St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-13
IT IS over ITS BANKS.
The Father Of Waters Spreads
Itself Over a Part of
West st. Paul,
Flooding Easements and Driv-
ing Many Poor People
From Their Homes.
Small Damage in Dollars and
Cents and no Great
Danger Feared.
Wisconsin Rivers Still Doing
Damage--Zumbro Sub
siding.

The Mississippi river rose so high
yesterday that the West ST. Paul fats
were covered and many families were
driven from their homes. Nearly
all that part of West st. Paul
lying to the south OF State street were
Inundated, the waters coming nearly up
to Indiana avenue. From State street
the stretch of country had the appear
ance of lake. Up the river in the
vicinity of Reimer's brewery the water
had risen over the banks and the lower
floor of the brewery was under water.
In the neighborhood of Belle and Ethel
streets the water covered the banks. AT
Walter street the water was up
to Fairfield avenue, which is
nearly block from the levee,
Some of the small houses, in which poor
families live, along the river below
South Robert street were flooded in the
easements, and in some instances on the
lower floors. But the most serious part
of the inundatiOn was on the fiat, off be-
yond State street, which, by its high
grade, proved barrier to the encroach-
ing waters and prevented the fiat this
side from the soaking which the real
estate just on the other was getting. 1t
was moving day for score or more of
families who lived in the little houses in
the vicinity. The water came up on
them all unaWareS, and as the stretch of
country was so level a slight rise was
enough to flood Easements, and in many
cases to wash the first floors of the poor
little buildings. From the elevated
point of observation which State street
afforded a dozen or more houses could
be seen which were completely sur
rounded by the flood and about which
the occupants were
Padding IN BOATS,
getting out such of their household
goods as they could. 1t was hard for
the dwellers there. They are foreigners
with little property, and they had no
place to put such of their goods as they
took away, or to stay themselves, unless
some acquaintance whose house was on
higher ground took them and theirs in
out OF the wet. Moving carts were in
active demand, and in many cases the
goods were placed in the bare sand on
State street for want of any other Stor-
age place. The dwellerS in the vicinity
whose houses were safe, gathered in
little groups along State street and
watched the proceedings of their
droWned-out neighborS with idle curl
oSity. The small boys had great fun.
Rats were made from all available
pieces of board and other drift wood,
and the youngsters went sailing through
the late front yards of their fathers in
great glee.
The building of the st. Croix
Lumber company was surrounded
by water, and some of the lumber
which had been piled near by, was
carted away to prevent the water from
turning it to driftwood. The house of
Charles Zelllin, OH Constant street, was
surrounded before the family had much
warning, and the members had to go,
leaving their furniture there. Jacob
Tinsberg moved out just in season to
catch a dry patch, while A. Herman,
whose house is on Concord street, with
his family, was caught by the flood, and
decided to put in the night in the upper
story of his house. He might as well
have been in Venice, for it was inn
possible to get out OF doors except in
beats.
Among other families that moved out
and were questioning where to take
their goods, or who got ready to leave
the second story in case the water
came higher, were those of A. Rams
M. Ornstein, A. Margolis, L. Schectman,
Mrs. Zedler, S Stotfer, A. Sienig, Jacob
Henzleberg, Simon Abraham, Isaac
Alpberg, Il. MargoliS and S. Nehon. In
each of these familit were women and
children, and the flood which many re-
garded as of not much account, was
serious business to them, fer they are
poor and have nowhere to go. Peter
Margolis, at $40 st. Lawrence street,
with his family, was forced to move, for
the water completely surrounded his
house.
Up at the new athletic park the work.
men were trying to build the fence, and
work was kept up all the afternoon,
though it was rather wet, as fully
FIVE FEET OF WATER
covered the ground. EARLY in the day
the water got into the basement of the
steam producing machines so thorough
" that work was stopped. The laundry
is located in the block on the right, di-
rectly at the end of the Robert street
bridge.
There were many difficulties to con-
tend with on the part of the dWellers in
the inundated district, so suddenly did
the water come Oh them. One family,
composed of father, mother, four or five
children and fiocks of geese and hens,
tried to make the trip in boat from the
house to dry land. TO insure the safety
of the hens the owner tied them to the
geese, think that the latter would tow
them ashore if any accident befel.
When well out on the water the hens
came near getting lost in the shuttle,
and in his excitement to save them, the
bewildered man nearly dropped one
combination OF geese and hens to work
ing properly and the entire family
landed safely.
There was no current, fortunately,
for on the fiat the water came in through
an opening in the levee and backed up.
1t was like the coming in OF the tide very
slowly. All the afternoon and up to
midnight the river was rising slowly
at the rate of an inch an hour.
The people on the West side
were not as rule fearful of any more
serious trouble. The rise is due to the
freshet in the Minnesota river, a great
volume of water from that stream flow
ing into the Father of Waters.
THE OBSERVATIONS.
Observations as to the height of water
began OIL April Z, the day on which the
ice started moving out. On that day the
height was feet inches, and Tor the
succeeding days as follows: April 8,
feet inches; April 8, z feet 8 inches;
April 10, 8 feet2 inches; April IL, IL
feet 2 inches, and April IL, yesterday,
13 feet inches.
Last year the ice began moving out
March 90, and the observation on that
day showed the height of water to be
feet inches. The maximum height
was reached April II, being feet 6
inches.
Observer Lyons was asked yesterday
what he thought about the prObabilitleS