The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-03-24
Hope Virtually Abandoned Of
Preventing Terrific Loss
When GOrges Break
DY N A MITING FAILS
Repetition of Disastrous Flood
of 1881 Is Feared at
Sioux City

Omaha, Mar 2b.-Unprccedcnt
gorgcs in the Missouri river ncar
Ncrmillion. S. d., Sioux City, H. q
Owana, la. and Dakota City, la. ear
ly today had prcciptated condition /;
that present Il food menace to all
the lowlands between Ncrmiilion an
Omaha and that threatens the hoou
ing of thousands Of acres of ri,h
farm land in South Dakota, Iowa
and Nebraska, and the destruction %
hundreds of farm homes.
An ice gorge reported early today
to have attained a length of III mile
and width in places Of miles nca p
Brassfield's Islands at Sergcaut.
Bluffs, Ia, south of Sioux City, this
morning was strangulating the
mighty Missouri river. The stream,
strengthened by thaws and spring
floods is enraged in titanic strugp lp
to break the deadly grip In It's
grapple the river is participating IL
strength in overhowing into To-
lands.
A decided drop in temperature
this morning is helping the ice nan
to retain its grip, but at any moment
the rivers terrific pressure MAY
triumph and then its damned choke
water ill.
A conservative Sioux City, Ia,
places the number of farms in the
path of such water wall at 2,Ctt,
They are Clay county in Soutf d.
wota. johnson, Woodbury., Monona
and Harrison county in Iowa, ana
Cedar, Dixon, Dakota, Thurston and
Burton counties o. Nebraska. Anon
them, especially in Iowa, are SOM
OF the choicest farm lands. Of tn,
corn belt.
Late last night an ice gorgc
formed near Onawa, la. and food
stage developed. forcing the resi-
dents Of the lowlands there to flee.
The gorge formed south of the city
an at midnight had grown to three
and half miles long, with tower
ing ice peaks. At that hour author
tiles at OnawA gave up hope of shat
tcring the ice gorge with explosives.
The gorge causes the James river
near Vermillon to rise from backed
up waters. A rapid rise was exper-
fenced early this morning in the
Great Sioux river Elk Point. Soutl
Dakota, where conditions similar t
Eermllion were reported.
At Flood Stage
Al IN n'cln.k lo.% ,,;.rh% A., M.
scuri river reached stage of 16.s
feet at Sioux City and was repoit-
ed to be practically stationary 4
that point. The Floyd river, hoN
ever, continued to rise at last re-
ports early this morning and W.,
within two feet Of stage at which
it would present a serious menace
to the main city.
A dangerous situation also dc
velcped early this morning at Ho-
mrr, Neb., the scene of the grcac
1920 flood when the town was vil-
tually wiped out. Early this mon
ing efforts were being made Il.
dynamite gorge that had formc,f
in Omaha creek here, and haI
caused a rise of five feet in f,7a
hours, flooding Main street.
HOLDING AT SIOUX CITY
Sioux City, Ia, Mar. ga grcay
ice gorge in the Missouri rive
south of Sioux City still is holdnr
and the flood peril to residents of
the lowlands is growing hourly
Gorges formed near Vermillion, :.
d., 80 miles northwest, and Ona-
wana, Iowa, 40 miles south, imperii
valued at thousands of
dollars. Attempts will be made
tc dynamite the gorge at Vermi!-
lion today. Unless the dam is bro
ken d repetition of the flood q
1881 in that section is feared.
Charges Of dynamite were cX-
ploded but failed to burst ,nc
gorge near Onawa.
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