River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-05-19
THE FLOODS,
sim Causing Much. Damage and Soma
Loss of Life In Several states.

The FLOODS.
sim Causing Much Damage and some
Loss of Life In Several states.
ST.. Lofts, May i6.-The river at 10
p. M, Sunday measured $40 feet and is
still rising at the rate of d tenth ali
hour. On the docks most ali perishable
matter has heen removed, so that in the
city proper but little more damage can
be done except as is naturally occa-
stoned by flooded. Easements. etc. A re-
porter took a trip down the river for
about 40 miles Sunday. 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 grow
ing are now vast lakes, whose surface
is broken by floating pieces of furni-
ture, dwellings, and here and there the
body of a COW or hog. From bluff to
bluff this is the unbrolSen monotony
that greets the eye Ten miles is 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.
Bends island, on the Illinois side, is
feet under water. Near here on the
Missouri side in the vicinity of the
White house is the st. Louis, Iron
Mountain e Southern railway track.
The embankment, which is dealt vigor-
BUS blows by the rapidly flowing cur
rent. has in many places been under
mined and no trains have been run
over the track for thirty-six hours, 1t
is stated that two st. Louis peddlers
were drowned early Sunday morning
in the Merrimae river, but their names
could not be learned. At Fosters
island 1000 acres of fine Farming land
are covered with ? feet of water and all
hope of raising a crop this year has
been given up.
On Mullanphy island, SO miles north
of st. Louis in the Missouri river, four
teen women and children were rescued
from watery grave Sunday morning
by volunteer corps of St. Louis citi-
zens. Had the rescuers been two hours
later they would have found only dead
bodies. as the water was rapidly en-
croaching on the small section of land
on which the party stood shivering and
half naked, and here they had been for
hours, after being driven from their
homes by the flood.
Reporters stationed on the Merchants
bridge in North St. Louis have seen sew
eral dead bodies floating in the water.
Most of them have evidently come a
ong distance. II is now "a common
sight to see small houses and various
articles of furniture travelling past. All
railway traffic over the Eads bridge
has been abandoned owing to the
flooded tracks In Illinois. The Buflihg-
ton, Alton and other roads run pas
senger trains in over the Merchants
bridge
New MADISON, H., May 1B.-The
Madison levee has broken and all that
protects this town from being flooded
is the Chicago & Alton embankment.
The water is within two feet of the top
of this, and if it gives way, which it
threatens to do in several places, the
town will be flooded and very serious
damage done. The levee guarding
Horseshoe lake and Cahokia creek to
the northwest are threatening to give
way at any moment and danger of
food in that direction is also imminent
CARRoLLToN, H., May 16.-The
illinois river is still rising at the rate
of one-half inch an hour and great dam.
age is being done to meadows and
growing wheat in the western portion
of this county. The Hartwell, Reach
and Kelley levees broke Saturday and
there are now about 5000 acres OF
wheat and meadows under water in
this county. Large herds of cattle
have been driven to the hills and fam
lilies are moving out.
CAHoKIA, ILL.,, May 16.-The embank
ment of.the Conlogue Railroad Company,
about 200 feet long, has given way and
the town is flooded to the depth of sew
eral feet No lives have been lost, but
large amount of damage has been
done.
INDEPENDENCE, Ia, May 16.-Eight
days continuous rain and cloudbur
in the eastern part of the county caused
four bridges to 60 out and the lowlands
are flooded. A Danish family, consist
ing of the man, wife and child, attempt
ed to cross bridge just before it went
down. The bridge gave way while
they were on il and all were drowned.
The damage TO seed in the ground is
enormous. Pine creek rose feet in one
hour.
New ORLEANS, May 16.-The situa-
ton along the Mississippi river south OF
Vicksburg continues to be serious and
the outlook for the next two weeks
is not promising. All the i'm.
portant levees in Louisiana are
still holding, but in north Louisiana
they are subjected to very Sc
we're strain. The two breaks in Arlzan.
sas are widening rapidly and are now
discharging something more than 150,.
900 gallons of water second and the
river below has been relieved tempo
rarily of that much of its surplus. But
this relief is only temporary so far as
the Mississippi below the Red river is
concerned and may yet prove dis
astrous for that portion of Louisiana
lying between the Red and the
Arkansas line. The water from
these breaks is fast filing ur
the lowlands along the Bayou Macon,
and will soon fill that stream ar6
Bayou Tensas bank full. Should one
of the levees along the north Louisiana
front break after these streams and the
surrounding streams are full the whole
section will go under water with un
paralleled rapidity and to an unusual
depth.