Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-05-31
CREST Of RIVER
FLOOD PASSES
WATER REcEDlNG AFTER SWEEP.
ING OVER LOW GROUND IN
VALLEY.
DAMAGE DONE PROBABLY
NOT VERY SERIOUS
Diked Roads Near City Are Flooded
and Riverview Park and Country
Club Overlooked - Water Which
Started Falling Late Thursday, Had
Gone Down Two Feet at Marietta by
Moon.
ooon.

The crest of the food of water in the
Iowa river valley that originated with
very heavy rain in Hardin county
Tuesday night, swept thru the valley
near this city Thursday, causing the
second inundation of low ground ada
cent to town within week, passed
Thursday afternoon and today the wa
ter was reced!ng at a rate that lnd,-
Gated that within two or three days
the water would be back to the stage
al which ii was when the food came.
The water rose with unusual rapid
ity. and in places where the valley was
narrowed by hills that hemmed in the
water, it swept down the channel and
over the lowlands. AS far as could be
learned there was not much property
or crop damage, altho in places where
the current ran swiftest there was
some washing OF the soil and conse-
quent damage to young crops.
Rise Of Seven Feet.
The estimated rise OF the water was
seven feet in a period Of about twenty
four hours. In places even dtked roads
near this city and farther upstream
were flooded. Adjacent to the north
western part Of the city the flood
spread out over the land until lake a
mile or more in width was formed, eX-
tending from not far north OF the cor
ner OF Fifth and Hughes streets 10 far
I'D the Asher creek valley TO the north
west.
The river rose with such rapidity in
the vicinity Of Mormon Ridge, where
the channel Of the river is tortuous and
restricted that farmers had difficulty
in getting out their live stock TO high
and safe ground
Roads Under Water.
The Marion street road, near Nichol-
sons ford Of the river, was under va
ter in places Thursday afternoon and
night The water piled up against the
North Third avenue road north OF the
river bridge, to within six inches o.
the surface Of the roadway Water
ran over the Marietta gravel road Just
north of the bridge to a depth Of six
inches or more, but the road was pro-
tected with planks and was not dam
aged materially. The river bridge at
that place, which 1t was thought might
be damaged, escaped.
Below the dam the water spread out
over the low ground, covering part Of
the city park. the Country Club
grounds and the lands on both sides OF
the river as far down stream as Le-
Grand, where the river was rising this
forenoon.
Falling in City.
Water poured into the channel over
the nsw dam, both over the apron and
the retaining walls from both sides, in
places TO a depth Of a foot or more.
When at It's highest the site OF the
Center street dam in the river was
marked only by a wave Of rushing
water.
At Marietta the water became sta
t,onary about noon Thursday and by
noon today it had fallen about two feet.
The fall was less marked nearer the
city, and at the dam, park and Coun-
try Club grounds 1t had gone down
about a foot up to noon and was still
falling.
M. G. ST. L. Road South Now Open.
N. & st. L. trains. which since Fri
day have been detoured over the Chi
cago Great Western and Chicago, Nil
waukee & st. Paul roads by way Of
Melbourne and Pickering, between this
city and Grinnell, because of the un-
safe condition of Timber Creek bridge
and washed out track. are now running
IA