Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1916-06-09
Northeastern Iowa Flooded.

| This section OF the state was visited
last Thursday evening by a torrential
rain which seemed to the east of us
caused a vast amount of damage to
crops and property and the loss of two
lives near Calmar.
| Decorah was visited by flood worse
than that of fourteen years ago, Dry
Run rising out of its banks in few
minutes, a wall of water eight feet in
height sweeping down between the
hills, washing away railroad tracks
and bridges, carrying barns and small
buildings down stream or crushing
them. and oyerAowing houses with
water to a-depth of four or five feet in
many cases, leaving deposits of mud
and filth in the lower story and cellars
of practically one-third OF the resi-
dences in Decorah The home of L. j.
Stoskopf was foated from its founda-
ton, carried a half block or more
across the Milwaukee tracks and
smashed against some trees. The fam
lily were in the house at the time.
Railroad traffic east of Cresco is still
demoralized, and at no previous time
has high water caused so much irregu-
larity and delay in the arrival of mails
at Cresco Between Calmar and De-
corah, IL bridges and five miles of
track are washed out, and officials state
that under the most favorable circum-
stances, it will still be a week before
trains will run to Decorah. Between
Jackson junction and Fort Atkinson,
two bridges and half mile of track
was washed out. This has been re-
paired, and traffic was resumed over
the Ceaaas z Aas-sss.-iii iialmats. ..;;ae on Wesa-
nesday. Trains are running from Cal
mar to Monona, but from Beulah to
McGregor the track is badly damaged
and several bridges out. McGregor
and North McGregor suffered terribly;
the freight depot. warehouse and rail-
road yards at the latter place were de-
stroyed by the flood and at McGregor
much damage was done by high water
to property.
The Rock Island road between West
Union and Decorah suffered so badly
that it is doubtful if train service will
be resumed between those two points
until late in the summer.
The first reports gave accounts of
loss of life at various places, but at
Colvv,o - oCc,,r.od cha onJ,, oo<,o1 coooo
of death by the storm, concerning
which We clip the following from the
Calmar Courier:
From the Ellend Dahlen home, just
two miles northeast of town, two lives
were sacrificed to the flood, Ellend Dahl
en- himself, and his maiden sister, Syn
erva, who made her home with Ellend,
both losing their lives in the flood of
water that swept through the prem
ises. Ellend, his sister and his wife's
brother, George Numedahl, were work
ing or choring out in the barn yard.
AS the rain began to pour down they
went into building that was built on
good cement foundation, and used for
machine shed and hen house. This
building. although securely bolted to
the foundation, was swept away and
the occupants were soon struggling in
the raging waters.
George Numedahl finally clung to
wire fence quarter of mile below
the place. and worked himself out hand
over hand along the fence to place of
safety.
The other two were swept on down
the valley and the lifeless bodies were
found five miles below their home in
MIR. Wheatman's pasture.