The Russellville Democrat., 1881-05-05

hansaS Clty, and now marks Z3 feet 5 lnche.
 above low-water mark The Clay County
 damage has been done to the crops anc
 stock. The railroads are in pretty bac
 shape. The Hannibal and St. Joseph and
 the Wabash Roads are having considerable
 trouble on account of the high water The
 track on the Clay County side between
 Harlem and Randolph Point is all under
 water, necesfitating the transfer of passen, gers between that point and Kansas City
 the trains running only to Randolph
 The ferry-bo Annie Cade transfers the passengers and baggage very expeditions. ly.
 THE Shy levee above Hannibal has broken. A correspondent of the Globe, Democrat visited the break and found an opening about 100 feet in width, where the flood was pouring through in an immense volume, the roar of which could be heard for miles, The scene is one that beggars description, and the only adequate compari- son to it is Niagara River near the falls. The torrent after passing through the gap forms the most beautiful cascades and miniature falls as it leaps in wild fury over the trunks of fallen trees and stumps, and then loses it's force as 1t spreads over the vast area of beautiful land on the bottoms. At the point where the break occurred the whole volume of water sets directly upon the leyee and with strong wind to aid the waves which are dashing heavily against its sides it is not to be wondered at that it should have given way. Near the break the water on the river side is only about two feet below the top of the levee, and the waves are dashing the spray clear over 1t mostening the earth, and, of course, weakening it. In passing along the leyee frequent seepages are ob- seryable, and a large force of men are sta. toned at intervals endeavoring to strength en the weak points, but with very question: able success, as it is only matter of time, should the water retain it's present height when other breaks will occur.
 THE high water in the Missouri has been more disasterous to property than was ex- pected, especially on the bottoms both above and across from Kansas City. The squatters on the island in the new Kaw River have been driven to the roofs of their cabins. A party went to rescue them, but they would not be rescued. They preferred to take their chances against the flood to leaving their lands for other squatters to pre-empt. The bridge over the Missouri looms up monument to it's own security. The roadway approach to it on the Clay County side is largely submerged, and few feet of the incline is sinking under the ravages of the current No teams are al- lowed to cross the structure except to bring over the effects of refugees. and in such in stances they cannot leave the bridge on the Clay County side. The loss of property in Clay County cannot be estimated. It is simply enormous. The finest farming lands are in dreary waste of water, and it will be impossible to utilize them for crop purposes this season. Among the farm owners of this property the utmost depres- sion prevails, and many of them will be compelled to sell in order to support their families. The loss to live stock is core. spondingly great. The flood is a serious drawback to some of the railroads and is causing the companies a daily loss of thou sands of dollars. The track of the Council Bluffs road is entirely washed out in several places between Harlem and Parlsville, and it will take much time and money to make good the damage this road has sustained.
 As the night express train, west bound, on the Rock Island division of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railway, was nov ing at ordinary speed across the trestle- work over Meredosia river, ore mile south of Albany, H., the trestle gave way and the train, without warning was suddenly precipitated into the river. The train con sisted of an engine and tender, baggage car, passenger and sleeping-cars. All went down except the sleeper which hangs over the end of the bridge at an angle of 45o, the upper end high in air. Two cars float ed off down stream The passenger coach lodged against an island 10 rods away. The baggage-car is stuck in the middle of the stream about the same distance away; only the roots of the two cars are now in sight. Engineer West and the fireman, name unknown, residing at Freeport, went down in the cab, and nothing has been seen since of the locomotive or men. Bag gagepan Sam Flanagan, Brakeman Harry Myers, Messenger Dan Ellithorpe, Conduc- tor Thos. Fuller all escaped uninjured, ex- cept the latter. The escape IS a miracle. Eleven passengers were in the forward car, including a man and boy residing at Pine River, Wis, en route to Omaha woman and two children, who got on at Savannah for Rock Island Dr. l.. Lunsy, of Albany, and five others, destination un- known. Of these, two men jumped ashore as the floating car passed the abutment of the wagon bridge, which went out yester- day; another man leaped, but fell back and drowned woman and one child and the boy from Pine River were taken off the roof of the car after it lodged at the island, and the other six passengers, including the man from Pine River, little child of the lady and Dr. Lunsy, were drowned. These, together with the engineer and fireman, make eight lives lost in all. There were only three passengers in the sleeper, and they, together with the colored porter, climbed out the rear and escaped uninjured. Their names are: II. w. Gordon, Rochester, N. Y.; G. w. Chapman, Newark N. J.; Henry Warren, Boston; travelling com panion of Chapman, named F. B. Butler, was not on the train. The river is a per feet torrent where the trestle went out. It is said freight train passed over the bridge an hour or so ahead of the passenger. Twenty boats are at work in pouring rain searching for the bodies and rescuing the luggage. All the bodies are believed, how. ever, to be washed out. A hole has been cut in the roof of the baggage car and some baggage taken out.
 ADDITIONAL and later information from the floo1s in the Northwest show the dam age to both life and property to be alarming Specials from Madison, Wis, say that Lake Monons is rising, and houses in the lower parts of the city are flooded, but no great damage is done. The lowland above and below Quincy is entirely inundated the Mississippi being now five miles wide. But little damage has been done in the city ex- cepting in causing the temporary suspension ments along the levee. The most serious loss will be from the flooding of thousands of acres of farming lands, and from the washing away of road-beds of several rail- ways leading to West Quincy. The North ern Pacific, which runs for considerable distance west of the Missouri in the valley of Hart river, is having considerable trouble with washouts Over twenty pile bridges are gone and several hundred yards of track in the bad lands. Part of the river is still