People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1893 — WATER, WIND AND SNOW. [ARTICLE]

WATER, WIND AND SNOW.

They Combine to Cause Heavy Losses in the West and South— The Great Wheat Region of the Northwest Flooded —Snow Ten Feet Deep in Iowa— A Cyclone in Virginia—The Bodies of Twelve Victims of the Milwaukee Horror Recovered. MILWAUKEE, April 22.—The bodies of ten of the men who were victims of the crib disaster were recovered from the air shaft Friday and now lie in the morgue. The remains of two other victims were picked up on the lake shore and are also at the morgue. Two bodies are still missing. The bodies have all been identified. The bodies not yet recovered are those of Peter Soems, miner, aged 30, single, Chicago, and John McBride, engineer, aged 35, married, Chicago. ST. PAUL, Minn., April 22. —The rivers of Minnesota and North Dakota are booming, and millions of gallons of water are being poured into them every hour from the great mass of snow now lying on the ground. At Buffalo, Minn., the Crow river has overflowed its banks and thousands of acres of farm lands are under from 1 to 6 feet of water. Fences are being carried away for miles and cord wood and small houses are floating down stream. All the lower portion of the city of Crookston is submerged from a flood in the Red Lake river and the people living there have been forced to seek temporary residences elsewhere. North of that place whole townships are covered with water to a depth that it will be impossible to do any seeding before June 1.

The Red river valley, the great wheat region of the north, is one sea of water almost from Fargo to the Manitoba borber. A tremendous ice gorge has formed at the mouth of the Pembina river and the water has been foreed back into Pembina’s streets. The rise there has been over 20 feet in two days. Large boats have been built to float the residents to the foot of Pembina mountain if necessary. Reports from all points along Red river indicate that all wheat in the elevators is ruined from being water-soaked. Agent Sims of the Minnesota and Northern Elevator company estimates the quantity of wheat in these elevators at over 80,000 bushels. At Grand Forks the water of the Red river has entered the basement of the Hotel Dacotah, the Security and Opera house blocks, extinguishing the fires of the heating apparatus. The Plain Dealer press-rooms are flooded and all merchants in the lower town have removed their goods to the upper stories of their buildings. The water is 2 feet over the top of the stone piers of the Northern Pacific railway bridge and a half-mile gorge of ice has formed back of the Red Lake river bridge. DUBUQUE, Ia., April 22.—The blizzard that set in Wednesday night still rages in northern Iowa with no indications of abatement. Business is at a standstill. Trains are stuck in a drift 10 feet deep 5 miles west of here on the Illinois Central.

BELVIDERE, Ill., April 22.--A fierce snowstorm has prevailed here. The storm is almost unprecedented at this season of the year and much fear is expressed for the strawberry crop. Farmers will be set back nearly two weeks in their spring work. Country roads are almost impassable and business is dead. WINAMAC, Ind., April 22.—A regular mid-winter blizzard has prevailed here since Thursday noon, hail, rain and snow alternating. The Tippecanoe river at this point has risen 3 feet, overflowing its banks in many places. Reports from the country state that much damage has been done to the fruit crop. KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 22.—The northerly gales which have been sweeping this portion of the country since Wednesday continue with unabated fury. The thermometer reached freezing point in eastern and central Kansas Friday night. Ice is reported over half an inch thick in various portions of Neosho and Cottonwood valleys, and all varieties of fruit have been killed. It is not believed the wheat crop has been materially damaged. In southern Kansas the frost was very light and did no damage. Nevada, Mo., reports freezing weather in that vicinity, and fruit that is in bloom there is nearly all killed. CHICAGO, April 22. - Reports from points on Lakes Michigan, Erie and Huron state that the storm of the last few days has had no equal in many years. Many vessels have been driven ashore, and some of them will be totally lost. The storm has effectually blockaded the port of Menominee, Mich., by piling up a vast amount of ice along the shore. The ice is packed solid 10 or 12 feet and extends 3 or 4 miles out. RICHMOND, Va., April 22.—A special from South Boston says a terrific cyclone passed over a portion of South Boston Friday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock. The large tobacco factory of Morwood & Co. was completely demolished, causing a loss of $40,000. A horse attached to a farmer’s wagon took fright and was blown against a brick building, killing its owner, Mr. Cambel, of Halifax county, instantly. At Danville, Va., a terrific windstorm from the southeast struck the city, lasting forty-five minutes. Telegraph and telephone wires were blown down in the street and many trees were uprooted and great damage done. A special from Martinsville says Semple’s tobacco factory and Lester’s factory were unroofed and great damage done to stocks of tobacco.