The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-25
People Driven from Home, Farms Threat
ened, and Many Thousand Acres
of Crops Destroyed.
Breaks in Railroad Embankments,
Inundating East st. Louis.
Many Lives Lost in Nebraska-The South
ern Part of That State and North
Missouri Under Water.
THE MISSISSIPPI FLOOD.
Breaking of the Madison Dixie, Near Alt
The Bottoms Overlooked.

Breaking of the Madison Dixie, Near Alton
The Bottoms Overlooked.
ST. LOUIS, June pa special to the Post
Dispatch from Alton, ILL.,, says the levee at
Madison broke at SIS 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 an additional rise in the Mis-
souri, 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, and in few minutes
flooded all the adjacent bottom. The panic
among the people was very great and uni
versal They fled toward the bluffs, carrying
with them whatever of live stock and house
hold goods they could save. Many head of
live stock were drowned.
Reporters who returned from Madison dixie
tonight say that five crevasses were opened
during the day, and that when they left the
scene all the upper end or new part of the
dixie was practically washed away, and that
there was a clean sweep of water 100 yards
wide and fifteen deep rushing inland and
spreading over all that part of the bottom
which is on an embankment, and laying
waste scores of farms and thousands of
acres of wheat, corn and vegetables.
A good deal of water also found its way
into Long Lake, near Mitchell, and this,
after raising the lake to a common level, will
overflow and spread out to the eastward and
southwark. down the base of the bluffs, and
only stop when it reaches the Ohio & Missis-
sippi railroad embankment which crosses the
bottom directly east of East St. Louis, and
should it pass the barrier it would run di-
rectly into East St. Louis from the rear, and
inundate nearly if not quite all
the town. The Chicago & AL
ton track is still in precarious
condition in spots, but large force of men
are doing all that can be done to save it,
and the prospects are largely in favor of its
preservation. The rails are under water in
two or three places, but an elevated track has
been laid where necessary and trains are still
run.
The situation in East ST. Louis proper is
about the same as last night EXCEPT that the
water Is little higher but all the barriers
which really protect the business part of
the place are still intact and will re-
sist an additional rise of several inches
Southward, in the vicinity of East Caron-
deleC ana the bottoms which were Hooded
yesterday by the breaking of Fish-lake dixie.
presents no change other than that greater
breadth of land is submerged. All the set
TIERS excepting a few negroes who still
cling to the second stories or roofs
of their habitatlons have abandoned their
homes and sought safety on the bluffs and in
the neighborng towns. A good many ne
groes are huddled together in the churches
and school-houses on high and dry ground
and are making the most of their unfortu-
nate situation.
Information from the Fish Lake region
received late tonight, says that fully 90 600
acres of land have been flooded by the break
ing of the levee, and that the loss by the de-
structiou of crops alone will reach 5000, 000
Fifty to 100 families. who depended largely
upon their garden patches for livelihood
are in destitutd condition. and the better
to-do people in that section, who also have
been driven from their homes by the devas-
tatng food are not able to take care of
them