The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-04-13
THE MISSOURI At IT
At Omaha II HIS Risen Two Feet
Within "a Hours.
GREAT DAMAGE IS FEARED
Higher Than Any Time Since 1881
-Desolation In Mississippi
and Louisiana = Secre-
tary Alger's Advice.

Omaha, April 12-The Missouri river
has risen almost two feet at this point
In "A hours and is now higher than at
any time since 1881. on the Iowa bot
toms north Of Council Bluffs. the water
is four feet deep but is held back from
the city ny dykes. on the Omaha side
the factories along the river have taken
precautions against an overflow. A
portion or the Burlington tracks was
washed out this afternoon and tonight
torce Is at work trying To prevent
further washouts. The big Omaha a
Grant smelter and the Willow Springs
distillery are only a few feet above the
stream tonight. The threatened cutoff
at Blair has been ayerted for the time
at least. The Northwestern officials
say their bridge there Is safe. At
fankton. huge ice house was foated
against the Great Northern bridge over
the Pine river and both structures are
threatened with destruction. Heavy
rains fell in all this section last night
and the streams emptying into the
Missouri are all running bank full.
This evening the river broke into its
old channel at Omaha, flowing into
lake Florence which was formed when
the river changed its course nearly 20
years ago. Tonight the water is pour
ing down through the lake and has
Hooded the bottoms I'm the vicinity. All
houses in North Omaha. 200 or 800 in
number are surrounded and the inhahi-
tants have been moving to higher
ground. The Missouri Pacific and Elk
horn tracks are under water, the round
house OF the latter road being sur
rounded. The river is still rising rap
idly. the engineer at the pumping sta
lion at Florence reporting that il has
risen FOOT between noon and 10 p. m.
The water from the break into Flor
/ ence lake is finding an outlet of Cut -off
lake and II the rise is much greater.
there is great danger that the river will
reestablish its abandoned course OF 20
years ago. In this event the property
loss VIII he enormous as there are ex-
tensiNe railroad plants, factories, and
the like In the line of the threatened
cut off.
Memphis. April 12-The mighty
swoop of the waters south OF Vicks-
burg at last had it's effect upon the
lower levees and tonight a telegram
from Tallulah La. reports that the
levee which protects Davis island has
/ given way and that the island will in
all probability be flooded. Twenty-fiv
hundred people inhabit Davis island.
which consists of about 1000 acres Of
land. The island Is in Warren county.
Miss. Throughout the upper delta the
4 flood situation shows little change since
last reports. The work of government
/ relief has been actively inaugurated
Many people are being fed and hous-
ed at Greenvile. Rosedale. Helena.
/ F'riar's Point. and otherpoints along ;he
river. The relief steamer il now ply
1 Ing up the st. Francis river with food
and forage for man and beast.
AT Helena the river has fallen two
tenths of a foot in the past "a hours.
The weather observer at that point says
tonight that steady fall will he noted
In the river. despite the rise at Cairo
and up-river points. The Williamson
crcvasse has widened considerably
hut the velocity of the water has abat-
ed and no further breaks are feared.
AT Greenville the river Is stationary
tonight. Captain Martin, representing
the secretary of war arrived at Green
VILE to-day and is now thoroughly in
vestigating the needs OF the sufferers
in that territory, and will base his re-
\ port as to the amount of rations to be
distributed In Washington county upon
| the result OF his observations. Fully
! 5000 negroes in Washington county
alone are penniless and must be taken
| care of.
Washington, April i2.-Secretary Al
ger this morning sent the following
| telegraphic order through Adjutant
General Ruggles to Captain Davis
1 commissary officer at Memphis, with
| instructions to forward the same order
to all officers now distributing rations:
THE secretary of war directs you "a
/ ,.f
| people who are receiving aid from the
| government from gathering in the
cities, for as soon as the water sub
sides their services will doubtless bs
required TO move upon the levees and
till the fields. and besides. II would he
great expense to transport them
back to their former homes when need.
| ed even If they should desire TO do so. ,
| uk GDI2T