The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1888-05-26
THE LOSSES BY THE FLOODS.

QUINCY, ILL, May 81.
OF the great flood in the Mississippi
which will be remembered as witho
precedent in the destruction and suffe
ing created, it is thought that the wor
high water is past. But the worst tn
could happen has already occurre
Hundreds of families have been rendt
ell homeless and thousands of acres
growing crops ruined, TO say nothii
Of the loss ~entailed by dem0iishe
buildings, wrecked fences and was
outs. A trip through the sulntnerg,
regions shows that the stories Of 10
and suffering already published ha'
not been exaggerated in the IDEAS
From the northern end OF Adam
county to the southern end Of PHI
the river was protected by a System
~levees, the regions embracing9250,0I
acres, and the soil being the ricAfestj
the state. All this region is nosyful
vast lake from six to ten feet In, dept
Along the bluffs OIL the eastcrnfatRD
the submerged district, huudredni
families are camped, living In ftest
huts aud in tho open DIR Beforahtb
floods most OF these people wue-wr
to do, prosperous farmers, but now the
have little Dr. nothing. Much siakIies
prevails among the unfortunateg 6sgin
TO want and exposure, but sprDmf
measures have been taken to aileyiai
their ~sufferings. The inuudatad Ire
gIOns are full of d%esolation. Deserte
homesteads with water lappin8 th
naUna oT.n fhn .nngi fpan,rapf rtnxrt&aa
the most pathetic sight. But here an
there is a spark OF life not yetiextii
guished by the aIl-destroyingn water
While the vas majority of the infiabi
tants fled to high lands, a few were no
granted time TO get away, or misjadge'
the character OF the breaks In Oh
levecs and determined TO stayOtwitl
their homes and are now livingiz IN gar
rets or Oh the roofs. 5tqoeq
Every root has been turnedl Into
place of refuge for live stock, poultry
etc, but numbcrless houses have bee
lifted from their foundations audiaar
ried away with the irresistible cnrren
or demolished entirely. In theo&n
Levee district below this city the sitns
ton is infinitely worse than in there
RiOH5 ~ tilC uoIlH. ~ TeVuSstDW Atc
completed the inundation il opeHRtith
upper end OF the einbankmstf..s an
the pcnt up waters from the river puti
ed over the vast tract of rich faaHuin
lands, sweeping everything beforHoi
The torrent rushed down In aiagset
wav several feet high, with ;sDfafc
which nothing could withstandapT I'll
towns of Fall Greek, SeehOruvs Gn
liulls are but mere islands and there
much suffering there. The damage {
railroad property is enormous and
will be three weeks after the wate
subsidies before trains can be rHppin
on time. This city is cut off 9Eel
railroad communication to the, enortf
west and south. The Quincy u ga
tllage track is under water for, affis
lance OF several miles. The Quinc,
Alton and st. Louis track is washe
out for miles. Bridges arc gone al
telegraph poles are down. The Oh.
cag0, Burlington u Quincy and Il
Wabaih tracks at East Hannibal wei
washed INT Saturday morning. n
attempt is made To run trains on an
road. Owing % the great confusion
is impossible to obtain The detaile
loss, bat the aggregate will reac
fully 50 900 900 from crops alone. III
damage TO levees, houses and rOa,
will approximate SG0O, 900.