St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-18
Rising Waters Make Scores
Of People Homeless in
Various Sections.
ReScuerS Succeed in Saving
Isolated Unfortunates
From Death.
Swollen Streams Carry Evil
denees That Great Havoc
Is Wrought.
Fears in Many Sections That
Historic Floods Are to
Be Repeated.

ST. LOUIS, May 1.-THE flood situa-
ton is more serious tonight than since
the water began rising. At o. m. the
gauge showed 34.4 feet, with the river
stationary, although having a rising
tendency. An inch of rain fell through
out the Missouri and Upper Mississippi
valleys last night, and this water will
begin to reach here in the morning. 1t
is raining heavily here tonight and gen.
eral rains are reported throughout the
valley. In all probability the river will
go over thirty-siX feet before coming to
a stand.
The American bottoms on the Illinois
side are flooded. The dykes above have
given way, and only the Chicago &
Alton bank is holding back the floods.
At present three-quarterS of the Amer
ican bottom, which is tract OF land
twenty-five by five miles wide, is under
water.
East ST. Louis and Madison are still
safe, they being higher than the sur
rounding country. But the towns of
Venice, Brooklyn, East Madison, East
CarOndolet, Centreville Station, Forest
Lawn and Cahokai are under from five
to twenty feet of water. At least ninety
square miles of the most fertile farming
land is inundated and
Thousands of Families
have been driven from their homes and
forced to seek refuge on the Pittsburgh
bluffs, just east of the flooded district.
They are without shelter or food. They
were forced by the sudden rise of the
waters to leave all 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 des-
perate that today committee, headed
by two Catholic priests, Father Die
tritch, of Cahokiah, and Father Mayfus,
of Centerville Station, went to Belle
vile, the capital or st. Clair county,
and appealed to the county judge,
Boneau, and Mayor Weber for assist
ance. Judge Boneau came to st. Louis
and has arranged with Gov. Francis, to
secure the loan of $50 tents belonging to
Missouri in order that these people may
~
BelleYille said that there were 200 fami-
lies gathered together, constituting
about 80 people, and they were without
shelter of any kind.
The lowlandS contain negro pOpu-
lation, and they threaten to cut the
Alton embankment. An armed patrol
guards the embankment, and any at
tempt on the part of the negroes to cut
the dixie will be met with summary
vengeance. Armour's packing house in
East st. Louis is surrounded by water,
and men are at work WaiSt-deep in water
getting out carloads of meat. A feature
of the suffering from the flood in this
city is the threatened coal famine. Many
factories will shut down today from in
ability to procure supply of coal. 1t
is estimated that 1900 men are idle
from factories and foundries stopping
work on account of high water.
A passing boat saw a farmer. who
lives about nine miles north of st.
Charles. on the roof of his house. He
hailed the boat, which could not get to
him. He said that he was in imminent
peril and would lose his life if help did
not soon come.
Advices at midnight state that two
breaks have occurred in the Chicago q
Alton embankment, one near NameOki,
ILL.,, the other near Mitchell, Ill. This
means that the entire American bottom
will be flooded. Train and mail service
are all badly affected by breaks this aft
ernOOn and tonight.
CAIRO, ILL.,. May 1.-THE Iron Mount
ain railway between here and Poplar
Bluffs, Mo-. is flooded and the track
partly washed away. Traffic has been
suspended. At Dudley everything is
flooded by the highest water ever
known. Thirteen railroad bridges on
the Cotton Belt and Iron Mountain are
washed away.