Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-10-12
Fifty Out Of Sixty Business Blocks and Eighteen
Residences Carried Away IN Torrent
Released BY Bursting Dam.
NO LIVES LOST; DAMAGE IS OVER 500, 600
Principal Business Streets Now Form Kew Channel Of Black
RiyerSuppies from Nearby Cities Relieves Feed
Famine Engineers Blame Construction of
City Power Plant for Disaster

Black River Falls. = Only nine
business blocks out of sixty in the
business district of this city of 1000
population have been left standing
by food which swept down the
Black river valley when that stream,
swollen by heavy rains, broke its
bounds with the washing out of the
DeIls dam north of Hatfield and de-
scended in a raging torrent. Eigh-
teen residences were also carried
away by the food, leaving that num-
Der Of families homeless. No lives
are known to have been lost. The
property damage is estimated to ex-
coed $1,50O,O0O,
Main and Water streets, the two
principal thoroughfares of this city,
to thirty feet of water. With the big
buildings also went great chunks
Of earth. A hill of considerable size
100 feet from the river was leveled
even with the surrounding land. Two
companies of state militia, from
Mauston and Eau Claire, have ar
rived and are guarding the stricken
city against looters who begun their
work with the receding of the waters.
The following business buildings,
not including about Is wrecked
homes, were swept away by the food:
Jones Lumber Co.
Freeman hotel.
Journal Publishing Co.
John f. Harsh Dry Goods Co.
Peoples Drug store.
First National bank.
=. F. Werner, general store.
Moses Paquet, saloon.
William Robinson, saloon.
Antoine Rutland, jewelry.
Monses Bros, grocery.
City building.
Ben Olsen, saloon.
Quinbach, tin shop
John Tideman restaurant.
T. II. Lyons, barber shop.
John Best Packing Co.
Johnson Bros, gents furnishings.
Bouveran saloon.
Vincent Millinery store.
G. Z. More, grocery.
F. B. Dell, farm implements.
Peter P Stat, saloon.
T. H. Nichols barber shop
Loeken & Lillehamer, shoe store.
S. C. Show, undertaken.
4. H Hagen, dry goods
Alec Galeston, barber shop.
j. s. Schnur, grocery.
A. j. Roisland photographer.
Speech building.
Nels Hanson building.
~. I. Hanson, tailor.
Miss F. E. G. Harmon, millinery.
Riels Wall Paper company.
G GaeRson e ooanty 6an mouse =
I. S. Hollenbeck, livery.
A. w. Cole, livery.
Falls House, hotel.
Homestead Lumber company.
Merchants hotel.
City hotel.
Farmers Home hotel
German Reform church.
The first appearance of the dis
aster was manifested when a vast area
of water released by the Dells reser-
voir swept over the Hatfield dam, six
miles below, and aided in volume by
the heavy rain of the night before,
struck Black River Falls with ire
mendous force. The power plant
withstood the onslaught for a time,
but finally capitulated The north
bank of the river at this point re-
sisted the efforts Of the flood to wear
it down, but the west bank, having a
less slope, soon gave way. Business
AALC1As SNCAAlSo LAAekI q SClAC4 al hS1iIOl1-
ton of their property was inevitable,
gathered a few of their belongings
and made for higher ground. One
after another, in rapid succession,
brick, stone and frame buildings
were undermined by the water and
slowly crept into the river. One of
the first structures to go was the Ere
mont hotel, three-story brick build
ing, which collapsed and disappeared
in the torrent, as did the postofice
and bank buildings. All the money
in the latter institutions was saved
I'D is stored in the court house
The bulk of the stocks of the
stores could have been saved had
their owners needed the warning sent
them when the water broke through
at Hatfield, but they refused to be-
Iieve that the situation was serious
until the flood struck them. Then
it was too late to save anything but
their lives. Helpless while their
property was being destroyed, men
went frantic, and all about out of
reach of the water, single and in
groups, people fell upon their knees