mayor McGill said that the people
needed both food and tents in which
to live until their homes could be
rebuilt. The population fled yesterday
without stopping 20 take extra cloth
ing with. them.
They spent a disngreea bic day In the
pitiless rain. but in the evening the
weather cleared and there was less
suffering FROM exposure during the
night.
All along the hills camp fires burn
ed. while below in the darkness could
be heard the rush of waters engulf1ng
the city
The mayor of Black River Falls
said this morning that it would be
some days before the flood had reced-
ed sufficiently to permit even an ex-
animation of the ruins and that the
need of relief was imperative Inn
medtately after his message was re-
IN A m