The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-05-24
THE FLOODS RAvAGES.

Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Acres
of Fertile Lands Along the Mississippi
Submerged - The Loss Estimated at
$4,000, ,OOO-More Breaks In the Levee-
Human Beings and Live Stock Suffering
GreatIy-Measures for Relief Estab.
lished.
Quincy. ILL.,, May 1S.-The great food in
the Mississippi is now the highest on rec
ord, with the single exception Of the inun-
dation of 1851. The water rose seven inches
yesterday and is now only ten inches below
the stage OF 1851. A crevasse occurred in
the Sny levee opposite Hannibal early yes
terday morning, and now the entire re-
gion protected by that embankment is
vast lake. There are 215,0O0 acres in the
region, all of which was under cultivation.
The farmers were driven out Of their
homes and are now camped on the up
land without food or shelter. As an illus
tration Of the devastation created by
the food it may be mentioned that one
farmer in the city said yesterday that two
weeks ago he refused 81, 600 for his farm,
but that now he would sell it for Sia The
total area of cultivated fields submerged in
the two lcvcc districts is 25OOOO, and the
loss to crops will aggregate s3,OO0,OOO. A
relief movement was held in the city last
night
Above and below Quincy are over 100
miles of levces, protecting fully 100000
acres of land. These arc the most pro-
ductive farming lands in the Mississippi
valley The greater part of the cultivated
area is planted to winter wheat and this
crop, which promised from forty to sixty
bushels to the acre, IS destroyed. Not an
acre in this great territory, which Is forty
miles long and five miles broad, can escape
the flood.
Ga the dry places on the embankmcnts
are hundreds Of cattle, horses and hogs
without feed. Far across on the opposite
bluffs are gathered hundreds of men women
and children in small groups, dcso,ate and
forlorn. Many of them are utterly desti.
tute, having neither sufficient clothing nor
shelter, and some are suffering for food,
despite the bravery of more fortunate
nelghbors who are making every exertion
to relieve their immediate wants.
Provisions and clothing are being sent by
neighboring towns, and are being distrib
uted among the sufferers.
ST. Louis, May ls.-Advices from Mis-
sissippi river towns above here say that
at 10 o'clock yesterday morning break
occurred in the Sny levee at point about
two miles below the Hannibal bridge, and
this was followed at 6:45 o'clock by
larger and more serious one above
the bridge short distance. The more sen
sible farmers had removed all their live
stock to the bluffs six miles distant, but
not a few remained until the moment OF
the calamity, consequently they sus-
tanned serious losses. Hogs, cows and
horses could be seen swimming on the
food until they came in contact with some
obstacles, upon which their bodies would
be mangled. The smaller houses in the
bottoms are wrecked. AS yet no loss Of
human life is reported. The damage to
railroad property will be great.
From kcokuk word comes that it was
thought the worst was over, but a very
heavy rain set in there yesterday morning,
| and rs the Des Moines river is rising rapid
ly there is no telling what the result will
be. The overflow is constantly increasing,
covering more land every day, and the
water is getting deeper. Vast quantities Of
water are creeping over the levees about a
mile north of Alexandria, which forms q
swift current that sweeps through the town
and threatens to carry away a number oi
houses whose foundations have been weak
| encd by the prolonged inundaticn.