The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-03-20
MAY HAVE ANOTHER FLOOD.
Indications Point to an Overflow of
the River This Spring.

SOnulll0nS are ldNOfdUlc IOf du
overflow of the Mississippi River,
such as the valley has seen but once
or twice in the past quarter of a CEN
tury. Already the Lower Mississippi
is high in it's banks, and in many
places has overf1owed them. The
Ohio River is far above the danger
line, and is pouring torrent of water
into the Mississippi - H:i~o The
Illinois River was rising rapidly yes
terday at Peoria, and by this after
noon the rise will be general from
there to Grafton. The recent wet
weather has sent an unusually large
volume of water into nearly every
river of the Mississippi Valley.
The cold weather predicted for to-day
will, it is thought, hold the ice in the
rivers above St. Louis, but unless it
continues cold for some days nothing
can prevent an overflow of the low
lands in Illinois and Missouri, say
old steamboatmen.
Capt. Connor, of the City of St.
Louis, who arrived yesterday after
noon from trip to New Orleans, says
the lower river country cannot stand
much more water. Many landings be-
tween Memphis and Vicksburg have
already been abandoned because OF
high water. A continuation of the
present rainy weather or a big thaw
in the North would probable result in
sending volume of water into the
Mississippi which the channel could
not carry. Last winter the weather
conditions in the Northwest were IA
vorable for big spring rise. Heavy
SHOWS fell in the mountains and much
of it still lies there. In portions OF
the Northwest the ice in the rivers is
D feet i'll thickness. The Missouri
River is full of thick ice as far down
as Omaha, and the Mississippi is
blocked at Burlington. Yesterday
lrJrning the rains and warm weather
started the ice at Burlington, and if
the weather conditions do not change
materially the ice of both rivers will
start down toward the already con-
gested Lower Mississippi. Yesterday
the river at this point stood at 10 feet
: above low water mark. 1t had been
falling some during the precedining
twenty-four hours, but this fall will
be checked by the Illinois and other
tributaries. SteambOatmen attach
much Importance to changes of only a
, fewinches in the stage of the rivers
, at different points above ST. Louis.
They believe that continued rains and
warmer weather will start the ice ;rd
, cause an overflow of the Mississippi
in many places.
ST. Louis is the dividing point for
the lowlands along the Mississippi on
the Missouri side of the river. Above
the city the banks on the Missouri
, side are low, and at high water the
/ farming districts are flooded. Below
the high bluffs protect the Missouri
side. On the east side. between the
river and the bluffs, lies the Amedican
Bottom, containing some of the rich
est agricultural land in the country.
: The greater part of this bottom is
pretty we'll protected by public dikes
and railway embankments. A few
breaks occurred during the high water
/ of 1892, and some also in the spring
of 1882, but the dammage was light
! compared with what it would have
been but for the railway entertainments.
The overflow of 1892 was in May.
| The danger point at St. Louis is 80
, feet above low-water mark, and in
1892 the river rose to 80 feet above
/ that level. The river began to rise
rapidly on May ), and fourteen days
, later the flood was at its height. The
danger line was passed in 1876, and
: for three years in succession early in
| the SOS but neither of those foodswas $
so great as that of 1892. That was the
greatest flood in thirty years, and,
with one exception, the greatest this
/ part of the country has had since 1874,
e when the whole American Bottem was
4 flooded, and St. Louisans took trips
&, to the bluffs in Illinois, ten miles
h distant. in steamboats,.
e On the Lower Mississippi the levees
e are in good condition: better in fact,
5 than they have been for years. but the
i rivermen say that no levee can stand
d the effects of more than three weeks
i strain from inundation. After that
/ period the entertainments begin to
= = weaken, and the water forms channels
through which it soon pours without
control. The only hope in the pres.
ent situation is for cold weather and
the cessation of rain to hold back
. the uppe' waters until the Ohio cease:
: its rampage and the volume of wate.
" in the Lower Mississippi has time to
reach normal stage.-Globe Demo
!, crat.
J. Potatoes for eating, and also tt