News: Neillsville (Storm Damage - 1942)

Contact: Ken Wood
Email: ken@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Lewerenz, Schiller, Paulson

----Source: Marshfield News Herald (Marshfield, Wood County, Wis.) June 1, 1942 Page 9; Photo supplied by Mike Warlum from the Warlum Family Album.

The photo to the left was contributed by Mike Warlum from the Warlum Family Album.  The flip side reads, "By C. Tischner, 3 P.M. May 13th, 1942.

NEILLSVILLE AREA HEAVILY HIT BY RAIN AND WIND

Neillsville--Neillsville appears to be a disaster center this spring, stricken by torrents of rain and intermittent damaging winds since the tornado swept past the city on May 13.

Friday night's storm shredded a large porch awning at the Lewerenz Sweet Shop, blew out a large plate glass window in the Schiller Furniture Store, and blew down another large maple tree on the Paulson lot, in addition to mutilating hundreds of other trees throughout the city.

O'Neill Creek, the Black River, and Wedge's Creek, west of Neillsville, overflowed their banks, and Snyder's dam, 7 miles west of the city, was struck by the largest volume of water in years, making it necessary to pile sand bags on the south side of the fill to keep water from washing around the dam.

The double gates were open, but debris floating down the creek became lodged in one gate and completely closed it.

Farm lands in the vicinity are saturated and all low spots are filled with water. Farmers have been greatly delayed in planting corn, and those who managed to get the crop in have in many cases had their fields badly washed by rain, nullifying their work to a considerable degree.

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