Omaha daily bee., 1883-06-25
THE GREAT FLOOD.
The Mississippi Still Booming Over
Banks and Dykes.
Enormous Interests Flooded and
Threatened Above and Below St.
Louis-News From other
Points.

Special Dispatch to TuE BEE.
ST. LOUIS, June 24.-The river is ris-
ing more slowly than heretofore. The
flooded district, in the northern part of
the city, presents about the same appear
ance it has for several days past. In the
lumber district large gangs of men are
working on the levees and dykes. A
rise of another foot will inundate all the
lumber yards. At Alton Slough, twenty
miles above here, among the islands in
the Mississippi, sawed boards in RATS are
moored. While the slough is reasona-
bly, secure place, considerable apprehen-
sion is felt lest the RATS break loose and
sweep down.
In East st. Louis proper the situation
is the same as yesterday Boyman dyke
is still intact and protects the business
part of the city, but outside there is
nothing but watery waste. This after
noon the water which broke through
Madison dyke yesterday reached a point
a short distance above Venice, and broke
n fearful crevasse in the Chicago q Alton
embankment About 600 feet of the
track seemed to sink and disappear in an
instant. The gap has been widening
ever since. Parallel with this embank-
ment runs the Indianapolis & st. Louis
and Wabash tracks, which could not with
stand the terrible current. They also went
down in quick succession, cutting off all
direct rail connection with the north.
The water is now spreading all over the
bottom lands of the old Ohio 4 Miss
issippi embankment, which crosses the
bottom between st. Louis and Caseyville.
Probably no efforts will be made to re-
pair the embarkments until the water re-
cedes. Meantime the Chicago & Alton,
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and In
dianapolis & st. Louis roads will carry
passengers to and from st. Louis and Al
ton by steamer. Trains from the north
and east are made up at the latter place.
The Wabash will use the Vandalia and
Illinois Central lines to Decatur, where
where they use their own road.
The break in the Chicago Il Altontra
has flooded nearly all the eastern part of
Venice, and forced many families to va
cate their houses. A considerable part of
the town west of the Chicago & Alton
track, which runs directly through the
place, is also submerged. The Venice
and Enterprise elevators are closed and
the stock yards on the bank of the river
are no longer available for use. The
amount of flooded farm land on the
American bottoms, north of East St.
Louis, is said to be $1,000 acres,
and the loss to crops is computed
at not less than $200,0O0 At
East Carondelet, 6 miles below, on the
Illinois side, fully three-fourths of the
families in town are quartered in three
school houses and a few residences onthe
ridge of high ground Most of these
people are in destitude condition. From
this point to the bluffs and for miles
south to the end of the county is entirely
submerged and presents scene of desc
lation and ruin. Had the food held
back two weeks longer farmers could
have saved most of the wheat and pota-
toes Now both are lost and the farmers
are nearly ruined. The little town of
Cahokie, short distancefrom Carondelet,
is allunder writer. The inhabitants move
about only in skiffs Fully 10000 acres
of wheat alone is from two to six feet
under water in this section and as much
more of corn, potatoes, and other crops
submerged, causing loss of $500, 600.
1t is stated the st. Louis, Cairo and Belt
roads have been damaged fully $50, 900.
Creve Occur Lane, twenty miles west of
here, which came into prominence as
rowing course last season, has flooded its
left bank, doing great damage. The i'm
mense ice house of the Creve Occur Ice
company, was undermined and fell; loss,
SAC, 900. Other property sustained con-
siderable damage.
The chief apprehension tonight is that
the Vandalia road, which is north of the
Ohio 4 Mississippi, will be flooded. The
Ohio 4 Mississippi is above the food
line of 1874, and no apprehension is felt
for it. The river rose three inches here
to-day, marking thirty-seven feet seven
inches tonight. Reports say nearly
all the bottom land along the Mississippi
between here and Cairo is inundated.
The loss of crops amounts to hundreds
of thousands of dollars.