IOWA A CADE .VI Y OF SCIENCES. 69 



which tore up trees twelve inches in diameter and floated rocks 

 weighing hundreds of pounds many feet from their former 

 location. Hay stacks were floated bodily against steel bridges, 

 carrying them many hundred yards down stream. In the city 

 of Burlington whole timber piles floated from the yards and 

 blocked the entrance to the great sewer Wagons and farm 

 machinery of all kinds went down the Mississippi river, 

 together with many dead animals. The oldest settler had 

 never seen the water so high in these valleys. Many houses, 

 barns, sheds, etc., were flooded, and this in spite of the rapid 

 fall of these streams, which here brealc through the escarpment 

 to the Mississippi. 



The upper valleys broaden out with many fertile flats, often 

 planted in truck and garden produce. The lower stream has 

 low banks through the flood plain of the Mississippi. The 

 rush of water necessarily did very great damage to both crops 

 and soil. In many cases acres of ground which had been fall 

 plowed were denuded of soil and left covered with sand and 

 pebbles. 



Flint river, which formerly entered into O'Connell slough 

 after paralleling its course for half a mile, cut a new channel 

 directly through cornflelds to the slough, tearing out acres of 

 soil with crops and timber. A raft of logs belonging to the J. 

 D. Harmer Manufacturing company went down before it like 

 straws. O'Connell slough, which had been the storage place 

 for logs in summer and steamboats in winter, was piled with 

 the debris, which will cost |115,000 to remove unless the ice 

 and high water next spring can scour it out. Manufacturing 

 establishments situated upon the slough will otherwise be cut 

 ofl from navigation. 



Hawkeye creek, a covered sewer through Burlington, became 

 clogged with floating lumber and caused much damage to 

 lumberyards, a foundry, the pickling works and the Murray 

 Iron works. The stone apron at its mouth went out. The 

 clearing of the sewer and the rebuilding of the apron will 

 cause the city's heaviest bill for damage. The county lost 

 twenty-three bridges, some of which have been replaced at an 

 immediate outlay of ^16,000. The Burlington, Cedar Rapids & 

 Northern railway lost nearly two miles of track and five 

 bridges. The bridges which replaced the lost ones are fine 

 steel spans, much better than the old ones, costing $30,000. 

 The loss to land owners is hard to estimate, but must have 



