526 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



as follows: Charles City, 43; Davenport, 61; Des Moines, 55; Dubuque, 

 56; Keokuk, 56; Sioux City, 54; Omaha, Nebr., 48. 



Miscellaneous Phenaniena. — Dates of: Auroras, 5th, 25th, 27th, 2Sth; 

 Hail, 4th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 25th, 26th; Sleet, 3d, 21st, 26th;. Thlin- 

 derstorms, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 25th, 28th, 29th. 



Flood at Dubuque, Iowa — By James H. Spencer, Meteorologist, U. S. 

 Weather Bureau. Melting snows in northern Minnesota caused an excep- 

 tional rise in the Upper Mississippi during the first half of the month 

 —at Dubuque from 10.4 feet on the 1st to 18.1 feet on the 14th; this was 

 highest water in this section since 1888, exceeding the stage of 1897 

 by 0.2 of a foot Losses were small as coanpared to the flood later in 

 the month, but probably aggregated $75,000 to $100,000, and were divided 

 about equally as follows: Damage to railroad property (among other 

 damage two engines toppled into the water as the result of a weakened 

 track); losses to mills and factories that were obliged to close down; 

 damage to highways. Some hay in stack, farm machinery, and other 

 property were swept away. 



This flood crest had hardly passed down the Mississippi when a slow- 

 moving Southwest Low advanced to the Upper Lake Region giving a 

 period of heavy rains in Wisconsin, and causing floods in most of the 

 rivers of northern Wisconsin; rains were heaviest on the 20th-21st. 

 With the Mississippi River already very high at the time these rains 

 occurred, the flood that resulted when crests from Wisconsin rivers 

 reached the Mississippi were the worst since 1888, with the maxijmum 

 stage at Dubuque 19.8 feet, or 1.7 feet higher than was recorded earlier 

 in the month. A few factories and mills were compelled to close down, 

 many factories and business houses sustained more or less loss although 

 they did not have to close, railroads were heavy losers, many families 

 were driven from their homes, and thousands of acres of farm lands 

 were under water. Losses cannot be estimated at the present time, but 

 it hardly seemis pirobable that lowlands can be planted this year; if not, 

 losses will aggregate several hundred thousand dollars. 



High Water at Davenport, loioa. — By J. M. Sherier, Meteorologist, 

 U. S. Weather Bureau. High stages in the Mississippi prevailed through- 

 out the month in the Davenport river district. At Clinton, Iowa, the 

 highest stage was 16.4, on the 17th; at Le Claire, Iowa, 11.0 feet, on the 

 17th; at Davenport, 14.5 feet, on the 17th, and at Muscatine, Iowa, 16.3 

 feet, on the 18th and 19th. About the middle of April a break occurred 

 in a private levee near Princeton, Iowa, and 1,000 acres of fertile agri- 

 cultural land was flooded. It is thought that it will be impira>cticable to 

 plant any crops in those fields during the present season. 



