Daily Kennebec journal., 1882-02-22
WESTERN FLOODS.
The Ohio, Mississippi and Other
Rivers Greatly Swollen.
Railroad Travel Impeded.
MEMPHIS, Feb. 81.

MEMPHIS, Feb. 81.
A Helena special says the situation IS un-
changed. The riTer has. been on stand tor
twenty -four hours. The water continues ris-
ing in the city, and 10 now over North Main
street At the Presbyterian church. All mills
and workshop in the lower part of the city
have suspended operations, and many labor
ers are thrown out of employment
A few more days of such distress VIII
leave many in actual want. The only means
of communication between Main street ana
West Helena il BY skiffs for which there Is y
great demand. Business is at standstlli
There are no transactions in mercantile
circles except for the actual necessaries OF
life.
CNCINSAII, Feb. 2l.
At many points between here and Vicks-
burg the river is twelve inches higher than
il was ever known This is accounted for
from the fact that the Mississippi has over
fiowed its banks above Osceola, Ark, ninety
miles up the river, and large volume OF
water pours through that country into the
head waters of the ST. Francis river, and
again finds its way back on the main stream.
fifteen miles above Helena, Ark, where the
ST. Francis river empties into the Mississippi.
Every plantation between Memphis and
FriarspoiDt. Miss, is submerged and the
water extends back from either shore fifteen
miles.
The planters are enduring great hardships,
from the loss of mules, cattle, hogs and sheep
by drowning. In nearly all the overflowed
sections stock is suffering. What was saved
are kept huddled together on a hastily built
platform.
Later. The Ohio river is now higher than
since the great food of ls47. At ll.3O this
morning it was SO feet and rising half an inch
an hour. The wind has a most injurious ef-
feet on the railroad embankments in the Mill
Creek Valley, as the waves tend to crumble
in the banks. The Cincinnati, Hamilton &
Dayton and the Cincinnati Southern and the
Cincinnati Northern are the only roads the
tracks of which are free. The obstruc-
ton of the other tracks, and the flooding of
the side tracks of the Cincinnati Southern re-
strict business to the running of passenger
trains.
The wind this morning blew down many of
the telegraph lines and the business at the
telegraph Offices is consequently greatly re-
tarded.
The most serious loss of this morning is
the breaking away Of lS barges of coal from
the yard of Comic, Budd & Co. There be-
ing no steamers ready to pursue them the
CHduCeS are tudt tuty are IOet All Tile COdi
yards are submerged and they are obliged to
suspend business. Great inconvenience is
caused by the flooding of the streets along
the river front, while yesterday only the
cellars were inundated.
SPRINGFIELD, Ills, Feb. 81.
The rain of the last forty eight hours has
been very disastrous in this vicinity. The
streams are greatly swollen ami travel is
much impeded. Trains going south from
Springfield, Ills, Monday morning found the
bridge over the Macoupin creek gone and
had to return to this city. 1t went west by
the Moback last evening, expecting to reach
St. Louis from jacksonville. Macoupin
creek bottoms are overfowed for five miles
along the Chicago & Alton track. Streams
are overhowed. The wagon bridge over
Spring creek near the Ohio and Mississippi
road is gone and the bridge over the South
| fork Of Sangamon is impossible.
The train men on the Pekin branch of the
Wabash road say they have never seen the
Illinois river higher. The bridge over the
Macoupin creek on the St. Louis branch OF
the Wabash is also reported sweep away.
The Wabash trains continue to arrive and
depart on time at present, but it is expected
that they also will be interrupted. The Wa
| bash wires are down, west. and very little is
| heard Of the trains on the Hannibal branch
Nothing was heard up to late hour last
evening.
ST.. Louis, Feb. 81.
According to the signal service reports
from 10 O'Clock Sunday night to noon
Tuesday 6.39 inches of rain have fall
len. Since noon Monday not much
water has fallen. but enough to make
the aggregate something more than Ga inches
The rain stopped about O'clock Monday
evening. Monday afternoon the rise was
about foot an hour, and notw outstanding
the great fall of water no serious damage was
done to property in this city. The railroads
however. have suffered in all directions
The exact damage cannot be stated, as the
telegraph wires are down. Trains have been
delayed from two to twenty hours, and, in
some instances, abandoned altogether. A,
| Cove Greek, some twenty miles from this
city, on the Iron Mountain railroad, the
freight train was caught in a land slide, and
at last accounts over one hundred men were
engaged digging it out. No one was serious.
ly injured. The bridge across the Macoupin
Creek, on the Chicago ( Alton railroad,
fifty miles from here, is swept away.
Later. The weather turned very cold early
this morning and the mercury sank several
degrees below the freezing point. The river
rose over five feet since last evening, making
total rise since Of about IL feet. The rise
now is much slower than yesterday. The
water will probably begin to fall again BY to.
morrow. Railroad travel is still very much
interrupted. Telegraph lines west Of here
are prostrated.
READING, Feb. 20.
| The Schuylkill river here is six feet above
low water and is still rising
SHREVEPORT, La, Feb. 2l.
| A heavy wind and rain storm passed over
this city yesterday. doing much damage to
trees and fences. The reports from all di
reetions are that the rivers. bayous and lakes
are rising rapidly. The river here is higher
than it has been for years.