The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-10-26
4 DESTRUCTIVE FLOOD!
DIKES ON THE MISSISSIPPI
BROKEN.
River at Quincy Seven Miles Wide,
aud People Fleeing for Their
Lives, Leaving Animals
and Goods to
Perish.

CHICAGO, October 20.-A special /
this morning from Quincy states
that the Sny levee has broken about
two miles above Scott's landing. |
The exact location of the break can
not be determined up to this time,
because of the alarm prevailing
among the people, who seem to be
frantic, and unable to give particu
lars Scott's landing is due west
from Rockport four miles, and the
country between the places is almost
one complete slough, which will
prove receptacle for a large body
Of the water which is now pouring
in through the break. There was a
large quantity of water in the Sny
long before the break occurred, and
this is now rising with great rapidity.
The levee where the break occurred
is lined with timber on either side,
the soil being sandy and of poor
material for resistance. AS soon as
the alarm was given the people in
the vicinity began to seek places of
safety, and to drive their stock to
high ground. The crevasse is said
to be two hundred feet wide and
constantly increasing. Word has
been sent to all of the inhabitants of
the valley to prepare for the worst.
The food at this time will prove
more disastrous than the great flood
of last spring. The large corn crops
on the bottom lands had not yet
been secured, and hundreds ofthous-
ands of bushels were lost, and to add
to the general destruction the rise in
the river has come on the people so
suddenly and so Unexpectedly that
the bottoms are still full of cattle,
horses and other live stock. 1t will
be impossible to save either or live
stock and in many cases the farmers
will lose even their household effects.
The railroad feight houses and other
houses along the levee front are en-
tirely surrounded by water and
many of the floors are covered and
from some of them everything has
been removed. The island between
the bay and the river is completely
submerged, with the exception of a
small piece of ground in the rear of
the marine ways. People living on
this island have all been compelled
to leave as the water rose so rapidly
yesterday that it now covers the
floors of all buildings situated there.
Across the river the low lands are
all inundated to the bluffs. Many
hogs and cattle have been drowned,
and many more killed by railroad
trains, the animals going on the en-
bankment, that being the only
ground that can be found above
water. Almost all the inhabitants
have moved to the bluffs. Lonetree
Prairie, commencing about five
miles north ON the Missouri side is
under water distance of twelve
miles, the water being in some pro-
portions OF it almost up to the sec
ond stories of the houses. At the
State fish pond, ten miles south of
Quincy, the situation is most alarm
ing. Commissioner Harlett has used
every effort to save the fish, but his
work is but half completed. The
water is within six inches ofthe top
of the Sny levee near Stillwell's farm,
at the head of the levee, and it is
thought that break must soon oc-
cur. Should this take place, 4 halt
million native fish and a thousand
German karys will be carried away.
The Warsaw levee about Quincy
which reclaims seventeen thousand
acres of land, broke last evening, and
an immense volume of water is now
pouring through the crevasse and
rapidly spreading over the country.
This is the most productive farming
land in the State. A large proper
ton of it was sown in winter wheat.
This has all been destroyed, and the
damage done to farmers in this vi
cinity can hardly be estimated. Al
though the backwater from the
sloughs and runs had covered a
portion of this tract, many families
on higher ground, when the alarm
reached them left everything
and fled to the bluffs for safety.
Railroad property on the Missouri
side will suffer heavily. The tracks
of the st. Louis, keokuk and North
western Railroad and several feet
under water. There is three inches
of water on the track of the Wabash
The river at this point is now over