Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-08-13
THE Big FLOOD OF JULY.
What Caused 1t, and the Lessons 1t Taught
Should be Needed. The Work of Repair
ing Damages Going Forward Rapidly

Three weeks have passed since the
Wisconsin river valley was visited by
the most disastrous flood of it's his
tory Many have wondered how in
the world it was possible to have
such destructive flood after a rain
of only one day, when we have
had weeks of heavy rain in the
past which only resulted in
very high water. Men of experience
in the valley have solved the question
to their OWN satisfaction, however,
something like this: There was, per-
haps as heavy days rain here and
up the river as was ever known in
the pinery. A few days of this
drenching rain would have made a
big freshet, but from all that can be
learned there was veritable cloud
burst somewhere, seemingly between
Merrill and Tomahawk. This seemed
to cover quite an area east and west.
1t affected Prairie, Eau Claire, Wolf
and other streams. Prairie river was
out of its banks and in a very short time
the large pond at the paper mill near
Merrill was opened up and large
body of water let out. This
swept into the Wisconsin river and
before the citizens of Merrill realized
1T the east end of the dam in that
city was washed out and another
reservoir was emptied and helped to
swell the river below. On the flood
rushed until it reached Brokaw when
part of the big dam at this point
gave way releasing the vast amount
of water which formed lake for sew
eral miles above.
Then Wausau had to take it. OF
course, this made the highest water
ever known here, perhaps three or
four feet higher than in 1881. Why
shouldn't it with three reservoirs un-
loaded at one fell swoop? Here,
bridges were washed out; the dam
between the Clarke and Plumer is
lands partly carried away; Shingle
street nearly washed out, so that it
left nothing but great rocks and
boulderS ON a level with the river
bottom. The devastation was great
as every one knows who read the
PILOTs extended description of it.
On rushed the food and Rothschild
had to take the brunt of it. The
high embankment at the west of the
Marathon Paper Mills Company's
plant, which was so badly washed
away during the big water of 1911,
was further dug into until the full
width of the Wisconsin river was cut
out of the bank of sand west of the
big concrete dam which originally ex-
tended across the river at this point.
The damage to the company was very
great. Below on the river the dam
age was no greater than at other
large freshets. The water went down
very rapidly, showing conclusively
that it was the breaking of the dams
up at the places mentioned, which
caused the deluge.
What is the lesson to be learned
from this I? One is that dams should
be so constructed as to be proof
against being carried away by any
flood, however great it may be. Sec
ond, it will be necessary to have gates
and sufficient spill way at each dam
to allow the natural flow of the river.
Third, owners of powers should see
that all gates are opened and the
water let off before it is, too late,
when heavy rains come, even if it
should afterwards prove unnecessary.
Without some such system in the
construction of dams and precautions
taken in opening gates, ETC., we are
the kind which have recently visited
us.
WAUSAU AND VICINITY.
Since the July food, large crews of
men have been at work repairing
damages. AT the electric lighting
plant, work has been commenced on a
new concrete dam. This is being
built also with view of protecting
the Plumer island which has been
more or less damaged by floods in the
past. The dam is being built from
the high ground at the U. S. Expert
ment station, running south a 100 feet
or more TO the site of the old dam.
The latter, which was partly washed
out will be removed and rebuilt and
several ga.es put in to let out the