Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1911-11-24
BLACK RIVER FALLS NEEDS AID
Appeal is Sent Out BY Committee
Appointed BY The Governor.
Continued from page y

10 per cent. of them not saving any
thing except their books and the
more valuable of their papers, and
the balance saving but minor por
ton of their goods.
These are some but not all of the
individual losses, taking practically
all OF the accumulated wealth of per
haps a major portion Of the losers;
but the city itself fares as badly as
the most unfortunate of the citizens,
and Is left in worse predicament
than the average of them. It's water
power plant has been so damaged
that there is slight hope of procur-
ing money with which to repair it III
the very near future. Several streets
have been destroyed beyond possibil-
ity OF replacement, taking the sew
ers and water pipes. Water has
been cut off from all Of the fourth
population Of the city, and putting
them in dry territory for an indef
mite period. The whole of the city
is in darkness Oh account of the
loss of power and the destruction of
great portion of the electric wires.
| The city treasury is empty and the
city is bonded to the limit of the as
sessed valuation before about so
per cent of the valuation was des-
troyed by the flood. 1t is not likely
| that any tax can or will be paid the
coming winter on the property that
has been destroyed by the
flood Thus there will be neither mon
ely nor credit with which to restore
the powed or repair the electric
| light and water systems, which were
sources of much revenue to the city.
! There is not even on hand a fraction
| of the price that will be required to
| provide protection from further flood
! damage. The school district has
money with which to run the schools
| ul1Jll Tic cllu VI Tie yCdi, bllI II ID
probable that they will then have
| to close,
The current of the river is still
running in the new channel cover
| ing about forty acres of former bus
mess territory, and if it cannot some
how be turned back in the old chan
mel this fall the business houses
which have been thus far spared
will have to go next spring, together
with practically all the residence sec
ton of the Third ward and possibly
the city hall and the court house, if
| the usual freshet shall occur next
spring
The first relief necessary to the CT
| tizens of Black River Falls is the
| building of cQffer-dam to turn the
water back into the old channel to
prevent this further damage, and
according to the estimates Of en-
| inent state engineers, there is
scarcely more than half enough in
the relief fund treasury to build
the coffer-dam alone in the pre-
scribed manner The next most i'm
portant measure of relief will be the
building of a retaining wall as a
side protection from flooding. So it
seems to be up to the committee to
procure more funds or to abandon
| the project Of relief and desert the
city in it's present helpless state.
Rather than take the latter course
we deem it advisable to take this
method of letting the public know the
needs of these unfortunate people
1t is not to be wondered at that
the business men of the city We're
for a time dazed and bewildered-com
pletely overwhelmed-when it is re-
membered that they were Obliged
to stand helplessly on the higher
banks of the river and watch the des-
truction of their property-to see
the buildings, with their contents, in
many cases representing lifetime
of labor and involving their all, one
after another crumble and fall and
disappear in the ruthless waters, as
if by magic, leaving only a momen-
tary splash and cloud of dust to
mark the spot Of the once proud
monuments of their industrial ac-
cumulations These men are now
recovering from the shock, their
nervous systems are assuming nor
NAL condition, and they are mostly
resuming business on a smaller scale,
| largely on credit and borrowed CAPT
tai, and are smothering their sorrows
| in hard work. The city is not quite
so fortunate, for the law steps in and
by legal limitations robs it of credit
| with which to retrieve 1t must have
assistance from some source in order
to meet at least the protective re
quirements.
The committee thinks that the