Omaha daily bee., 1897-04-27
BRINGING UP THE BIG RIVERS
Local Floods Cause II Rise in the Mis-
sfssippf ana Missouri.


| sissippi and Missouri.
ST. LOUIS, April 26.-The Mississippi
registered a decline here this morning but
| above, at Keokuk, Hannibal and other places
a rise of 1.6 feet is shown, and the Missouri
is also booming. AT Kansas City the ad-
vance for the past forty-eight hours has
| been fully two feet while at BoonvilTe It
is 1.2 feet. There are places near Quincy
where the water spreads over the low lands
| from bluff to blufT. making the river from
| eight to ten miles wide. The levees can
| stand a foot or two more water, but the
danger lies in the continual rising of the
surface water on the inside. which is now
| almost to the top of the banks Everything
portable has been removed from the evee
| districts, and the guards of the levees are
keeping close watch night and day, strength
ening the weak places as fast as discovered.
| The Mississippi and Des Moines rivers are
over the embankments at three different
places, and inundated Alexandria, Mo-, com
pelling people to abandon their homes or
move to the second stories. The steamer
City Of Warsaw rescued stock from the
overfowed territory yesterday around there.
At Hannibal, Mo, all the low lands are
now inundated and the water covers the
Missouri, Kansas e. Texas switch tracks on
the river front. The packet house of the
Diamond 10 company is cut off from the
mainland by a stream of water fifty feet
wide and several inches deep, and passengers
are compelled to cross on an improvised plat
form. The Sny levee Is not considered in
danger and 1t Is believed that it will sue
cessfully resist the present rise, although
the low places are rapidly filling with seep
water The bottom lands above Hannibal
are a dreary waste of water as far as the
eye can reach The water has crossed the
track of the ST. Louis Keokuk e. North
western between there and Quincy, and pas
Inc, hat tn pttrl linU Utfr
over the Quincy and Louisiana division and
the Carthage branch of the Chicago, Burling-
ton G. Quincy, crossing the river here. The
Hannibal & st. Joseph through trains ceased
to run via Hannibal yesterday afternoon,
running directly from Palmyra, Mo- to
Quincy. Ill. The track is still all right
south of the city.
The following prediction was made today
by DR.. FrankenGeld, the local weather
bureau manager: The river at st. Louis
will commence to rise Monday night or
Tuesday morning. and will probably reach
twenty y-eight feet on Wednesday. The Mis-
souri, will rise generally, as will also the
Mississippi below Warsaw, III. A gauge
close TO twenty feet is indicated at Hannibal
and Quincy on Tuesday. and III feet at
Louisiana on "Wednesday.
A later dispatch from Hannibal, Mo-, says:
"The food conditions are becoming alarming.
The government gauge at 10 O'Clock this
morning registered eighteen feet and eleven
inches being nearly two feet above the dan
ger line. The water is up to Front street
and the cellars on Main street are filled.
The Hannibal saw mill was obliged to shut
down today on account of the high water,
and the Hannibal & St. Joseph shops are
nearly surrounded. The damage already has
been considerable, and is being increased
every hour. A large force of men has been
working on the Sny leyee for the past three
days, day and night. endeavoring 10
strengthen it Is much as possible. The levee
one mile above Stilwell farm, at what Is
known as Sandrldge, Is composed principally
of sand, and It is feared that it will give
way. II Is feored the rise will continue here
until the twenty-five foot stage is reached
The Sny island farmers are moving their
stock and grain to the highlands, as they
fear the levee will break
At noon today the Mississippi registered
eighteen feet above low water mark at
Quincy, H. rise of five inches since last
evening. The government has force OF
men working on the leyees between there
and Warsaw. H., strengthening the weak
places, aud grave fears are entertained for
their safety. Farms are being abandoned
north OF here The bulk OF the railroad
traffic is now being carried on through this
city owe: the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
railway.