The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-05-16
Surface Of the Water Covered with Wrecked
Buildings, Furniture, Logs and Live Stock
Which Had Been Swept Away.
Ten Miles Broad Below ST. Lonis and
Deep Over All the Low Lands Above.
Big -Four Railway Compelled to Use the Chi
csgo & Atoms Track-The Missouri and
Kaw Subsiding at and Near Kansas City.
THE RAGING MISSISSIPPI

Towns and Villages Fiooded-The River Ten
Miles Wide Below ST. Louis.
eyecasl to the Indianapolis Journal
ST. LOUIS, May l5-The Mississippi is
still rising. Near East St Louis a break
was made in the embankment of the
Cologne railroad, o local company. This
cansed a torrent to pour through. flooding
farming land TO the extent of fifteen by
three miles. The water did not enter ths
main part of East ST. Louis. but flooded
some of the oatying suburbs. The
East ST. Louis Jockey Club tracks
is under ten feet OF water and
considerable difficulty was experienced in
saving O number of horses. so sudden was
the rush of water. Venice. q small village
north of East ST. LOUIS. is flooded. The
inhabitants have threatened TO cut the
levee which protects Brooklyn. another
village. 30 that the water may run on
through that town. An armed guard of fifty
men was on the embankment tonight
guarding the levee.
Up the river as far as Columbia Bottoms
the appearances of suffering from rapidly
rising food W ere evident The sauattefs
with tired looks and haggard eyes, stood
on the banks. their gaze directed 60 some
humble roof jus. visible above the flood.
The rivers swift. desolating rush seems 70
have sort of fascination for this class Of
watchers. rendering them insensibls to
physical suffering
Shortly after 2 o'clock O dwelling came
down stream with rush and struck one of
the abntments of the Merchants bridge.
It was cut IN two as neatly as if the work
had been done with q circular saw. The
bridge is being subjected to tremendous
strain from an lncessant bombardment OF
heavy debris. trees, logs and other fotsam
and jetsam brought down by the great
food from remote points. No better point
of view is obtsinsble than the outer edge
OF the bridge looking up the river. Though
placed at giddy height. the observer runs
less risk than in skiff, and his attention
is not diverted by the constant vigilance
necessary to AVOID being struck by some
huge tree or floating building.
At 8 o'clock. the body of q white man.
hatless anc coatless. passed through tha
arch just below your correspondents feet,
IL was feet upward and much distended,
and had ev identity travelled long distance.
Only few hundred feet below this CHASTITY
object pretty. bureau with dainty lacs
trimmings. eolled and bedraggled, rushed
past with a huge black cat cugled up on ito
top. seemingly Needless of the dangers at
tendant upon its unaccustomed mode or
TRANSPORTATION.
The tracks of the Chicago, Burlington e.
Quincy. from the wster-works northward,
that yesterday were free of water.
are now submerged and skiffs can
down by the sewers and culyerts is backed
mp west of the Wabash track to Joyne
avenue.
A reporter took trip down the river for
a6out forty miles to-day. The situation.
viewed from the pilot-house of the steamer.
is one which, at first glance, is seen TO be
most serious. Thousands of acres. on
which. week ago the waving wheat was
growing, making q rich carpet Of green,
are now vast lakes of water. whose surface
Is broken by floating pieces of furniture.
dwellings. and, here and there the dead
body of q cow orl hog From bluff
to bluff t. is is the unbrOken monotony
that greets the eye Ten miles 10 the
average width of the river as far down as
the steamer proceeded. Hundreds Of homes
have been abandoned. and the number OF
cattle destroyed is expected TO reach INTO
the thousands. At Mont Sano aud Rock
Bridge q number of RATS were seen trans
porting household goods from those places.
TO the bluffs. just below Smith Point on q
small piece of land were over @ hundred
cattle whose death the rapidly encroach-
ing water made but the question of a few
hours. Bends island. on the Illinois side,
is t0ree 1eeb unOer wafer.
Near here. on the Missouri side, in the
vicinity of the White House. 10 the ST.
Louis, Iron Mountain az Southern railway
track. The embankment. which is dealt
vigorous blows by the rapidly flowing cur
rent, hos In many places been undermined
and no trains have been run over the track
for thirty-six hours. Untold damage will
be suffered by the railroad company az
this point alone. Up the Merrimac river
the back water has undermined the founda-
tions of over hundred houses 1t Is stated
that two st. Louis peddlers were drowned
this morning. but their names could not be
learned. AZ Fosters Island four thousand
acres of fine farming land are covered with
two feet of water and all hope of raising q
crop this year has been given mp.
The river at st. Louis at 10. r. NJ
rate of q tenth an hour. On the docks
most all perlshable matter has been re-
moved so that in the city proper but little
more damage can be done except such as
naturally is occasioned by Hooded base
Opposite Jefferson Barracks. on the IIli-
nois side of the river. several houses have
been undermined and wrecked. It
the osdSSsS;, ssssrsd o1 that Muaa all
island, thirty-six miles north of 81. Louis.
in the Missouri river, fourteen women and
children were rescued from watery grave
thismorning by volunteer corps of sc.
Louis citizens. Had the rescuers been
two hours later they would have found
only dead bodies as the water was rapidly
encroach hing on the small bit of land on
which they stood lowering half naked.
All railroad traffic over the Eads bridge
has been abandoned owing to the Hooded
tracks in Illinois The Burlington. Alton
and other roads run passenger
trains in over the Merchants' bridge.
The Walkers soap works, Latin Powder
Company's depot. Myers a. Hanson Fertil-
izlng Company's establishment and several
dairy and warehouses are oil Hooded and
work has been stopped.
Big Four's Tracks Covered.
Special 10 the Indianapolis Journal
ALTON, ILL.,, May 15.-The river IS still