Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-04-16
FLOOD TRIUMPHS.
Omaha Is Now Waiting for What
May Next Happen.
HIGH WIND HELPING TIE WATER,

Which Now Goes Pretty Much Where II
Pleases and Again Threatens to Change
the Course of the "BSg Muddy and
Leave the Town "Out in the Woods
Brainerd, Ninn. IN ys,and-Anxiety ON
the Lower Mississippi.
Omaha, Neb.. Arrf, 1s.-When the SIN
went down last night his last light fell
on vast waste Of water. whose yellow
waves, tossed high by a strong breeze
from the north, all day rolled over what
last week were fields and gardens and
dooryards. All day the torrents poured
from the Missouri across the north
Omaha gardens into Florence and Cut
Off lakes. The former has lost its iden.
tity in the general fiocd. and the latter
may soor. Last night it was seven feet
higher than it was on Tuesday morn
and was surely cutting away the dykes
that hold it back from sweeping to ioin
the Missouri and turn the lcrg aban-
doned coCrse Of that stream again into
q river.
When the sun went down the wind
dled away to great extent, but wes
streams running into Cut-Off lake from
the north had been increased in volume,
but no longer had a bank to tumble
over.
Two Dykes Are Yet Intact
The water in the lake had risen tn t1e
level of the water above and tie whola
food was spending itself against the
iirst Of the dykes al the foot of tie lake.
c.s Oh
of the water. ,lt the waves cut il terri
piy dcfirS the day, and it may give
way. Three CT four hundred yards be-
low Is the second big dyke The basin
between these has filled rapidly, but the
water is still three or four feet below the
level Of tce lake. Below this second
dyke the food would find but little to OBJ
struct its way to the river except build
inSs and railroad tracks. EVERYTHING
possible is being done to prevent the
break. The engineer at the pumping
staten at Florence reported at Z D. m. a
rise OF one inch since yesterday morn
ing.
River Running NJ Fifteen-Milc Gait.
The situation down town is unchanged
inc river is rushing by at a fifteen-mile
gait: its yellow bosom is covered with
all manners of wreckage, but the threat
ened plants along the banks are all pre-
tected beyond any possible rise. The
burlington read has dumped several
train loads of stone in the place where
Its tracks We're undermined, and a fur
ther cut there is impossible. The Union
Pacific has also protected its tracks
from further eHcroachments. A special
from Verrillion, S. D.. reports a further
rise in the Missouri river at that point. |
There have been no lives lost so far as
is known, but the damage to farm prop |
erty ana live stock has been enormous.
Plenty of Water at This Point.
Brainerd. Mimi. April 16.-The Missis- |
slppi river at this point has overfiowed |
its banks, and all the low lands on
either side are covered with water from
three to ten feet deep. The pump house |
OF the water company is completely sur
rounded by water and the water is now
entering the engine room, but the pumps
can still be operated, as the company
last fall raised the pumps and boilers
about three feet. The river rose seven
inches Wednesday night. and it is ris-
ing fast now. 1t is within a foot of
nigh water mark of last year, the high
est on record. All the large dams ana
reservoirs above have been filled and
the surplus water from the woods is
swelling the flood. The principal loss
in this vicinity will be the loss of crops
on the bottom lands.
No Free Wheels in Wisconsin.
Madison, Wis, April 16.-The last hope
OF the wheelmen is gone. The assembly
killed the Flett bicycle baggage bill.
and there Is no chance to revive II
There was no discussion upon it. On a
viva voce vote the bill was voted down.
and also on a roll-call-49 to 32, with 10
absent or not voting. The assembly
passed eleven bills and killed fourteen.
The senate passed twelve bills and killed