River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-10-12
|C|TY IS FLOODED
BLACK RIVER FALLS HALF DE-
STROYED WHEN BIG DAM
OVERFLOWs.
MANY BUILDINGS IN RUINS
Only Two Persons Are Reported Miss
ing, But 1t Is Feared Several Have
Perished-Number of Villages in
Valley In Peril.

Black River Falls, Wis.-Half the
business section of this city and a
portion Of the residence section was
destroyed when the swollen waters
of the Black river overf1owed the
dam of the La Crosse Water and
Power company at Hatfield in a
deluge that did damage estimated at
between 100000 and 100000.
Between fifty-fve and sixty build
ings were destroyed and the homes of
a score of farmers were swept away
in the deluge. A portion of the resi-
dence section is under water and in
habitants have been forced to flee to
the high lands near the city for safe
ty. Several are reported missing,
and it is feared they have persisted.
The fate of many farmers. whom 1t
was impossible to warn, is unknown.
There is between twenty and thirty
feet Of water in Water street and
Main street. Twostory buildings
were nearly entirely submerged be-
fore they collapsed. The power
house which furnishes the city's light
is entirely under water. The Omaha
railroad bridge Is 40 feet above the
water normally, and now the flood Is
within ten feet of the rails.
Below Black River Falls, in the val
ley, are a number of villages, includ-
ing Roaring Creek, Irving, North
Bend, Melrose, Holmen, Lytles, Mid
way and Onalaska, which are directly
in the path of the flood.
The levee protecting the shore of
Black river at the west end of the
Dells dam, five miles above Hatfield,
the property of the La Crosse Water
huge column of water against the
dam at Hatfield. The structure, un-
able to stand the strain, opened at
the west side, and the flood rushed on
it's way toward the city below.
The water, flowing with resistless
current and in tremendous volume,
undermined one large building after
another, and as they crumbled to
pieces the debris was carried away.
The residents, although they knew
of the overlooking of the Hatfield dam,
showed little fear of it's effects until
the waters burst upon them.
The company has been fighting the
rising water during heavy rains for a
week, but the 300 men, who were
trying to save the dyke, gave up. The
flood waters swept over the core
wall at the west end of the Upper
Dells dam, emptying millions of gal
Ions of water into the lower lake.
To save the power-house and ada
cent settlements the company dyna-
mited the canal wall, permitting part
of the flood to flow back into the river
bed below the dam. Although this re-
leased some of the tension on the
main dam the gravest fear is ex-
pressed lest it crack from the heavy
strain. If there is no more rain it
may hold, but if rain continues Off
Gals Of the company fear a further
disaster.
When it became apparent the break
was inevitable Caretaker True of the
Upper Dells dam mounted horse and
warned residents of the vicinity to flee
for higher ground. 1t is believed most
of them mad time to escape
When the food struck Black River
Falls farmhouses, barns and other de-
bris were hurled against the wagon
bridge, carrying it out.
The Green Bay and Western tracks
are washed out for a half mile near
Hatfield
Hatfields telephone connections
with Black River Falls, IL miles be-
low, were cut off. The operators of
both the Bell and the Independent
companies notified their central Of
fees at North Bend that they were
leaving on account of the water.
Just as in the Austin flood, tele-
phone operators proved heroines
With almost every resident in Black
River Falls fleeing out of the town,
the girl operators of both companies
there stuck to their boards, warning
in every direction. They left only
when the water started to food the
floor where they were working.
Chippewa Falls, Wis.-Two dams
went out In this city and one at Bloom
er, and the country is flooded in every
direction. The Chippewa river is
overlooking it's banks, and water is
running in the streets as a result of
O