The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-06-25
WIDESPREAD DISASTER.
Immense Damage by Floods in
Southern Nebraska.
10000 Acres Of Farm lands OverGOwed
in Illinois.

past week. amounting to many hundreds OF
thousands Of dollars Crops, buildings and
railroads have been destroyed Considerable
live stock has been lost Railroad travel has
been entirely suspended In the flooded region
and mail and telegraphic communication has
been cut off, so that reports have been slow
| and meagFe in coming in, and then only in In
definite shape. 1t will be two or three weeks
before all railroads can get in good shape
again. The valley OF the Neheina river is
! submerged. The wife and four children Of
John Grub were drowred j. Aker and wife
were drowned, and seven out OF party OF ten
Bohemians were also drowned. Reports OF
the drowning OF five others are also given.
ST. LOUIS, June % 3--Information was re-
ceived here last night that Fish Lake leyee,
rich farming land 10 the American bottoms on
the Illinois side OF the river, below East Ca
fpndelet, broke at II o'clock, and about TO-
900 acres of fine farms are now under water.
The damage to the crops and other property is
estimated &C one hundred thousand dollars
What is known as Isabelle bridge, on the
Missouri Pacific Railway, spanning. creek
about ten miles this side OF Jefferson City,
was carried away This will not interrupt
trains, as they will be sent around via Moderly
and Bonneville until the damage is repaired.
The Madison dyke between hers and Alton,
on the Illinois side OF the river, broke about
o'clock this morning in two places one near
Mitchell, about u miles from East st. Louis,
dyke not far from Alton. Tho crevasses are
not very wide yet, bat are growing rapidly and
the water is rushing through them at a fearful
rate. 1t is expected that the entire bottom
north OF East st. Louis, embracing 80 to l60
square miles, will be flooded.
Farmers are leaving their homes as rapidly
as rapidly as possible, many of them going 20
Alton, others TO different points OF the bluffs,
i've or six miles back from tho river. The de-
struction Of crops and tho damage TO farm
property generally will be very great.
ALTON, ILL.,, June 3.-The panic among the
people when the Madison leyee broke was
yerp great and universal. They fed towards
the bluffs carrying with them whatever OF live
stock aud household goods they could save.
Many head OF live stock were drowned. There
is foot rise coming down the rivers, and this
will, no doubt, augment the food until the
water reaches the bluffs, which are seven
miles from the river. All the country between
Mitchell and Venice is or will be overfowed
and the total destruction of the crops will
cause a loss of hundreds Of thousands OF dol
lars. Not only are the crops ruined, but the
force of the overflow has torn the soil to
pieces, and, in many places, sand piles will
take the place Of fertile ground. The Kansas
City express ON the Chicago and Alton rail
road did not reach here today The track is
0Eerflowed south of Mitchell.
Sr. LOUIS, June 24.-The river Is still ris-
ing bus mere slowly than heretofore. Early
this forenoon tfiewater which broke th rough
Madison dyke yesterday reached point
above Venice and broke q fearful cIeTasse in
the Chicago and Alton embankment. About
800 feet CT the track seemed to sink and disap-
pear in an instant and the gap has been Wild
eDing ever since. Parallel with the embank-
ment run the tracks OF the indianapolis and
st. Louis and Wabash roads. These tracks
could not withstand the terrific current and
they too went down in suick succession, cut
ting of all direct rail communication with tho
north. These breaks gave the water speedy
exit to the eastward and all day steedy and
rapid current has been pressing cut toward the
bluff. The water is now spreading over all
the bottom land north of the old Ohio and
Mississippi embankment which crosses the bot
tom between East st. Louis and Loseyville. 1t
does not seem possible 10 restore these tracks
and the probabilities are that no efforts will be
made to repair the embankments until the wa
ter reeedes.
[LArER.l
The break in the Chicago and Alton track
has tocceded nearly all the eastern par OF
Venice and forced many families TO
vacate their houses and seek safety on higher
grounds. Another part of the town is also sub
merged. The Venice and Auterprise elevators
are closed and the stock yards % the bank of
the river are no longer Of use. Ali the country
in the rear and east Of Venice is inundated.
Tho amount Of farm land on the bottom north
of East ST. Louis is said to be from ten 10 fif-
teen thousand acres, and the loss TO crops is
computed at noe less than two hundred thou
sand dollars Other statements put both the
area of land ovefil0wed aud the loss at much
higher figures. at East Crandelet, six miles
below, the situation is said 10 be deplorabls.
Fully three-fourths OF the families in
tho Town are quartered in three school
houses and few residences on a
ridge of high ground. Most OF these people are
destitute From this point to the bluffs, q dis
tance Of four miles, and southwark for ten or
twelve miles, the entire country Is submerged
and presents scene OF the utmost desolation
and ruin. Had the floods held back two
weeks longer the farmers could have saved
most of their wheat and potatoes as both were
nearly ready for harvest, but now everything
is lost and nearly all OF the farmers are ruined
as are also very many farmers else where
on the bottom lands The little town of Ga
hookee a short distance from Carondelet, is all
under water and the inhabitants can move
about only in skitfs. The previous estimate of
the damage in this region is said to be much
too low. Ii is now stated that fully ten thou
sand acres Of wheat are from to SIX Thousand
feeI under water and as much more OF corn
and potatoes aud other crops are submerged,
causing loss of twenty thousand dollars. II
is also stated that the st. Louis and Cairo road
and the belt road, part Of which extends to
East Carondelet, have been damaged fully ff-
ty thousand dollars. Creve Couer Lake. 20
miles west OF ST. Louis, has overflowed its
western banks, and flooded the adjacent low-
lands causing great damage. An immense ice
house, belonging 10 the Creve Couer Ice Co.,
was undermined and fell, causing loss of for
ty thousand dollars