Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-05-16
WATER SOAKED FARMS.
THE IMMENSE LOSS BY THE shy
LEVEE GIVING WAY.

| GGNEG SlNHNS WAL
More Than 81 100000 Damage Done Al
ready and One Life Lost-Ihe Mississippi
River Continues to Rise, Threatening
StilI More Tremendous Havoe-Watch
ing the Embankment at Hannibal
Homeless Farmers.
| QUINCY, Ills, May l6.-The Mississippi
river at this point continues to rise, and is
now eighteen feet and nine inches above low
water mark. being within four inches of the
1881 mark. The rise since O'Clock yesterday
morning has been four inches, The river at
| this point is fully ten miles wide, and the de-
| Sruction will certainly foot up 81 900, 900 or
more along the Adams county river frontage
alone, while the losses for the same frontage
| on the Missouri side will be more than half
that amount
| 1t is claimed that 10000 to $1,000 acres of
wheat is submerged and will be ruined, and
it promised to he the best crop of wheat
raised in the leveed district of this county for
years. Besides the wheat thus DESTROYED
many thousands Of acres of corn were
planted, and even though the floods subside
soon n very large per cent. of this crop can
not be repanted this season. The direct loss
| to farmers in the Indian Grave levee district
alone is now estimated at 500, 900, aside from
the damage TO levees.
The shy levee district embraces the great
Mississippi river bottom from this city TO the
mouth Of the Illinois river, and is one of the
most productive tracts of land in Illinois, and
it il now believed that most of the ita1nense
| acreage of wheat in that district will be de-
stroyed, A very large portion of this land is
in Pike county. The damage done to the
tracks of the O. M. & r., the Hannibal & ST.
Joe, and the st Louis, Kansas e. Northwest
ern railroads across tho river from this city
can not be ascertained until the floods sub
side. The tracks of the Carthage branch and
the Louisiana branch of the Chicago, Burlng-
ton e. Quincy company, both on the east side
of the river, are also badly damaged.
No mail has reached Canton and La
Grange, Mo, for nearly week, except by
boat from this city. Mail and express mat
ter for the o. M. q z, line has to be taken
by skiffs from this city to a point in Missouri
four miles distant, and there placed on the
trains. All trains on the st. Louis, Kansas
& Northwestern line are abandoned and will
not run again for many days. there being
fully five feet of water over many miles of
track opposite this city.
One woman was drowned in the Indian
Grave district while trying to rescue her
been reported, as it was mostly driven to the
highlands before the levees broke. A mum
of farmers narrowly escaped drowning while
rescung their household goods
Along the river front in this city but little
damage has been done, but four inches more
rise will cause the shutting down of the ex
tensive paper mills and also the Quincy Metal
Wheel works, as the water is now within n
few inches of the fires in the engine-rooms
The Tellico Touring mills will also have to
close with four inches more rise. The entire
basement of Blomes, Wolf & Michael's ex-
tensive packing house is flooded, but the CON
tents were saved. The floors of the Diamond
10 and st Louis & st. Paul Packet com
panies' wharf houses are under water, and
the largest of the city water works pumps
can not be operated.
Rain fell here all day yesterday, and it is
feared the worst of the flood is yet to come.
Threatening Situation at Hannibal.
HANNIBAL, Mo-, May ,G.-At 8 O'Clock last
night the gauge indicated only fifteen inches
below the highest water ever known here.
Steadily the rise continues at the rate of six
inches every twenty-four hours The great
Sny levee still holds in this vicinity. The
chief engineer and commissioners of the levee
have established their headquarters at East
Hannibal, where they are directing the 300
men and teams who, since the danger-line
was reached, have been actively at work
the embankment. Yesterday |
in several places water flowed over the top |
of the levee, but the vigilance of the watch |
cr's averted break tho low places being |
raised before serious damage could be done |
All day an endless stream of wagons con- |
tanning the families of farmers wendell their |
way toward this city, having abandoned their |
homes and crops 1t is now believed that no |
loss of life will result, the levee lands are |
practically deserted. The best posted men |
say that there will be, at the lowest calcula-
tion, a further rise of eighteen inches here, |
which will be three inches higher than ever
before recorded.