Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1897-04-29
FLOODS STILL on.
Disastrous Breaks of Lsvee3 In tho
Vicinity Of Keoku,s, "a
FEELING CT ALARM IN NEW ORLEANS
A Break on the Meirose PiantatIon-The
Grant Isle Railroad Under Water
A Hard Rain In Oklahoma
Territory.

on the Illinois side ten miles below
this city, broke yesterday morning I'M
expectedly and threw the inhabitants
Of the district in the widest state OF
alarm. Twenty-Five thousand acres Of
rich land will be overfowed. People
had felt secure and were not prepared
for the break. A wild rush to get
families and stock out of the bottoms
Is being made. Much stock will be
drowned and there may be loss Of
human life. The levee at Gregory,
NO., broke yesterday and the water
has been running through the town
like mill race. Thousands Of bushels
Of corn belonging TO Keokuk and
Missouri parties are in danger Of
being swept away. The Egyptian
levee at Alexandria is practically use
less. The water has come upon the
rear Of the levee and the town is under
water. Several miles of the st. Louis,
Keokuk Il Northwestern track are
submerged Government boats from
st. Louis have gone from this city with
sacks of sand to stop the break II posi-
BILE. Every craft is being pushed into
service. This break has caused the
water in the river to recede slightly.
All Missouri bottoms between St.
Louis and Quincy are overAowed about
four feet. Alexandria, Sprawls and
Gregory, Mo-. are inundated. Only
about 100 square feet of land in Alex
andria remains above the water. The
crest of the food is here.
NEW ORLEANS MUCH ALARMED.
New ORLEANS, April 2S.-A break
occurred yesterday on Melrose planta-
ton on the opposite bank Of the river,
about 50 miles below the city.
The levee is of clay, about five
feet high. and the break, caused by an
old wooden rice Aume, is IS feet wide
and four feet deep. The plantation is
flooded and the Grant Isle railroad is
under three inches Of water. A feel
ing of alarm is active and general.
The wall of water has been rising to
an overwhelming height at vicksburg.
With the river here at 10 feet above
low water, this means 30 feet.
After working day and night for
a month raising and broadening
the banks, the levee boards have
been advised to do the work all over
again and build as If they were in
tending to meet two feet more Of water.
The city, which can easily hold its
front, but would be endangered by a
crevasse In the Pontchartrain system,
has begun to build the protection levee
above the city to almost double its size,
deeming that the most important de-
tense, and expects to have 1t completed
by the end Of the week. A break In
the levee occurred at II o'clock Mon
day night at the Melrose plantation,
80 miles below the city, west side Of
the river. Superintendent Ladrick, Of
the Grand Isle railroad is on the scene
with force of men and material, and
is sanguine Of closing the break, which
is now 80 to 40 feet wide.
FLOODS REACH OKLAHOMA.
GUTHRIE, Ok, April 2s.-The hardest
rain ever known in the history Of Okla
homa fell yesterday. For over 10 hours
It rained In torrents Southeast of
the city there were two cloudbursts.
The Cimarron and Cottonwood rivers
and small creeks are overlooking their
banks and inundating cotton and
wheat fields. 1t is feared great dam
age has been done to young cotton.
Near Edmond several good farms
have been destroyed. Yesterday
evening the big bridge leading to
the waterworks plant went out,
taking with it 1850 feet of ten-inch pipe.
This knocks out the city's water sup
ply. All southbound Santa Fe trains
were held up last might Many bridges
are washed out 1t was the heaviest rain
on record. No damage to crops except
in the bottoms At Ell Reno Ok, DUR
Ing the storm lightning demolished
the Presbyterian church spire and
struck negro schoolhouse, knocking
the children right and left, but killing
none. North Canadian river is over
flowing its banks, the valley being one
vast lake. The Rock Island bridge
over the North Canadian was moved
several inches out of the line yester-
day. Washouts on the Choctaw road
turned westbound trains back at
Yukon, several miles Of track being
under water
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