Omaha daily bee., 1911-10-07
LARGE DlSIEloI Is I.--ACED
Main Dam IS Holding, but Water Is
Washing Around Ends,
BIG HoILL Is CARRIED AWAY
Hatfield. North Bend, MelroSe and
0nalas6a in Danger.
OTHER RIVERS ON RAMPAGE
Two Dams ON Chippewa River Arc
washed out and Dumage tn Prop
rrty is Extensivc---YViscon
River Also Higher.

LA CROSSE, Wis. oct 6-Breaks have
! occurred in both upper and lower dams
Of the La Crosse Water Power company
at Hatfield on the Black river sixty
miles mort heast Of here. and the whole
5000 go property of this company rs men
accd \ large district nclG1.uS the city
of Black River Fals, is unde: water
A great district in the Black River val
ley IS also submerged.
Breaks In the dams followed the ac-
cumulation of water following a weeks
rain which filled the reservoirs to an un-
precadented extent. Early today the
water broke through the embankment at
the west SIDE Of the upper dam and later
a break occurred on the west side Of the
lower or main dam. The dam proper is
still holding, but the waters have washed
around it and are pouring through in
tremendous volume
At noon the telephone operator at
Black River Falls, a city of 1000 people,
ten miles below Hatfield, reported that
water was surrounding the telephone
building and that people we're moving
out Of houses in the lower part Of the
town. Thereafter It was impossible TO
raise Black River Falls on the telephone.
Relief parties are being hastily organ
lied here. All villages along the Black
River, North Bend. Melrose, Holmer.
Onalasks, and La Crosse are situated 50
that the effect of the sudden raise in
the narrow channel of the Black River
will be felt tomorrow.
Several farm houses, floating down
stream in the flood that is flowing
around the west END OF the Hatfield
main power dam and sending water to
a depth OF eleven feet over the top,
struck and tore away the bridge at
Black River Falls today. The families
that had occupied these houses, 1t is
feared, have persisted.
Hatfield ls under water, but it is
thought that no lives were lost there.
Hotel washed AWAY,
At o'clock this afternoon the Hotel
fremont three.stsry brick building.
the leading hotel in Black River Falls
and a half dozen other big buildings in
which the principal businesses of the
city we're housed, were washed out
This information has just been received
here over a private wire of the Wisconsin
Telephone company, on roundabout
route.
Direct communication with the city is
not open.
Eight hundred feet Of the Green Bay
g. Western railroad tracks at Hatfield
have been washed out, according 10 a
report received at the offices of the
company here. Traffic will be suspended
over the main line of the road for days
Water street Swept by Current.
MILWAUKEE, Wis, Oct e-An even
ing Wisconsin special from Black River
Falls, Wis., late this afternoon says:
The east side OF Water street has been
swept away by the current passing
around the west side of the concrete
dam.
Buildings are being wrecked and
swept down the current, but as far as
can be learned there has as yet been
no loss of life.
wisconsin River on Rampage.
WAUsAU, Wis. Oct. 6.-Shortly before
noon the pressure Of the big volume Of
water held back by the guard lock in
this city forced out the east gate and
is releasing a great volume of water.
Following the heavy rains OF last night
the Wisconsin river rose TO a height of
seven feet above normal today. II is
stin rising. In the city the water has
inundated the railroad tracks
At Fenwood a village several miles
from here, the rains have delayed trains
on the Northwestern road, and in scho-
field, three miles south Of here, much
alarm prevails because of the overflow
Of Lake Wausau, reaching even to the
main streets and compelling residents to
seek the upper floors OF their homes
SO far, however, no serious damage has
been done.