Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-05-14

|
Gus Work in Numerous Places-A Fright
full Fate for n Locomotive Engineer
Burning Oil Abroad at oil City, PA.
KEoKUK, Ia, Mag 1.-The high-water
MAJ of 1881 was rea he'd at o'clock yester-
| day and at at night the gauge registered
| nineteen feet, Or two-tenths of foot higher
| than was reached drring the flood of 1881.
| The water is now within about one and a
half feet of the stake reached in 1851 that being
she highest on record The loss to the lum-
| Der and mercantile interests of this city will
be heavy, owing to the suspension of railroad
traffic. The tracks of all lines on this side of
the river are covered TO such depth as to
render the operation of trains an exceedingly
hazardous undertaking. In many places
tracks and bridges have been washed away.
Yesterday the railroads were busy protecting
their tracks, and contraction gangs and stone
trains were kept moving about
In the lumber district the situation con-
tiuiles to grow more serious, and it is diff
cult to approximate the loss that will result.
The roads leading from Illinois and Missouri
are flooded TO depth that prevents people
from coming to this city in vehicles. In the
lower part of the city the river extends from
bluff to bluff, making it about two miles
wide. Where the Des MONIES empties into
Mississippi, the water of the two streams has
spread over thousands of acres of farm land
and submerged them and the town of Alex
andria to a depth of six feet. At that point
the river is estimated to be from seven to ten
miles wide, and has very little resemblance
to a river.
1t is not thought that the highest point
will be reached here until Wednesday. Ad-
vides from above indicate that the river is at
a stand
ST LOUIS, Mo-, May 14.-At Alexandria,
Mo, where the levee broke in several places
Saturday, spasmodic attempt was made to
check the irresistible flow, but Within a few
minutes the laborers quit and accepted the
inevitable. Is required less than an hour to
inundate the entire town, which is covered
with water from two to six feet, submerging
almost every foot of ground.
The water having reached half the houses,
their occupants have sought refuge in the
upper stories of buildings, where they will be
imprisoned until the subsistence of the flood
in the main streets.
At that point the Mississippi is fully seven
miles WIDE and within the range Of vision
one vast expanse of water greets the eye
The area of farming land in the Missouri
bottoms that is submerged is estimated at
rs 900 acres, and a continuance of the flood
farming community of that region of at
least $500, 200 A high wind was prevailing
yesterday which caused the waves to wash
openings in the Warsaw levee, which affords
protection to some GO, 600 acres of fertile Hill
nois land.
BURLINGTON Ia, May lathe river
stage now is about ten inches below the mark
of 1881, and as reports from above are that
the rise has ceased fears OF very serious
loss here are abating. The river here pre-
sents the appearance of a great lake, the
water seeming to be up to the branches OF
trees on the Illinois shore, and stretching to
the foot of the bluffs seven miles beyond,
dotted here and there by isolated farm houses
that appear to have beon built i'll a sea.
No damage to buildings or loss of livestock
has yet been reported, but the loss to farmers
must be serious as in many cases all hope OF
raising crop is gone.
HANNIBAL, Mo, May 14.-The interest in
high water here now centers in the Sny |
levee, which is in great danger of breaking |
and will stand but few inches more of a |
rise A number of men are an watch and at |
work strengthening the embankment. If it |
gives way thousands of acres of land will be |
flooded The farmers have been busy NOV |
ing to higher ground, in preparation for the |
worst
CHICAGO, May lathe high water on the |
Mississippi and other rivers in the west and |
northwest is causing an immense amount of |
loss to farmers, and much damage in towns |
and cities. At Ishpeming, Mich, the en- |
on the South Shore railway are |
washing out, but the road was all right at |
last accounts At Des Moines the water was |
still rising, and at Faribault Mimi, the high |
water had overfawed the newly seeded farms |
a nd the mills were shut down Besides that |
the weather had taken tumble and the |
was four degrees below the freez-
ing point.
Some low temperatures were reported in
the northwest Saturday, as follows: Moor
head % degrees; Bismarck, 90. Winnipeg |
10; Quappelle, IS At Sioux Falls ice formed
one quarter of an inch thick, and a snow
STERN prevailed at Galena, Ills, which was
a novel sight, even to the oldest inhabit-
ant"