USA > Iowa > Buchanan County > History of Buchanan County, Iowa, and its people, Volume I > Part 41
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The year 1899 was a record one for calamities in the shape of storms and railroad wrecks. The losses of life and property equalled those accruing from the eause for the previous five years, and in Buchanan County, while we didn't suffer any deaths, there was much destruction of property. On April 20th a terrific electrical storm visited destruction on several fine farms in the county. The fine, large horse farm, on the Martindale Place, just west of Independence, was struck by lightning and burned to the ground with a total loss of all his fine blooded stock, including his valuable fast horses, thoroughbred Jersey herd and calves and some fine blooded hogs, besides all the hay, grain and other valuable contents. The same storm that wrought destruction to the Martindale farm completely destroyed the J. Fernan's large new barn in Homer Township, and this too was filled with stock. hay, grain, machinery and other property. On Sunday afternoon, June 4, 1899, a terrifie storm visited Independence and local- ity-which did considerable damage to Rush Park-the judges' stand was blown off its foundation and the row of stalls from the main entrance to the west cor- ner were piled up in confusion across the street car traek. The big barn on the Ed Cobb place-just west of the Rock Island tracks, was moved off its founda- tion and badly wrecked. This was one of the largest and strongest built barns in the county, all the beams, ete., being put together with bolts instead of spikes, over 3,000 bolts being used in its construction. Ilad it been built in the ordinary way it would have been a complete ruin. The worst of its fury was expended just west of the city, although the trees in Independence were greatly damaged. The wind and broken branches played havoe with the telephones and telegraph wires and it was impossible to get word from any other locality in this seetion. When the news did reach Independence from the various parts of the county, it revealed a general visitation of the storm.
The distinguishing feature of this storm was the great area it covered, eer- tainly not less than fifty miles in width and exhibited an almost eyelonie severity over the entire town but was of such short duration (probably ten minutes would cover the time) and being a straight, steady variety and lacking the whirl of the cyclone was responsible for there not being a much greater destruction.
Ten or twelve large barns, thirty wind mills, literally torn to pieces and some houses were destroyed. Many fine groves and orchards throughout the county were utterly destroyed. At Fairbank large barns, wind mills and trees entailed the most severe damage.
The winter of 1899 was one of the coldest on record, the thermometer regis- tering 30 and thirty-two degrees below several times and for two weeks the weather remained extremely cold.
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There was very little snow to protect the ground and the water mains which are laid six feet under ground froze and burst in many places and the supply of water was shut off in nearly every house in the city, the mains were thawed out by hydraulic pressure and electricity, this was a new experiment and proved very successful. Wires from the electric light plant were attached and over two hundred feet of frozen water pipes were thawed out in thirty-five minutes. The penetrating frost and pressure of ice and water combined to open a large hole under the dam, through which the water escaped lowering the volume four or five feet above the dam, the ice on the mill pond settled and injured the dam to some extent. In many places the ice which was over four feet thick rested on the river bottom and some places lay in a mass of broken chunks as an evidenee of the ferocity and continuance of the cold. The escape of water prevented the mill from grinding. A large force of men were put at work and by cutting through the ice and filling the holes with sacks of dirt were able to check the flow of water.
The extreme cold had also contracted the gas pipes and the gas was leaking at nearly every corner in the center of the city. The supply of gas had to be shut off at the gashouse and people depending on it for lighting and cooking purposes were compelled to make other arrangements. Twice the gashouse took fire and considerable damage was done to the plant, and with the added expense of loss of service, the company suffered considerably.
All during the month of January, 1905, storms were frequent and accom- panied by much snow and drifting.
In the first week one of the worst blizzards which has occurred in many years struck this section of the country, the storm started on Monday night with a heavy fall of rain, developed into a blinding snow storm the next day and before noon a strong gale broke forth from the northwest which grew rapidly into a terrifie blizzard.
The snow was piled up as high as a man's head in the streets, while in the country, reports of drifts as high as the houses, and impassable highways, eame in from every quarter. Telephone and telegraph communications were eom- pletely cut off outside and the local service was almost completely demoralized and railroad serviee was as seriously affected. No trains of any kind reached Independence on the Rock Island from Tuesday afternoon to Thursday morning, when a snow plow pushed by two engines and followed by the regular passenger train passed through here northbound. On the Illinois Central the evening Clipper was hours late and finally reached here with two engines pulling it, and near Jesup were obliged to give up the journey until the snow plow, which had not been used before in years arrived from Waterloo and eleared the track.
Many of the business houses dismissed their elerks at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and all business was suspended after that hour. The eity mail ear- riers were able to make but one trip Wednesday while for the first time sinee the rural system had been established the earriers didn't attempt to make a trip on Wednesday. On Tuesday their trips were abandoned by the rural carriers before completing their eireuit and for several days after the storm the eondi- tion of the country roads prevented their reaching certain points on their routes. The street ears were obliged to stop running and were snow bound on Chatham Street, near the postoffice, and were not started until Thursday and
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not until Saturday were the tracks west of the Rock Island Depot cleared of their immense drifts so trips could be made to the hospital.
Main Street, especially, presented a novel appearance after the storm and from Chatham Street corner nearly the full length of the block an immense drift nearly six feet high was banked along the north side of the street. It took a great force of men and teams two or three days to clear it for travel. The surplus banks of snow was loaded on racks and dumped on the ice in the river. Regular tunnels were dug through the snow into the stores. Probably the worst sufferers from the storm were the attendants at a funeral at Monti. It was so severe that the undertaker and driver of the hearse had to take refuge at a farmhouse for a couple of days, and finally were compelled to leave the hearse, rode their horses to Winthrop and hired a sleigh and returned to Independence that night. A sleigh ride from Independence to Winthrop shortly after this storm was full of novel experiences, half the sleigh dragged along on bare ground and many places out in the field, owing to impassable drifts as high as a house top monopolizing all the roadway. It took several hours to make this ten- mile trip. This storm just revived the old settlers' memories of that awful storm in the winter of 1861 and of '85 and several other worse ones.
The winter of 1909 was characterized by severe weather and was said to be the coldest winter for thirty-one years, and 1912 was another severe one. On two occasions the thermometer registered 32° below zero and for six weeks there was no suggestion of a thaw.
Another of the most unusual freaks of weather which this elimate can boast transpired in the spring of 1910 when after a very mild winter along abont the last of February the weather became immoderately warm for that time of year, the snow had completely disappeared and in the first week of March the trees began to bud, and all vegetation to spring into life. Inside a week or two all the fruit trees were gorgeous with blossom and never did they seem to be so completely covered with fragrant bloom. Even the late spring flowers had begun to bloom, and the air was as soft and balmy as is May weather usually.
But alas, in accord with all the prophetic misgivings of the weather prognos- tieator and the signs of the goose-bones and Zodiae, the warm "summer sun- shine" in March was a weather breeder, and sure enough a killing frost occurred which completely destroyed all vegetation. The leaves dropped all their foliage and everything looked like death and destruction, but the strangest part of this unusual season was that the trees recuperated and again put forth leaves, and although the foliage was not as dense, it was a remarkable show of nature's vitality and recuperative power. People had anticipated a leafless, shadeless summer, and were agreeably disappointed.
Buchanan County has had its share of tragedies, many accidental deaths and many self inflicted murders, suicides, drownings, and many by fire.
One of the earliest of these happened in July, 1858, when a man by the name of Casper Wright engaged a Canadian, owning a span of horses and wagon to take himself, his wife and his sister, a young girl about eleven years of age, to Fairbank on a visit to some friends. They reached Otter Creek about 6 o'clock on Sunday morning and, attempting to ford it, the box floated off and the whole party were soon struggling in the swollen and rapid stream. A man
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who saw them passing his house toward the ereek heard their eries and hastened to the ford, arriving in less than five minutes but not in time to even see a single person of the party. He did not warn them because, as the creek was gen- erally known to be dangerous at that stage of water, he did not think of their attempting to drive through it at that place. Great difficulty was experienced in trying to rescue the bodies, one of which, the Canadian, was not recovered for several days.
Another Irightful harvest of death occurred on the morning of March 9, 1874, when the dwelling house of George L. King, situated in the Third Ward where the residence of George O. Corlis is located. The house was consumed by fire and in it perished Mrs. Morris, aged seventy-four, the mother of Mrs. · King; Mrs. King, Emma Bell, a daughter, aged fourteen; and Frank, a son aged ten years.
The fire originated in the kitchen which was entered by a door at the bot- tom of the stairs leading to the sleeping rooms above. Mr. King was aroused at about 4.30 A. M. by the daughter who entered his room saying that the house was full of smoke. Hastily dressing and descending, he opened the kitchen door when the pent up flames burst out in fury. He attempted to return to the resene of his family but the raging flames tilled the stairway and after repeated attempts he was compelled to desist. All efforts proved futile and the four perished in the flames. This unprecedented calamity in a small town like Inde- pendence cast a gloom over the whole community and great sympathy was mani- fested for the bereaved and distracted father and husband.
One of the most heartrending accidents that ever happened in Buchanan County occurred in August, 1898, when four young sons of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Foy, of Buffalo Township, were burned to death on August 17, 1898. There were eight children in the family. The parents, to gratify a whim of the boys had, a short time previons. consented that four of the boys, Thomas, aged eighteen years; bonis, aged seventeen; George, aged thirteen ; and Frank, aged ten, might sleep in the barn for a time. Wednesday night was to have been their last night in the barn and a little after 2 o'clock in the morning the parents were awakened and looking out discovered flames shooting out from the roof, doors and windows of the barn.
Mr. Foy rushed out but the whole interior was a fiery furnace. He shouted to them until hoarse but got no answer. If not already dead, they were doubt- less overcome by heat and smoke. Resene was out of the question. Desperate in her sorrow the mother would have rushed into the flames after her boys had she not been held back.
There was absolutely no information as to the origin of the fire nor could any one advance any satisfactory theory. There had been slight showers of rain at abont that hour of the night which led many to believe that the fire was caused by lightning striking the barn, but no one could remember having heard any thunder during the night. Whatever the cause, it was evident from the position in which the bodies were lying that the boys had no part in it themselves.
No words could express the agony of the bereaved parents who were called upon to part in a single night and in an awful manner with their four bright,
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manly young boys. The only boy surviving to them was a crippled brother of the deceased lads.
The barn destroyed contained a large amount of property. The mows were filled with new mown hay, besides over a thousand bushels of oats, barley and all the farm tools and machinery, five horses and a cow. The only thing in the barn that eseaped was one horse which broke loose and ran out.
One theory, and probably the right one, was that spontaneous combustion was the cause of the fire.
Within a year, from 1903 to 1904, four Illinois Central Railroad men who resided at or near Independence, while employed in the discharge of their duties were accidently killed, three of them between their headquarters at Waterloo and Independence, a distance of only twenty-five miles.
They were Engineer Fred J. Stoneman, Fireman Daniel J. Bantz, Fireman Capt. B. Anderson and Fireman William R. Skelley.
On April 13, 1904, W. R. Skelley was killed at Scales Mound, Ilinois ; he was buried beneath three cars of freight in a head-on collision and in just a year and a half after, on September 17, 1905, John E. Skelley, his brother, was killed at Dubuque. He was flagman on an extra on the Illinois Central and in going between trains which were switching, stumbled or eaught his foot and was run over and killed.
Another brother, Dennis Skelley, an engineer on a switch engine in the Illinois Central freight yards at Dubuque, lost a leg about two years before while alighting from a moving train. Two other brothers were also in the employ of the I. C. R. R. Co. when the first brother was killed, but as their runs took them past the seene of their brother's death, they both resigned their positions.
RIVERS
The streams of Buchanan County, paradoxieal as it may seem, both drain and water the land, as is not the case in all countries. But drainage is the principal object of the streams here, for, important as are numerous living water courses, in a stoek raising and farming country, still, in a territory where the average annual rain fall is forty inches, and where water is so ae- cessible through wells at a depth of only comparatively few feet, if there were not a sufficient slope, and a sufficient mumber of streams to afford timely eseape for the surplus waters, the whole surface of the country would be one continnous marsh, which would necessitate drainage ditches, as in some countries. As it is, there are comparatively few marshes in this eounty, and these are now being tiled and drained, and generally, prove to be superior soil for eultivation, and, likewise, there are probably fewer aeres, which except in unusually dry seasons, are always seriously affected by drought, than in most counties of the state.
Farmers all over the country are now beginning to see the advantage of tiled land and thousands of aeres are being improved this way every year.
This county is unusually well drained and watered, having within its limits some eight distinet streams with numerous branches.
The general trend of the land in Buchanan County, like that of the state, is from the northwest to the southeast. Its principal valley, that of the
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Wapsipinicon River, stretches diagonally through its center, in the direction stated, receiving and carrying off all its waters; with the following exceptions : Those of Jefferson and Westburg, and a part of Perry, Sumner, and Homer townships, in the southwest corner of the county, whose streams, Spring, Lime, and Bear Creek, flow into the Cedar River; while those of a part of Madison and Fremont townships in the northeast corner, make their way into the Maquoketa River.
The Wapsipinicon, our largest river, rises near the northern boundary of the state, probably in Mitchell and Howard counties, and drains not a very wide but certainly one of the richest valleys in the state. Being fed by in- numerable springs and flowing over a pebbly and rocky bed, its waters are elear, eold and sparkling. Its average declination is some two and one-half feet to the mile and although not tempestuous in its deseent, yet furnishes a number of excellent water powers at convenient places. Its banks, never bluffy, are yet so uniformly elevated as to preelde an overflow of the adjacent lands, except at times of most unusual flood, which event has occurred several times in intervals of from ten to twelve years, but only at such points where the banks are below the average height (and they, being almost entirely lined with an outer opening of rocks, are not washed out, but in a minor degree). The Wapsipinicon, undoubtedly, is one of the prettiest small streams in the state and as attractive as any in the entire country considering its size. But it probably affords more pleasure for fishing, swimming and boating than many a larger one. The banks along its winding, cireuitous course are lined with natural timber, splendid oaks, elins, maples, cottonwoods, the wild phun, apple, and cherry trees, grape, woodbine and wild hops. Ferns and wild flowers grow in rank profusion to the water's edge : all kinds of lilies and flag till its banks, bayous, and ponds, and afford a delightful shade and fragrance throughout its entire course. Nowhere could you find a more enchanting spot for recreation and pleasure on a lazy summer afternoon. If we take a boat and leisurely follow up the meandering course of this river to the little town of Littleton, in the northern part of Perry Township, we tind at that point the principal fork made by the river in this county. The main branch of the Wap- sipinieon approaches the village from the west, having entered the county at the northwest corner of Perry Township; while the stream with which it forks, very respectable in size and volume of water, named the Little Wapsipinicon, flows down from the north, having come in from the County of Fayette about a mile and a half east of the northwest corner of Fairbank Township, flowing direetly south until it unites with the main river at Littleton. The Little Wapsipinieon receives several small streams after entering this county. The largest of these is Bnek Creek which flows into it in section 32 of Fairbank Township.
If we retrace the course of the river down from the forking of the Little Wapsie and the Wapsie, and note the streams that flow into it, we find many small branches seareely more than brooks, too small and insignificant to even possess the dignity of a name, at least no recorded names, but nevertheless fulfill their mission and contribute their mite to swell the waters of Old Father Wapsie, who in turn, carries it on to the Mighty Father of Waters.
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The next stream we come to on our journey south is a fine stream of eon- siderable size flowing from the north through Hazleton and Washington town- ships, joining the Wapsie in section 19 of the latter township. This is Otter Creek, one of the most beautiful streams and more copiously wooded than any other except the Wapsie itself. In following up this branch of the Wapsie family, we find four small streams emptying into it, all unnamed on the map, three of these are quite small, flowing from the east and joining the creek in Hazleton Township. The fourth is of larger proportions, rising west of Otter Creek and like its sister creek in Fayette County, flows almost due south through the western part of Hazleton Township and most of the way parallel with the ereek until it finally empties into it in section 6 of Washington Township.
Resuming our journey down stream, we come to two small ereeks which empty into the Wapsie abont a mile apart, the first in section 28 and the sec- ond in section 34 of Washington Township about a half mile north of Inde- pendence. These streams are not named on the map but the one nearest the city is ealled llarter's Creek. They both rise in the northeastern corner of this township and flow nearly south.
Just south of Independence another creek empties into the river in section 3 of what was at first Sumner Township but is now a part of Washington. It also rises in Washington in the northeast corner and flows in a southwest- erly direction. We come upon two other little streams so small that they are of very little consequence, but being placed on the map, should receive men- tion, the first rises in section 31 of Byron and the second in section 1 of the addition to Washington. They are each about two miles in length, flow south- west and empty into the Wapsie, in section 10 of Summer.
Still passing on down the river, we see no entering stream worthy of note, till about seven or eight miles below those last mentioned, we come to the mouth of Pine Creek, not more than two miles above Quasqueton, in seetion 28, Liberty Township. This is a fine stream flowing from the north like nearly all those which empty into the Wapsie.
It rises nearly in the center of Buffalo Township and flows almost direetly sonth through Byron and Liberty.
It receives many small tributaries, mostly through its left bank like the Wapsie and all the other streams of the county. It is about fourteen miles in length.
But a few rods from the mouth of Pine Creek is that of Halstead's Run. From the mouth of Wash Creek which is about one-half mile above Qnasqueton, to the point where the Wapsie leaves the county, we can count, by elose in- spection, seven tributaries all but two of which flow in from the left or east bank of the river. The larger of the two, ealled Sand Creek, in the west bank, is the largest, entering the river from the west in its entire course through the county. Yet it is only about four miles in length, rising in the western part of Cono and joining the river in section 14 of that township.
The largest and the last of these lower tributaries, on the east side of the river, is about eight miles in length, rising in section 4 of Newton, flowing almost directly south through the center of Newton nearly to the county line. then turning abruptly to the west, entering the river in section 31 of the same
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township. Buffalo Creek, the second largest stream in the county, and a tribu- tary of the Wapsie, though it does not enter the river within the limits of the county, flows in a very straight course about three miles east of Pine Creek in the same southeasterly direction and almost parallel with Pine Creek and the Wapsie. This stream is bordered by a very narrow belt of timber and with the exception of the Wapsie is the longest in the county. It rises in the southern part of Fayette County ; two branches, the east and west Buffalo, enter Buchanan in sertions 3 and 5 of Buffalo Township, continue this course parallel about two miles apart until the east branch makes an abrupt turn to the west at almost right angles in section 31 of Madison Township, and continues in that course for almost two miles, when it joins the west branch.
It flows through Byron, a corner of Fremont, Middlefield, a corner of Newton and leaves the county in section 13 of the last-named township.
In the northeastern part of the county, in Madison Township, we find a stream of considerable size flowing for about six miles through the corner of Madison, entering in section 5 and going out in section 24. This stream is the south branch of the Maquoketa River; it rises in the southern part of Fayette County and flows through the city of Manchester, in Delaware County.
South of the stream last described, and nearly straight east of Independence, we perceive another and much smaller one, flowing in the same general direction, through prairies and fields, entirely destitute of native timber. It rises in seetion 4 of Fremont Township, flows some nine miles in a sort of eireuitous course and passes ont through seetion 36 of the same township into Delaware County. It is called Prairie Creek in this county.
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