River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1920-03-18
City Bridges and
Power Plants
Menaced By Flood
kinnickinnic On Widest Tear Since
Its Destructive Rampage of May Is,
1894.

hlnnlcklnnlc, alLn0ugn OLD enough TO
really know better, must have it's
occasional jag, and last Monday night
after quarter of century of more
or less good behavior, it got filled up
on over-brewed snow drifts and indi-
gestable cakes Of ice and put on an
orgy that but for great deal of
luck and the kindly offices of chill
wind, would have rivaled in dastruct-
ireness its famous rampage of May
Is, 1894, when it took out every
bridge, dam and building along its
course and even threatened the lives
Of two families whose homes it en-
guild.
Two days Of real mild weather,
with high, warm wind that melted
snow and ice like magic, flooded the
local streams and on Monday the
Kinnickinnic swelled to a point be-
yond control of it's heavy coating of
ice.
Down the river the power of the
flood was felt first, the lighter ice
having washed out and given the
stream full sway, and about 2:30 p.
n. the water was flowing over the
Clifton dam, although all gates were
open, and by midnight the plant had
to be abandoned. Aside from the
destruction of the flush boards, how
ever, the plant escaped injury.
In River Falls there was but little
rise until late in the afternoon, and
it was not until about six o'clock that
the ice in the Prairie mill pond be-
gan to break up. But when the break
it was sudden and complete. The
boom logs, connected by heavy chains,
snapped like matches and monster
cakes of ice, each weighing several
tons, shot to the edge of the dam,
pushed off the 18-in. flush boards,
poised moment half over, and then
crashed down into the seething flood,
splintering the apron of the dam as
they struck. In not much more than
ten minutes all of the ice had gone
out of this pond, and Kay's ice schultz
rad gone with it.
The volume of water suddenly re-
leased by the breaking of the flush
boards served to support the ice IN
It's rush over the dam, and prevented
q jam that would have taken the
cam alaag with it. Had this dam
gone there is no doubt whatever but
that the bridges and dams below
would have also been washed away.
AS it was, the monster chunks of
ice, whirling and milling down thru
the torrent, threatened to jolt the
Cedar street bridge, and as the flood
sewlled, even made the Maple street
bridge look to be in grave danger as
ton after ton of ice crashed against
the piers and even up onto the big
steel cross beam Of the latter bridge,
causing it to shake and vibrate.
The depth of the water at the Maple
street bridge allowed the big foes to
tip sufficiently to pass under, and the
Jam did not form until the ice and
debris struck the big pier of the rail
road bridge, and this structure, aid
by the strong ice coat over the pond
below, heldoff the attack until the
sudden drop in temperature about 10
o'clock began to relieve the danger.
At train time it was thought that
the train could not cross, but as there
was no indication that the jam had
injured the bridge the engineer sent
it over slowly and without mishap,
the passengers not even knowing of
the ice jam below them.
At six-thirty the waters had reach
ed the dynamo at the upper plant and
it was necessary to shut off the power.
The report became current that the
service would be discontinued for sew
eral days at the least, and to see the
half SUBMERGED motor it certainly
did look serious. Many had failed
TO turn off their switches when the
lights went out, and consequently, a
lot Of stores and houses remained
lighted during the remainder OF the
night after the service was unex-
pectedly resumed about two O'Clock
in the morning. The water had re-
ceded suddenly when the weather
turned cold, and it was soon found
that the dynamo was unframed. At
ter short try-out the load was turn
ed and the service resumed as before.
AS soon as the trouble. was first an
nounced the houses and stores for
tunate enough to possess them were
lighted with candles and kerosene
lamps, some of the latter returning
to service after more than . quarter
of century of idleness.
The wind, which had been "hitting
thirty" in the afternoon, rose to a
60-mile gale during the night and it