Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-04-18
Saturday Nights Storm.

Last Saturday evening the val.
ley and vicinity were visited by a
most unusual and heavy rain
storm. 1t had been raining more
or less, all day. About dark there
came a hail storm, and the ground
was strewn with ice, many of the
hail stones being as large as
pigeon eggs. Then came the aw-
full down.pour. Between seven
and nine O'Clock, in little more
than an hour, there was a rain
fall of three and a half inches, far
eclipsing all previous records of
the community. bitches, streams,
branches and creeks were filled to
overflowing and much damage re-
suited. Roads we're badly washed,
fences and bridges swept away,
and fields along the creeks were
inundated and strewn with beds
of gravel and sand. The greatest
damage resulting in the valley
was the breaking of the dam at
Pilot Knob lake, which happened
Just about nine o'clock, a few
minutes after the heaviest rainfall
was over. The stream was al
ready filled from bank to bank,
but with the giving away of the
dam, the rush of the waters was
mad and terrific as they went tear
ing in every direction leaving de-
VISITATION and destruction in their
wake. So high was the water
that it swept over the railroad
bridge in Knob town and washed
out the track for probably a hum
dred yards. Fields on either side
of the down.rushing stream we're
swamped and fencing carried
away. Everything movable fell
before the maddening rush OF
waters. The rain was accom-
panied by thunder and lightning
and followed by some wind-not
an unusual wind, however. Over
in st. Francois county. about the
same time, a cyclone did much
damage. The town of DeLassus
was almost totally destroyed and
Pennington and Knob Lick suf-
fered greatly. Three persons were
killed and many injured. The
damage to property is estimated
at S150,000.
NOTES
Harry Jones at the Knob thinks
!, he is in unusually hard luck, He
had Just last week completed a lot
of new fencing, and the rush Of
!, the waters after the breaking o.
! the dam carried it all away.
! The Pilot Knob foot bridge
never has been found. Probably
in the st. Francis river now.
!, Mr.. Alexander, the dairy man
: whose farm is near the junction o
Knob and Stout's creeks, wa
I greatly damaged. For a whil'
! Sunday morning he thought three
: of his COWS had been drowned bu
he found them later in the day
), way down the creek not far from
:. the Shut-In.
81 Messrs. Hawkins and Mari, VIII
own the field south of the fort a
: Pilot Knob, lost half a mile 9
fencing and their growing whea
!, suffered much.
!, Sunday was a beautiful day an
sight -seers, viewing the havoc
the waters, were numerous.
Sunday morning, when new
ID of the breaking of the dam
Pilot Knob was learned, there We
t. considerable apprehension as
d how the dam in the Shut-In ha
le Jared. Inquiry, however, de
le veloped that the structure ha
nobly stood the test.
r. No. 9. the south bound passenge
n train, reached the upper limits
Of Pilot Knob about the time tt
waters in Knob creek we're high
I'd est. 1t was three o'clock Sunda
st morning before the train couI
D proceed on it's way. A gang
D men worked all night Saturda
t. and most of Sunday getting tl
m track in condition again.
a The highest water ever know
in our creeks here was in Il
70 spring of 1892. Fred. Russell, wi
lives east of town, says the wat
Saturday night was eight or tt
or inches higher than in 1892.
~ Although no broken dam aui
ly mented the waters of Stout
le, creek, that stream was on a rar
" page. On the road from here
n Arcadia, there was an unbrok'
20 sheet of water from the York pla
on to the old mill site in Delano tow
I'd. Engineers had given their OPT
res ion that it would not be possil
as for the waters to break the KIN
ng dam. The concrete was elev
IN. feet at the base, tapering to t
feet at the summit, enforced wi
a car of iron rods Embedded in t
concrete. But the heavy structl
was twisted and broken a
thrown aside as a plaything
U.s. the water. The dam was bi
about three years ago and C
mo 1000.
An experience like that of S
I urday night gives the people
the hills an inkling Of the tri
4. and tribulations of the jewellers
ot' the overlooked districts on
;uo Mississippi river. The hills fol
every time.
Beware of Ointments fol