St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-19
DEs MONIES IN DANGER.
Half the Town May Be Under
Water in a Few Hours.

Water in Few Hours.
DEs MONIES, May 1S.-The situation
here is very serious touight on account
of the flood. Hundreds of people are
moving out of the lower districts. The
Des Moines and Raccoon rivers have
both been rising rapidly since last
night. They are now several inches
higher than they have been at any time
during the present season. Reports
have just reached here from pOinSt
above that eight feet of rise has been
noted there. With this flood
above the DeS MOineS river at this
point is liable to rise another
foot before morning. If it does that or
even less, one-half of the city. includ-
ing some of the business portions on
either side, will be surrounded with
water. What makes the situation more
serious is the confluence of the Des
MoineS and RaccOOn rivers at this point.
This ObStructs the flow and causes the
water to back up into the city. The
mud and water are now flowing through
hundreds of houses and the residents III
the bottoms are all panic-stricken. The
sky at 10 o'clock tonight is clear, and
with no more rainfall tine crisis shere
will be passed tomorrow. The damage
done to property in tins city will reach
a high figure and in the country dis
tricts all hope of cultivating bottom
lands has been practically abandoned.
The Des Moines river has just broken
through what is known as the North
street, which protected Cottage Home
addition. All the residences, fully one
hundred, were built during the past
wear and are now under water.
At the manufacturing suburb of
Leeds, directly in the Floyd valley,
nine persons are known 70 be drowned.
Four were drowned at Sprlngdale, Just
below Leeds. Observers on the high
bridge counted fifteen bodies swept
under it. One man attempted
to wade out carrying two child
ren. but was struck by a
floating timber and so hnrt
that he dropped one. Matt Roe, an old
sailor, saved the lives of twenty-eight
persons. Mrs. f. E. West was swept
away and separated from her little five
year-Old girl, who was drowned. A
woman who managed to wade to a
box car was there seized with labor
pains and gave birth TO a child, and
two hours later was rescued. A
woman named Hinton and three chill
dren were drownedin their own house.
Two Swedish families were swept away
and drowned before reScuerS could
reach them. The gas works and cleo
tric light plant are under water, and the
city is in darkness. Citizens have
thrown open their houses and barns, and
the churches will be opened if necessary
to shelter the homeless multitude. The
First Note of Warming
was a telegram received from Hinton,
twelve miles up the valley. to the effect
that a fOurteen-f0ot rise was coming.
Intelligence was sent TO the police
station. Chief Hawman~ was notified,
and sent at once for an engine, loaded
a boat and started up the Illinois
Central track for Leeds. The wave
struck when but short distance up,
and the tOat was launched at once.
from one house three children were
taken, but the mother could not be
rescued. and persisted. The party mar
rOWly escaped being overturned by a
second wave, six feet in height. The
angry waves nearly made way with the
boat. From another house seven were
taken who had crawled into
the house toppled over and
swept down the stream. Five people
were taken froT:: a tree at Springdale
The debris piled up so high that i
would bear the weight of man and
greatly bindered the work. Severa
large levees along the river are report
ed to be weakening tonight.
The Drowned.
A partial list of the persons known to
be drowned is as follows:
Frank Henderson, wife and child.
Two boatmen, names unknown.
p. McLearat.
An unknown Scandinavian.
Mrs. Peter Rasmussen and two chill
dren.
Two unknown men near Seventh
street and Fairmount bridge.
Unknown man at Sioux City 6
Gorfhorn N.ard