Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1921-09-07
HIT BY A BAD STORM
VERNON SUFFERS FROM SEVERE
WIND AND RAIN
SOUTHEASTERN HARD HIT
Flood In Coon River Only Two Inches
Below the Big Flood of 1907

Sunday was a wild day in Vernon
county. Storm after storm passed
over, accompanied by severe wind, tor
rents of rain and hail in some local
tiles. Tobacco suffered severely from
hail, wind and rain. Corn was laid
fiat everywhere, and most of it will
have to be cut by hand In some
fields a binder can get it by cutting
one way. Very little serious wind
damage is reported, a few scattered
sheds being reported down. The main
damage was done by the downpour of
rain and the resultant high water in
the valleys. The roads and fields are
considerably washed and many small
bridges out.
The most severe rainfall seemed to
center over the territory drained by
the Coon river, and it went on a ram
page that carried its raging foamy
crest within two inches of the mark
set in the big flood of 1907. General
Passenger Agent Mueller tells the
Censor that the damage done is just
as severe as at that time, and it viii
be at least two weeks before normal
traffic can be resumed on the Lacrosse
& Southeastern Railway. About 125
bridge piling were taken out, leaving
the rails and stringers. Many long
fills and bridge approaches were wash
ed out. Light traffic with the gas car
viii be going in a week. Freight is
being detoured over the Milwaukee
road, which suffered only slight dam
age. The Kickapoo road was out of
commission for a few days
The storm raised hob with the paw
ing on Main street, undermining some
of the old and new curb and washing
considerable dirt off the hill. On the
east side of the three business blocks
the water found the soft laterals and
followed the pipes into the Easements.
The Unique restaurant was put out of
business for few hours, and stoll &
Groves sustained considerable damage
to merchandise on the basement floor.
Mayor Smith and other officials and
volunteers labored manfully, daming
up sunken laterals and trenching the
flood away from the danger points.
No less than FIVE distinct storms pass
ed over Viroqua in the space of eight
hours.
o. G. Lewis of DeSoto passed thru
Viroqua headed for Chairman Dolen's
place in Clinton town to confer with
him relative to badly washed roads
leading to DeSoto. Gard tells US
that he never saw so much water fall
in the same space of time. He re-
ports that several sheds full of to-
bacco were blown down on Genoa
ridge.
Probate matters brought Merchant
G. A. Morterud in from Bloomingdale
Tuesday. He says the wind was the
hardest he has ever seen there, but
that the fall of water was by no means
as heavy as they have experienced.
The water mark was six to eight feet
below the high mark.
Our good friend Merchant Thos. Pc
terson phones in from Newton that
they had heavy rain, taking out small
bridges. No hail fell there. Mrs.
Fred Ruud lost shed full of tobacco.
Tom was at Chaseburg, Monday and
says the Coon River was fearfully
nigh Water flowed through the
streets, and much damage resulted
from water, wind and hail.
Probate business brought Carl Gil
bel'ts of Newry to town Tuesday.
Carl was one of the fortunate ones
who had most of his tobacco crop in
the sired. H e says much damage
from hail occurred from north of
Westby through Cashton and north
west 20 Ssoddard.
Gibson of Lacrosse pulled off fine
service stunt Sunday when he started
a truck load of ice cream out after
the awful storms for his Viroqua GUS
toners without any order from them,
the wires all.being down. The truck
got IN at ! o'clock Monday morning.