The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-06-27
THE FLOODS.
Much Suffering and Distress in
Missouri.
The Pecuniary Loss Running Into MIL.
lions.

ST. LOUIS, June 26,-A large number OF
sufferers are either camped in huts on the
ridges, surrounded by water, or are in the
open air on the bluff beyond. Many also are
housed in box cars on the railroad tracks, and
a good many of them will be obliged to be fed
Thor crop3 are totally destroyed, and they are
destitute of money or any nec~zJaiie les of life.
The National stockyards at East ST. Louis
are in no danger of being ficodei. They can
easily st md rise OF three feet, and II wonld
require four feet to stop business.
The Union yards this side of the river are
also we'll protected and In no danger.
The situation IN East Carondeet and Coho-
ka grows worse daily. The wator covers that
whole section OF the country, and as fso0n as
fioedsd out, families willibogin TO suffer Their
wants will probably be supplied tomorrow.
The railroads which have lost their tracks
have abandoned the ferriage system between
here andS3Alton and arranged with the Van
dalia railroad to run their passenger trains.
The Indianapolis & St. Louis will Gend their
train to Etiingham, themes 10 Matte on The
Wabash road will use the Vandalia to Alta
mont, where 1t will take its own track, and the
Chicago q Alton and G., b. Il @. will run TO
Smith Bend where they will connect with
their own read. All other Eastern lines are
using their own tracks, and all Western roads
are getting trains through in pretty good
shape.
site Chester in Missouri, broke Sunday night,
and the st. Mary's bottom, large wheat rails
ing region, is nearly flooded. There are 10000
acres OF wheat under water at this bottom
alone, From Chester Grand Tower southwark
on the Illinois side % miles, with an average
width Of ten miles, nearly all the country is
submerged and the crops have been destroyed,
entaiIing great loss. North Of Chester nearly
all the way TO ST. Louis the bottom is said to
be inundated except here and there higher
ridge which is out OF the water.
The American bottom extends from Alton
to Cairo, Eomething over 200 mileJ. A large
part Of IL is pretty thickly settled. st. Mary's
on the Missouri side OF the river is partly sub
merged and Kaskaskia on the Illinois side is to
be abandoned, the people there having sent to
Chester for steambGst to carry them away.
a leYee three miles above Cape Giraarde-u,
Mie3ouri, about 80 miles above Cairo, and an
other at Prices Landing 25 miles down river,
broke Sunday night and large volnme OF
water rushed over the bottom. All points on
both sides of the river below, particularly on
the Illinois side are about in the same condi-
tion as above, and it can be said that pretty
much sll the bottom land between st. Louis
and Cairo has mere or less water on it.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, June 26.-At II o'clock
today the river was % feet inches, an inch
higher than at midnight, and 13 inches above
the gauge of Sunday night. 1T is now nearly
stationary, but with indication that it will con-
tinue slowly to advance. Six inches more will
start the water over the east bottom and West
Kansas city and the people of thCSe suburbs
are watchful. The Kaw river is very high and
reported still rising. The water is still feet
10 inches below the fieod OF 1881, and as yet
has not occasioned serious damage about the
CITY, presentsconditions continue the rise will
soon compel movement of people along the
outskirts of the ilow-,ying subRrbs. There is
no e5pecial change ia the situation regarding
railroad trains additional breaks have stopped
the Missouri Pacific north last night, but it is
thought that they will be able to arrange for a
train through today. dispatches received today
state the river has riann inches at SiQUX
City in "a hours, has risen three inches at
Leavenworth, is stationary at St. Joseph.
isr LOUIS Inne 26.-The river is falling
slowly in East St Louis en- the river side Of
the Chicago and Alton track, but is still rising
out ON the bottoms east OF that embankment
from Brooklyn and Venice on the river banks
north to Newport, Nameoki and Mitchell, and
from along the Vsndalis ~.rae,. 20 Egss Wood
and thence up the bestom for a dozen miles or
more there is. .otning but . broad expanse Of
water iii the scene is one of devastation and
-1in. Three quarters of Brooklyn is under
water and only one street in Venice and a bit
OF high ground in the north part Of the town
are above the flood level. In East st. Louis
all the lowlands are inundated to depth 10 to
20 feet and hundreds of houce1 are flooded.
South Of the city the entire bottom for an in
finite distance including East Carondelet
aud Cahcokia and other small hgrlieis is sub
merged and all the farms for miles down the
river are under water and crops destroyed.
Families OF farmers are scattered along ridges
and bluffs seeking shelter wherever they can
find it. The aggregate loss in the American
bottom between Alton and Cairo will run into
the millions, aud this is not half of the story
for nearly as much bottom land skirts the
river on the Mie5ouri side most Of which has
been subject to overflow and hundreds of
thousands Of acres along the Mc7ouri river and
its tributaries between here aEd Kansas City
now lie under the devastating hocd and have
been swept of their crops
Advices from the southeastern eection OF st.
Charles county, Missouri, in the region OF
Portage Des Sioux gives the individual lo.ses
of about 1CJ farmers, which aggregate over
S60,0G9. The total lols in this section alone is
estimated at 100000.