The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-05-22
THE OVERLOOKED RJyFpS
Crops Entirely Destroyed - business $

business on the Keol1uk line is wholly sus-
pended, as an open lake OF water reaches from
ot. Peter to beyond Old Monroe. No accurate
estimate can now be made Of damage which
may be done within twenty-fcur hours Tnst
1all there was a large acreage OF wheat sovn ON
these iowiands, and owing to favorable season
Tor com planting, large acreage of corn was
painted. All OF these crops will he wholly de-
sGoyeo II the rise does not abate. The men
VINO VIII suffer most are renters, as all of
these bottom lands are owned by wealthy
men. '
LOUISIANA, Mo-, May 16.-The Gan in Snv
ieVee, through which the whole of the Missis
slpp,l is now pouring, has wdened almost thirty
YARDS Sny basin contains l20, GOO acres of fine
farming land, and it is estimated that fully
Io,OCO acres will be inundated. OF the sub
merged lands $1,000 acres are in crops and the
majority IN wheat. Water is now rushing
southWard over bottoms covering a space Of
SIX miles wide. The water in the river proper
is at a st@ndstll.
Quincy, III. May 16.-The food situation
grew worse yesterday and II is now most GER
tain that Indian Grove district will be aban-
doned for years to come. People in the
doomed region made a hurried disorderly re-
treat for the bluffs, the rain adding to the mis-
enes of the homeless unfortunates Indian
Grove region is completely covered with wa
ter. No loss of life has yet been reported, but
the damage property in the two districts is
known to be not far from 81 500, eco.
~ LOUIS, May l4.--1ne river is steadily
rising here and inhabitants of American bot
tom are moving their stock and portable prop
erty back to the bluffs. From experience of for
mer years they knew the territory covered now
with hundreds of thousand OF acres of waving
crops may today be under ten feet of water.
reports from the north are alarming, and if
SSny leYee or Madison dixie breaks, the loss will
be millions. A regular exodus has taken place
from Sny bottom. The entire town of Alexan-
dria, Mo, is inundated and five feet of water
covers the principal streets. There has been
no loss of life, but the property loss is heavy.
People are being taken as fast as possible to
the highlands, a couple OF miles back of town.
Sny leVee is now being patrolled for miles by
sentnes, whose duty it is to summon assist
ance when any weak Spot is Observed
Quincy, H., May 17.-Wit each hour the
situation has grown worse and is now APPALLING.
Inc floods continue 10 rise and are now being
increased by heavy rains, which began to fail
here at 9 O'Clock this morning and stil con-
unue. Water gauges now show nineteen
feet, nine and one-half inches, rise of four
and one-half inches since 10 o'clock last night
and eight and one half inches above the gauge
of 1851. All mills and factories along the
river front in this city are now under water
and shut down. The Quincy saw mill shut
down at noon, it being the only mill on the
river between st. Louis and Lacross which has
been able to run for ten days past. Many fish
ermen's houses and other small buildings are
floating down the river and men are out with
boats towing them ashore. A portion of the
track OF the Louisiana branch of the Chicago.
Burlington and Quincy has been washed away
and telegraph lines are down. Three trains
We're iolced through the water over the Hanni-
bal and st. Joe tracks west of this city last
night, but a long span Of trestle work is out Of
line with fifteen inches Of water over it, and
two trains which started west this morning
were compelled to return to the depot.
Two more breaks occurred in Sny leyee this
m0rnlnu hic oil nd fbo
entire Sny levee district is under water and
ruined. Hundreds of families are homeless
and are camped on the highlands with nothing
to shelter them from the rain, except rudeIy
lmprovised tents made of quilts and sheets.
The mayor has called meeting of citizens to
take steps for the relief of the sufferers.
ST. LOUIS, May ia special to the Post
Dispatch says there are now five bad breaks in
Sny levee and the whole of the Sny bottoms,
reaching from opposite Louisiana, Mo-, to
Hannibal, Mo-, is inundated The food covers
an area of forty miles long and five miles wide.
Every effort has been put forth to protect prop
erty, but without avail and over one hundred
thousand acres of crops will be injured or
destroyed. 1t has been seven years since floods
have swept over this fertile region.
ST. LOUIS, May IA special to the Post
Dispatch from Keokuk says there was very
slight decline of water late yesterday but the
rain that set in yesterday at O'Clock served
to keep it at standstil. Measurements re-
Gently taken show the stage Of water to be
within less than a foot of the great rise of 1857.
Railroads are all blockaded and will not be
able to resume for week, even should the
worst of the flood be over.
From Fayetteville, Ark, comes the report
that it has rained necessarily there for the last
thirty-six hours, and that White river, usually
peaceful stream is now rushing torrent
five miles wide. Severe lightning has also
prevailed in one or two instances, doing damage
to property. No report has yet been received
from the lowlands. away from railways, and
the exact damage cannot be figured A wash
out is reported on the San Francisco railway
near Windslow $50 miles south of this city.
Quincy, ILL.,, May 18.-The Quincy Wing
today organized three expeditions to the over
flowed districts and obtained minute partcu-
lars of the condition of the refugees camped on
the highlands and bluffs north and south of
the city. In Indian Grove district there are
$50 families rendered homeless, a majority OF
whom are partially sheltered in barns and
other buildings on farms not inundated. A
number, however, remain i'll the upper stories
of dwellings in the submerged area. The Bur-
lfngton and Wabash road, at East Hannibal,
is washed out for thousand yards or more,
and the tracks are covered with water
great distance in some districts.
Damage to railroad property here will be
enormous, and the interruption of traffic on
both roads will be disastrous. Communication
between Hannibal and the east is entirely cut
off and cannot be restored for many days.
Branches of the "Q'' leading to Hannibal and
Louisa are washed out for miles, bridges and
culverts being entirely carried away The force
of the flood inside leyees was much greater
than previous reports would indicate, hum
dreds of farm houses and other buildings being
swept away and demolished.
LITTLE Rock, Ark, May 18.-Heavy rains
in the past two days i'll upper Arkansas valley
have done great damage. Gazette specials to-
night say that nearly all small streams to the
Arkansas river have oyerfowed, and railroad
traffic is greatly retarded. Two bridges on the
st. Louis and San Francisco road, south of
Boston mountains, were badly damaged by
the washing away OF approaches so weaken
ing the structure so as to prevent trains pass
ing, and no ST. Louis trains have reached Fort
Smith since Wednesday night, and none are ex-
pected over the Frisco before Sunday or Mon
day.
Considerable damage is reported by washouts
to the new road between Arkansas and Fort
Gibson, Indian territory. Trains are running
regularly between Fort Smith and Paris, Tex,
the damage at that end of the Frisco line be-
ing repaired. Many farms are submerged in
creek bottoms near Alma, Ark, and hundreds
OF acres Of corn and cotton are under water.
Loss OF life is reported, but nothing authentic
has been received.
Rain has been falling in Arkansas in the
last two days, and streams are all oyerfiowed.
Immense cotton fields and corn bottoms are
ovcrfowed, and the country is suffering gem
eral inundation. SO great was tho rise from
. l. .l,wA Il