The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-06-27
TELEGRAPHIC
me FIood,s DESTRUCTION.

ST. Louis. 26 -Advices from Chester,
Randolph County, Illinois, say that St.
Msry's levee opp site tn I point, in Mis-
souri,, broke on Sunday night ard tbs
ST. Maiy's bottom, large wheat raising
region, ls now nearly eli flooded. II is
SAID that 20, goo acres of wheat are under
water on this bottom alone. From Chez
ter 10 Grand Tower southwark en- the
Illinois side, a distance of twenty-five
miles, with an average width Of ten miles,
embracing an area of $50 miles, is nearly
all submerged, and the crops are de-
stroyed. entsiling great loss. To the
north of Chester nearly all the way to
St. Louis the bottom has been inundated,
except here and there on high ridges
which cut the Wster. Information from
sl this region is OF a general rather than
g special character, bu! il is ssfp to say
if all these bottoms are deluged as stated
thousands OF families are either living in
flooded houses or have fed 10 the hills
for safety, and that the loss Of crops and
general farm prop rty is almost
ineslculable. American bottom ex-
tends from Alton to Cairo,
something over 200 mills, large part OF
which ia pretty thick!y settled, Ali this
great tract is subject to overflow in fresh
cts like the present, and it can be readily
imagined that the loss Of property and
the distress and misery brought upon the
inhabitants must be immense. The
town of st. Mary's on the Missouri side
CT the river is partly submerged and Kss.
kaskis, on the Illinois side is to be aban-
doned, people there having sent to Ches-
ter for a steam boat to carry them away.
The river is falling slowly in east ST.
Louis OF the river side of the Chicago
and Alton track and still rising out on
the bottom east of that embankment.T TIE
fall is small, but it is enough to create q
strong hopeful feeliog that tie worst i.
past. In east st. Louis all loWland
twenty feet, and hundreds of homes
within the city limits have their lower
floors Fl oded and many of them their
second stories. In the south end Of tie
city the entire bottom, for an indefinite
distsnce, including the villsges east Of
Carondolet and Cohokis, and other
small hsmlets, is submerged and all the
farms for miles down the river are under
water and the crops are destroyed and
the families OF the farmers who owned or
rented them are scattered sIoBg the
ridges SID Bluffs seeking shelter Wher-
ever they can find it. Many Of these
poor people are in destitute condition.
There is hardly doubt but that the
aggregate loss on the American bottom,
between Alton and Cairo will run into
milliens, and this is not half the story,
for nearly as much bo' tom land skirt
the river on the Missouri side, most Of
which is subject to overflow, and hun
dreds Of thouEands Of acres Of land along
the Missouri river and its tributaries, be-
tween here and Kansas City, now lie
under the devastating food and have
been swept OF their crops. The losses in
the southeastern section of st. Charles
county, Mo-, are alone over $500, 600.
Kansas City, Missouri, 26.-At IL
o'clock Che river was twenty-three feet
seven inches, about an inch higher than
last midnight, and thirteen iaches above
the guide on Sunday night. It lie now
nearly stationary, but the indications are
that it will continue slowly to adv nce.
Six inches more will start the water over
the east bottom and west OF Kansas City,
and people in those suburbs are watch
full. The Ksw is very high and it is re-
ported is still rising. The water is still
two feet ten inches below the food of
1881, and as yet has not occasioned seli-
Gus damage ABOUT the city, bu: If the
present conditions continue the rise will
compel the movement OF the people
along the outskirts of low lying subur BIS.
There is no especial change in tie situs-
ton regarding trains. Additional breaks
srs stopped. The Missouri Pacific did
not get in last night, but it is thought
they will be able to arrange for train
through today. Dispatches received
to-day state that the river has risen six
inches at Sioux City in twenty-four
hours. Il has risen three inches at Lesv-
enworth and is stationary st s. Josepb.