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The
heaviest continuous rains in years fell in southern Monroe
County this week overflowing the banks of Elk Fork, Long
Branch and South Fork, and causing thousands of dollars worth
of damage to crops. Practically all bottom fields were under
water by Wednesday afternoon. Wind the early part of the week
also damaged considerable property in the north end of the
county. Communication by telephone to points in the south part
of the county has been impossible. Most lines are underwater
where they cross the streams. Water ran from three to four
feet deep through Columbia bridge, southwest of Paris and
(damaged) the road (considerably) by washing. At the new Elk
Fork bridge on Highway 15, water ran onto the floor of the
bridge Wednesday night before the crest of the flood passed.
Muskrats were washed up several times and were caught by
sightseers. Jim Kendrick, who has been living on Long Branch
for 51 years, says it was the highest he has ever known it to
be. Milt Hanna adds his testimony to that of Kendrick.
Damage At Granville.
At Granville, the light plant was out of commission as the
result of a tree blowing down on the Dave Jackson garage and
smashing the batteries with which the plant was run. The
damage was estimated at around $300. At the John Harrison
place wind blew an apple tree at least a hundred yards, over a
fence and into another field. Many trees were uprooted and
limbs torn from others in the vicinity.
Lost Melons And Corn.
George Moss, a highly respected negro farmer south of Paris,
on the Jim Vanlandingham farm, lost his corn crop, watermelon
crop and water came into his home this week during the heavy
rains. Practically everything he has was lost.
Washout Near Evansville.
Near Evansville, the tracks of the Wabash were undermined by
the heavy rains, Tuesday, and traffic was delayed for five
hours, Wednesday morning until twenty-eight cars of gravel
could be rushed to the spot and dumped in as reinforcement.
Crops
Underwater.
South
and east of (Paris), Elk Fork was running from a foot to two
feet higher than it has been in a decade, according to persons
living along it. In the Tom Fields corn fild near Pleasant
Hill church, it stood from one to eight feet deep Wednesday
morning. Bob Bridgford had 30 acres of corn under water and
others who had crops inundated were Ned Bridgford, John
Comstock, Will Grubbs, Emmett Ashcraft, Bob Woods, Roy Reed.
Joe
Wills, on the Childress farm, moved out Tuesday on account of
high water. A Mr. Lutz, east of Victor, on South Fork, also
was forced to move out. At Florida, the river was said to be a
mile wide. South of Paris on the state highway, water lapped
the bottom of the new concrete bridge across the highway and
spread across the bottoms near there. Hundreds of people
visited it Wednesday.
Parked In Wrong Spot.
Cam Gex parked his car in the wrong spot Tuesday afternoon at
the Ches Callis place when he put it in the shelter of a tree.
During the storm a heavy limb broke from the tree above,
crashing into the top and smashing it.
Crack Trains Through Here.
Due to washouts on the main line of the Wabash from St. Louis
to Kansas City and other points east of St. Louis fast trains
of the Wabash were being detoured through Paris Wednesday. The
fast St. Louis-Kansas City passenger train No. 17 was sent
through here early Wednesday morning and others came this way
during the day.
Lightning Damage.
J.W. Atterbury, Madison, owned a valuable Jersey bull which
was killed by lightning Tuesday. Dave Fitzpatrick lost a sheep
by lightning. Dan Dye lost four sheep that were struck by
lightning. Lightning struck the John Livesay barn, killing
four sheep that wee in it, and damaging the barn some.
Storm Damage To Light Plant.
Due to trouble which developed on the Holliday transmission
line, Tuesday, during the storm, fuses were blown at the Paris
Municipal Light Plant and while workmen were repairing one
engine, the other became overloaded and stopped. Power was off
for several hours Tuesday afternoon until the damage could be
repaired. Holliday was without current Tuesday afternoon and
all that night owing to the line trouble which developed. The
Holliday transmission line is maintained by Holliday.
Wind Does Damage Tuesday.
Tuesday, about noon, a heavy wind which struck northern Monroe
county, did considerable damage. At the Wilbur Turney place a
barn, granary, corn crib and chicken house were wrecked by it.
Just across the road, at the Mrs. J.H. Kuntz farm, a barn was
wrecked. At the Ches Callis farm lights were broken out of the
house and the roof was damaged by a limb which blew from a
tree. Water entered and caused much of the plastering to fall.
Mr. Turney’s loss was adjusted at $1,318 by J.W. Lewellen,
Wednesday.
At the Black & White dairy farm, south of Madison, a large
dairy barn was damaged by wind one day last week and in the
neighborhood a barn owned b Ed Garnett was also damaged. Dick
Johnson, southwest of Paris, lost six sheep. They were caught
in rushing waters and drowned. Jack Huffman says no such rain
ever fell in his neighborhood southwest of Paris. At one time
every hill of his 120 acres of corn was underwater.
80 Sheep, 19 Cows, Many Bridges Lost.
In Tuesday afternoon’s flood the covered bridge just south
of Santa Fe, built in 1857, was floated from its piers and in
its mad rush down the swollen current carried out the steel
bridge east of Santa Fe. No trace of the old bridge has since
been found. The Ellis bridge between the Emmons and Ellis
places was washed out. The Powell ford bridge between Santa Fe
and Mexico was swept away.
Approaches to the Fisher bridge across South Fork were washed
out. All fills at the bridges across Brush Creek at the
Forsyth place and at the E.C. Hess place were washed out. The
Hess bridge settled 20 inches. On Thursday morning water was
still 8 feet deep at the bridge east of Pleasant Hill on
Highway 26.
Eighty sheep were drowned at the George Graft place south of
Santa Fe. The Cauthern boys lost 19 cows and calves.
Source of various articles: The Monroe County Appeal |
