The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-03-29
WATER s1ILA RISING.
Gravest Danger Threatened Along the
Banks of Big Island River.

Banks of Big Island River.
| st. Louis, March 2S.-The forecast of
| the government signal service that the
Missouri and the upper Mississippi riv-
| ers would rise to the danger point has
| been we'll verified, and new highwater
marks are being made. That stretch
| of Iowland country on both sides of the
| Mississippi river, from the mouth of the
Des Moines river to the hills below
Hannibal, Mo-, and Quincy, ILL.,. is un-
der water At Quincy the record to-
night is 1873 feet with a rising river.
This is two feet above the danger line.
Great suffering has been occasioned
among the farmers and the boatmen
about Palmyra and West Quincy on the
Missouri side The overflow has ruin
eG every farm from Palmyra north for
ty miles to Lagrange. Should the rise
reach another foot every railroad in the
valley will have to be abandoned.
Horizons and Wards Islands, below
| Quincy, are inundated, and the settlers
| barely escaped with their lives. The
| Indian Grove levee north of Quincy,
| that protects twenty thousand acres OF
| farm land, was still intact tonight, but
little water will sweep it away At
| Louisiana, Mo-, the water is spreading
| over the lowlands. At Burlington, Ia,
| the river is five miles wide and has de-
| stroyed several mills on the flats. AT
| Alton, ILL.,, the rise has been very rapid.
The Mississippi flood was met by the
| overflow from the Missouri and the IL
| linois rivers and the current of the
| latter was about at stand, being
held in check by back water from the
big rivers. Rescue boats are busy
bringing families and stock to Quincy
from the lowlands. Information feceiv-
ed to-day from the flooded country
south of Cairo, ILL.,, is barren of encour-
agement for immediate relief. The
half dozen points where yesterday
there were slight decreases in the
height of the flood to-day report steady
rises. Numerous breaks in the levees
on both sides of the river have served
as safety outlets. The rise In the
northern tributaries to the Great river
is beginning to be felt, but about all
the damage that can come from high
water has already been done. Cairo
is we'll entrenched on the Illinois penin-
sula and fear there has given place to
confidence South Of Cairo, ten miles,
| to Columbus, KY, the river is sea
| twenty-five miles wide. Columbus is
on an elevation and only part of the
| town Is flooded. From Columbus to
Hickman. ten miles, the levees have
disappeared. Hickman is set upon a
hill and is city of refuge for hun
dreds of flood sufferers.
From Hickman to New Madrid, Mo,
there is a great bend in the river, over
which steamers travel fifty miles 1own
stream in ordinary stages of water
and are then two miles north of Hick-
man. To-day steamers sailed directly
west from Hickman to reach New Mad
rid ignoring the river current and rid
ing on the yellow sea across the sites
of hamlets and plantations South from
New Madrid to the Arkansas line. 80
miles, there is a steadily swelling tide
that has obliterated every landmark.
From the state line to Osceola, Ark,
there are occasional stretches of levees
protected by cross barriers back to the
st. Francis hills that have withstood
the flood.
The great crevasse at Osceola has
widened and a stretch of water now
extends back to the st. Francis river
and south 12O miles to the rivers
mouth, twenty miles above Helena.
This is the longest unbroken stretch or
overfiowed country and in several
places is forty miles wide. At Helena
the greatest fear is felt AL this enor-
NOUS body of water is now beating
upon the Circle Levee. north of the
town from the sills TO the river levee.
The greatest efforts are making to keep
this intact and 400 men are working
in relays to-day to strengthen this two
mile barrier. Armed guards patrol the
embankment. Should this give way
nothing would remain of the Ievees
south ninety miles south to Arkansas
Post.