Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1919-04-24
WORST FLOOD IN
AUDUBON'S HISTORY
AUDUBON VISITED BY A HEAVY
RAIN STORM ON TUESDAY
NIGHT DOING DAMAGE

RAIN STORM ON TUESDAY
NIGHT DOING DAMAGE
Tuesday night and early Wednes.
day morning. April % and 90, 1919
occurred one of the worst floods
that has been known in Audubon
county in the memory of it's oldest
residents. Ha dthe dOwnpour lasted
40 days and 40 nights, as did the big
deluge when Noah's ark was built,
the flood of Noah's time would have
been as nothing in comparison with
the flood of Tuesday night. Con-
siderable damage. amounting to
thousands of dollars was done
throughout Audubon and adjoining
counties and over most of the state
The damage done for which the town
will have to make good is over
$1,000. Many residents lost con-
siderable and some slightly by the
heavy flow of water. The fine new
home of Fred Plaehn in West Audi
bon had the entire west side of the
foundation taken out and many of
their chickens were drowned, as
were a number of chickens of other
people, living in West Audubon.
Mrs. r. d. Hawks lost over 200
small chickens. The road bridge
just west of the light plant was car
ried away and lodged against the &C.
ment bridge near the Johnson
grain elevator. and the bridge near
the brick and tile plant was torn
out, piling and all and carried for a
considerable distance down stream
Three of the large oil supply tanks
and hundreds of the smaller steel
and wooden oil barrels were carried
from their moorings near the can
ming factory to the vacant space
near the stock yeards south of the
Rock Island depot. One of the
large sized tanks was placed right
side up in the Peter Nielsen yard, so
Pete can now use oil instead of coal
if he so desires.
The heavy flash of lightning and
loud crash of thunder at 1850 a. m.
awakened almost everyone in Audu-
bon, all thinking that their property
had been struck and they were up
and about their homes in a short
time. The lightning struck the pine
tree, one of the tallest trees in Au-
dubon at the A. H. Roberts home,
and stripped the bark from within
about 20 feet from the top clear to
the ground tearing a strip about an
inch wide slick and clean. No other
damage by the lightning was done
so far as we are able to learn.
The firse whistle and bell called
out the fire department and hun
dreds of people for the purpose of
rescuing Hans Albertsen and wife
who were marooned at their home
inst southwest of the Johnson ele-
vator. When the boys reached the
vicinity the water had risen over hip
high and it was with. difficulty that
they were able to reach the Albert
sen home Some stock was drown
ed, but Hans, luckily, is able to at
tend to his duties at the county
treasurer's office. much to the de-
light of his friends.
One funny as well as serious in
cident occurred at the fair grounds.
Roy Johnson and his faithful dog.
Grey, are taking care of the August
Johnson Hereford cattle to be sold
next Monday and have sleeping
quarters at the ground. Roy. who
is a very sound sleeper might have
been drowned had it not been for
his faithful dog. The water had
risen two or three feet about his bed
and the dog kept bowling and bark
ing and Roy kept kicking him of
the bed. Finally he became awak-
ened enough to realize that there
was a cause for the dogs unusual
noise. He finally arose to investi-
gate and jumped from bed into the
water about three feet deep 1t was
then that he realized the danger he
was in, also the value Of his friend,
Grey. Ask Roy about his feelings
at that time. He can tell them bet
ter than we can explain them In
print.
Neither train on the branch roads
were able to arrive in Audubon yes
terday morning on account of wash
outs. The Rock Island reached
Hamlin, but was unable to get to
Audubon, having to remain south OF
town on account of the track being
washed out near the John Ebert
farm. It could not go back to At
,antic either, as after the train left
Extra the food reached West Extra
and washed the track for long DIS
lance clear over to the right-of-way
fence. The train and crew are now
stalled in Audubon. having reached
here last evening and may be COM
pelled to remain couple of days.
The Northwestern isunable toreach
Audubon at all The track is
washed out for distance Of approx-
imately 1900 feet at three different
points between here and Manning,
and It is not known now when traf-
fic will he resumed.
Report has it that most all the
wooden bridges and culverts between
Gray and Audubon were washed
away. Also many bridges through
out the county are destroyed. The ce-
ment bridges stood the heavy
strain SO far as We are able to learn
and not one was destroyed. The
one near the canning factory proved
a good investment for the county, as
the strain was indeed heavy, sinking
the approach to the south for cou-
pie of feet. but doing no damage to
the bridge itself. Henry Sunberg.
living northwest of town had forty
acres of small grain completely wip-
ed out and farmers between Audi
bon and as far north as Carroll suf-
fered heavy damage to their crops.
In Viola township the grain,
fences and many outbuildings Of the
farmers were destroyed and the loss
will amount to a great deal in money
and labor. It is practically the
same all over the county as In Viola
township, according to reports given
us by different farmers In the city
yesterday. Reports have also reached
us of horses and cattle being de-
stroyed in the south part OF the
county. This however we are un-
able to verify. One horse was
found dead near the poor farm.
Nh ,r.~ nnanlo wnrn unahln To 90