South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1883-06-29
35, 600 ACRES INUNDATED.
The Flood Breaking Down the
Chicago aac Alton Enb.akgneat


Many Farms Flooded. An Of the Crops De-
stroysd, ssd the Cattle Drown ed-rhe Lon
Estimated at Ovse . Niios Dollars.
ST.. LOUIS June 2i.-The situa-
ton Is worss to-day than on any pre-
vions day of the food. The rise for
the twenty-fOur hours ending ut dark
was nearly half a foot, and the water
is now higher than at any time since
1858. The point OF danger is on the
Illinois side. As reported last night,
the Mississippi broke through the
Madison !evee, flooding aud complete
ly running about ten thousand acres
OF the finest and richest farming lands
IN Illinois. The land thus Inundated
lay between the Madison levec aud
the embankment OF the Chicago and
Alton Railroad. After the Madison
levec broke the Chicago and Alton
embankneht was the bulwark that
stood between the waters and about
10000 acres of tue farms under cul.
tivation. The country is thiekly 20.
pulated, being occupied by small farms.
After the. Madison ievee broke every
euergy was turned toward strengthen.
ing tne Chicago and Alton embank-
nent, but the work was wasted, for
this morning ut about o'clock a
shout was heard from the workers
and watchers along the embanSmcnt
and the warming flew through the
country that break had occurred
Then began q wild rush, for, strange
to say, nearly all the inhabitants back
OF the railroad bulwark had chung to
their homes, feeling that they were
safe. Still tile vigilance OF the watch.
ers enabled the people to get warning
Ill time, and so far as heard from no
lives were lost. though hundreds of
head OF hogs, sheep, cattle, and poul-
try were drowned and farm property
destroyed to the valne of a quarter to
half million dollars This is a
rough estimate, and is under, rather
than over, the actual figares. The
place where the break occurred today
is at n small hamlet 10 Madison coun.
ty. known as Newport. abont four
miles to TIC corth OF Venice and a.
bout eight miles from East ST. Lonis.
In the flooded district there dwelt
probably Goo families, all poor people,
al on : III moderate circumstances,
and To these to days disaster means
utter run.
The water has spread in every di-
rection over the lowlands. and mum
dated the Chica go aud Alton, India.
nal'olis aid st. Lonis, and the Chca-
90, Burlington and Quincy Railroads.
putting n complete embargo 10 all
bushes over tliose lines. The flood
has spread until it is washing against
the Vandalia Railroad cmbaukment.
mile and a half above the city OF
East ). Louis. This embankment ia
considered as perfectly safe. being 5
ieet above the highest water mark G.
yer knOwn-the food Of 1871. But
even in this wall there are weak spots
and it il among the probabilities that
this. too. will break, allowing the wa
tcrs 10 flow over q portion OF east st
Louis and section OF country snr-
rounding, about equal to that inun-
datcI 10y to.day's break.
A rough calculation of the damage
done by the Hoods shows that in that
part Of the country known IA the A.
nerlcan bottom, north of East St.
Louis, and along the mississippi Ri
yer up ~ lar as the Alton, or opposite
the mouth Of The Missouri, there are
about thirty thousand acres OF land
nov under water. 4 large part
of this is y heat farms. while other por-
tons are occupied by truck farmers.
One Of the sufferers was asked to day
for some facts and figures. and replied:
As for facts, there is but one fact.
and that is scli.evident. We are all
drowned ont. AS for figures, say
there are $1,000 acres under water.
and estimate the loss nj S25 an acre,
and you have it. This would bring
our lOas up TO nearly a million, and
the water is still rising. That break
you see there pointing to to. days cut
10 allowing stream of water 200 feet
wide and six feet deep to rush through
at mill.race spool, and nothing can
stop it for four or five days. In the
mean time the area Of inundated ter
ritory is steadily increasing every
minute, and fresh fields of ripening
grain are being engulfed. There are
enough facts and figures to flI tho
biggest newspaper ever published
ST. Louis June 25.-There has
been no material change in the flood.
ed region during tho day. Every ef-
fort IS being made to- strengthen the
dykes in East ST. Louie. The Ohio
aud Mississippi and the Vandalia
Railroad embankments still hold out
Down the river on the Illinois side
there has been great destruction OF
property. Hundreds of people have
been driven from their homes, and il
Is estimated that G,ouo head Of cattle
have been drowned. The Missouri
river is rising atsOme points and fall.
ing at others 1t ia feared that a