The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-05-18

Its Eastern Approach washed Out and
All Traffic suspended-water Twenty
Five Feet Deep In Some Towns-A1arm.
ing Situation at Many Points.
OMAHA, May 1S.-The eastern APP
proach to the great Union Pacific bridge
here has been washed out. All traffic is
stopped.
ST. LOUIS, May 19.-The food situa-
tion is more serious this morning than it
has been since the water began rising.
The gauge registers 1874 feet, with the
river stationary, although having a
rising tendency. An inch Of rain fell
throughout the Missouri and upper Miss
issippi valleys last night, and this water
will begin to reach here very soon. Cen
eral rains are reported throughout the
valley. In all probability the river will
20 over 36 feet before coming to a stand
still.
The greatest danger Is in American
bottoms on the Illinois side. The
levees to the north ave given away and
only the Chicago g. Alton railroad EN-.
bankment is holding back the floods. A
great deal depends O. the point at
which any break may occur as to the
amount of damage done. At present
three-quarters of the American bottoms,
which is a tract of land 25 miles long by
five miles wide, is under water. The
principal cities in it, East st. Louis and
Madison, are still safe, they being
higher han the surrounding country.
The towns of Venice, Brooklyn, East
Madison, East Carondolet, Centreville
Station, Forest Lawn and Cahokia are
under from five to twenty feet of water.
At least 90 square miles of the most fer
tile farming lane is inundated and
thousands of farmers have been driven
from their homes and forced to seek
refuge on the Pittsburg bluffs, which lie
east of the flooded district. They are
without shelter, food or fueL. They
were forced by the sudden rise of the
waters to leave sill their property be-
hind them. In many instances the
farmers managed to drive their stock
to safety, but in many others all they
saved was their lives.
Their condition has become so desper-
ate that a committee headed by two
Catholic priests, Father Dietrich Of Ca
hokia, and Father Mayfus of Centreville
Station, went to Bellville, the capital of
st. Clair County, Ill, and appealed to
County Judge Boneau and Mayor Weber
for assistance. Judge Boneau has come
to St. Louis and has arranged with
Gov. Francis to secure the loan of 100
tents belonging to Missouri in order that
those people may be sheltered. The
two priests while at Belleville said that
there were 200 families, constituting
about 200 people in all, without shell
ter of any kind.
ALTON, ILL.,, May 19.-Numerous res
cues of families from the tops of their
residences by steamers and other craft
are reported. So far no loss of life has
been reported. The sufferings of the
people driven from their homes are in
tense. Nearly 1900 men have been
thrown out of employment by the com
pulsory suspension Of the Illinois Glass
Works.
GREENvILLE, Miss, May 1S.-The
Panther Forest levee break on the Ar
kansas shore is 800 feet wide, with q
volume of water II feet deep pouring
through. The big plantations now
under water are those of R. E. Craig, B.
H. Smith, w. B. Halliday, w. o. Crit
, tenden, Gaines Landing place, Chap
/ man, Linwood and Brinkley places and
| all the plantations on both sides Of
, Bayou Mason The Brooke mill levee
! break has oyerfi0wed almost the remain
der of Chicot County, and when the
two bodies of water meet that part of
Arkansas will be a vast lake. The
water has already backed thirteen miles
! into the country. The river here is sta
= t%ionary, despite the heavy overflow at
r the breaks.
GAINEsvLLR, Tex, May 1S.-From
, the southern boundary of Oklahoma to
? this city the land, which has been food
q ed since Saturday, is just beginning to
a show agains Miles upon miles of crops
, are ruined, and LOO feet Of the Santa
! Fe road has been washed way between
. here and Purcell. Nearly all the bridges
. In this part of TeKas nave been washed
away by the floods, and no trains from
the North have arrived since Saturday.
NEW ORLEANS, May 1S.-The break in
Gypsy leVee, thirty miles north Of New
( Orleans, onthe left bank, is nearly SO(
feet wide, and 10 feet deep. The tracks
of the N. o. a. I. road are submerged
for miles. A large force of men were
= working last night to stop the gap
Engineers say it Is well nigh impossible
. to do so. The large plantations arr
badly damaged. The levee at the poin'
: where it broke was eight feet high. Thi'
break will lessen the strain in the lower
levees to q great extent. The valley
railroad and farmers will suffer most
from the crevasse, the latter losing
everything.