The sun., 1892-05-20

| at . Stsndstili. nnd Long Stretches OF
Track and Scores OF Bridges Washed
| Awny-Giving Relief to tho Sufferers
Fenrs mt Midnight that All tho I.evees
| between ST. 1.ouis and New Orieaas
Will Give wny-The Rivers Stin Kisiag.
CHICAGO. May 10-Never in tho history OF
the West have so many lives been lost and SO
much property been destroyed by floods as has
been chronicled in the past two weeks.
Iowa. Illinois. Nebraska. Missouri. and .
portion OF Kansas and Minnesota are covered
| with water. which is rising steadily and caus.
| ing widespread ruin and misery. 1t Is estt-
| mated tonight that fifty persons have per.
| ished ut Sioux City,
| The casualties reported from other places
| will bring the death list UP to ono hundred or
more. Sioux City as we'll as scores Of towns in
| Iowa are cut off from the outside world.
| Trains cannot leave or enter them and coal
famine is threatened.
There was no cessation OF the storm In
| Illinois, Rain has fallen every day but three
for the past fortnight. and tonight water is
coming down in q dscouraging way. All the
rivers and creeks are out Of their banks and
sending tremendous volumes Of water into the
already submerged low lands.
The old town OF Alexandria In Iowa Is
crumbling into the flood. Keokuk is without
gas. and Dcs Moines is in q panic. the flood
from the river having invaded the business
district and threatening great damage. and
UP in Wisconsin tho rivers are rising RAPIDLY.
Last night the dams at Ironton, Glendale.
Elroy. and Wonewoc burst flooding thousands
of acres OF land One mile Of the track Of the
Northwestern road was washed away.
The entire railway mail service between
Chicago and Mississippi and Missouri River
points Is demoralized. and as q consequence
tho mail trains have been stopped altogether
on some lines or are greatly delayed.
The amount OF mail matter now coming into
Chicago from Western points Is estimated BY
Post Office officials to be one-third less than
when all the lines are open. However. all the
roads are making heroic efforts to keep their
lines working.
The Santa Fe road is badly crippled. WASN'T
outs being reported at many points along the
line. No mails are coming direct from Omaha.
both the approaches to the Omaha River
bridge being under water.
The service over the Northwestern and 81.
Paul roads is equally as bad many bad wash.
outs being reported on both lines in Iowa
Some of the trains were compelled to return to
their starting points with mail and passengers.
One Of the clerks in the railway mail service.
who came from Omaha to-day. said he never
saw such general devastation. Along the
bottom lands Of the Mississippi and the
rivers which run into 1t farmers have
lost everything. and even whore no foods
have disturbed the farmers. tho seed they
have planted has been rotted by the continu-
GUS rains. Business is at a standstill in nearly
all the States affected by tho downpour.
The effect In Chicago is disastrous. Tho
commission business Is paralyzed. and there
is scarcely enough doing to keep the packers
busy The big commercial houses are also
deserted.
From reports received tonight 1t ts esti-
%ated that the damass aSpe q the Western
s2SS hf ii
sTdgh rs %agy A ass ofanaFS
Of water the Floyd Rivor, is an insgni1cant
s wSeG y hf %sls 5S: 5n:
TIE Immense aood Of water whioh felI from fh:
stream. @ '% The FLOYD foss through the centre
81 o nna ts s
b60usht death nna h9 aemGSn i nos q ths.
The water in Floyd River i receded rapidly
last might; but to-day Is still outsids oi rs
tom lands is still covered. but to no great
sion Of the hood Is one n Which beesars I dessrp-
e 81 reyd s Bs
suburb Of Lynn to tho Missouri River. This
comprises q district four miles long and
The ns oyd s1a Il. ea As0ds as
A large portion OF the inhabitants are
retaii shops sSroashous thIs reg os. TbI.
r. he.shs shs eS'd th sN' sSssss
long w'ti ana
either smashed or turned bottom side up, It
Is me- ON It's % sis or to ro Many TeR
~ thif area for six or sisIs streets spaas
and the wind blowing hurricane: Ever.
pavements: railroad tios and timhers are scat
tered about Among tho contorted and. and over.
pn1sd WITH bSasa' Ma' hS h ws Inca
hundreds OF thousands Of them them ana carried
Several thousand people closely followed th9
receding flood to search for their homes and
Of tho flood will be able to occupy their homes
q present: The street, streets aro imPa;s,,saels. P.;,,I
What houses arc not wrecked and carried
away will be almost uninhabitable. Furni-
ture un, Is destroyed and many things in tho
:, The rescu!ng parties are. hard at work. Mrs
Mstsf a ocSss s n nj nor f ss
had put trunk on table md sat on i for
innn Pec"ut OF tho Deeds Engine Works said:
The l9od struck here at 5:55 A. ". Ono OF
mon and they llei: liy ropes thH r",eulng boats
shore; Bob Harvey an old hoatman., went out
in boat after some one who could not be
reached. The boat disappeared and was not
seen again"
Boats are plying to-day over the flooded ter-
rtory. searching the houses remaining for
sick and dead rcoplr and bringing to shore
high wind which swept the whole valley ali
day made II next to impossible for tho most
noatmon t. hold out more than
two trips. Several persons have been found
IN overturned housrs.wherc they spent night
Ci terror
As the water receics the list OF deaths will
certainly he increased. Oscar Anderson, who
worked all day yesterday ke = hero, and who
the drowning Of n little child. torn
away from its mother when the rescuing
party had almost reached her lost his reason,
and Is raring ro.day about tho beautiful baby
that was swept under tn" muddy waves.
NJ trains have lett the city yet except on the
Nyu il...,- llaE pat, In