The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-06-25
BURST ITS BONDS.
The Madison Dyke on the Missis-
sippi Gives Way in Two
Places,
The Extensive Bottom Lands south
Oh Alton, HI, Are Rapidly
Overlooked.

ST. LOUIS, June 23.-The Madison dyke
between here and Alton, on the Illinois side of
the river, broke about o'clock this morning
IN two places, one near Mitchell, about twelve
miles from East st. Louis, and the other
further north, near the head of the dyke, and
not far from Alton. The crevasses are not
very wide yet, but are growing rapidly, and
the water is rushing through them at fear
ful rate. 1t Is expected that the entire bot
tom north Of East st. Louis, embracing from
5o to 10 square miles, will be flooded. The
farmers are leaving their homes as rapidly as
possible, many of them going to Alton, and
others to different points ON the bluffs, five
or six miles back from the river The de-
struetion OF the crops and the damage to farm
property generally will be very great.
The territory into which the water is now
rushing is the richest in the state of Illinois,
1t has very few acres that are not in the high
est state of cultivation Germans, princi-
pally, have possession of the land, and till it
to perfection. Their farms are highly i'm
proved with fine fences, fine two-story resi-
dences OF brick on frame, and excellent barns
with other out-houses in keeping with the
main buildings, Ali kinds of crops are raised,
the principal products, however, being
garden truck, wheat and corn In the pro
ductiVe region indicated, there are three
townships, named: Township 3, range 0;
township 4, range 10, and township 3,
range 10, The levee thrown around them Is
somewhat of an oval shape in its general out
line. On the west is the Mississippi river at
the east there is Horseshoe lake to be
guarded against, as that body of water be-
ri # tba
The river levee follows the bends of the
stream, aad the land it protects between
Venice and Alton is divided by the Indianap
oils & st. Louis the Wabash and the Chica
go 81 Alton railroads.
A special to The Post Dispatch from Alton.
H., says: The levee at Madison broke at
S:l5 this morning. The break occurred at
two places at the same time The pressure
against the banks, which was the immediate
cause of the disaster, came from the addi-
tional rise in the Missouri river, the mouth Of
which is directly opposite the head of the
levee, A body of water about twenty feet
in height rushed through the gaps in
few minutes and flooded ALI the adjacent
bottoms. The panic among the people was
very great and was universal. They fed to
ward the bluffs, carrying with them what
ever. of the live stock and household goods
they could save. Many head of live stock
were drowned. There is a feot rise coming
down the river, and this will no doubt be
augmented until the waters reach the
hlutfs, seven miles from the river.
As it is, all the country between
Mitchell and Venice is, or soon will be. over
flowed, and the total destruction of the crops
will cause the loss of hundreds of thousands
of dollars, 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 &
Alton railroad, did not reach here to-day
The track is overfiowed south of Mitchell.
TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND ACRES LAID
WASTE.
The Mississippi, near Helena, Ark, this
morning is at food tide The levees are all
down, and the water is now within six feet
of the highest point ever reached, with two
feet to come, Fully 5000 acres, already
planted, will be laid waste
TRAVEL INTERRUPTED IN NEBRASKA
LINCOLN, Neb., June 23.-A heavy rain
storm last night again broke the railroads
leading from the city south Nebraska City
is cut off from all railroad connection
Through trains are suspended on nearly all
the roads and travel is at a standsfiIl