Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-03-28
REAL DELUGE OF RAIN
Fails Over the Prairie State, Fills
the Rivers and Floods the
Farm Lands.
GREATEST TORRENT FOB YEARS

Gomez Down Like . Cloudburst Over
Large Areas Of Territory-AIany F.mi.
liss Driven from Their Homes-Levees
Break Everywhere - Many Families
Have Narrow Escapes-Hannibal, Mo-,
suddenly Flooded 1t Night Catching tho
People Asleep-No Lives Reported Lost.
Springfield, Ills, March 2S.-Rain
poured down In torrents nearly all Sat-
urday night and yesterday forenoon,
and the rain fall in eighteen hours was
twenty-four hours for eighteen years.
The precipitation during March has
been ISL inches, the greatest ever
known here. The Sangamon river Is
badly overlooked and is still rising. It
is expected at the water works that
the fires under the boilers will be ex-
tinguished, and 1t may be several days
then before water can be pumped. Rail-
road traffic is badly crippled.
Illinois River Coming Up Rapidly.
Beardstown, Ills, March ga severe
rain storm visited this section Satur-
day night and yesterday. The Illinois
river yesterday raised sixteen inches, a
most phenomenal raise, Overlooking its
banks and inundating thousands Of
acres Of farming land. A large portion
Of the Fourth ward is under water.
Hundreds Of feet Of track Of the c., B.
and Q. and the B. and o. s. w. were
washed away. Railroad traffic will be
suspended for a day at least.
Rainfall Was Real Cloudburst.
st. Louis, March 2S.-Specials to The
Republic were received from the follow
ing towns in Illinois:
Illiopolis-The wabash railroad bridges
on both sides OF the town are washed
out and the families living in the San
canon bottom have been obliged to
leave on account of the high water.
Virginia-The rainfall assumed the
proportions of a cloudburst and every
thing Is flooded. The Illinois and San
CANON rivers are raging and the ad-
jacent lowland flooded six to eight feet
deep. doing great damage.
Petersburg-The Sangamon river has
risen three feet in the last twenty -four
hours and Is still rising an inch an hour.
More than fifty families have been driv-
en- from their homes by the flood and
arebeing cared for by citizens.
Heaviest Rain for Thirty Years.
Chandlersville-The heaviest rain
storm that has been known for thirty
years fell yesterday, damaging city
property to the extent Of s21, 900 or more
and private property to about the same
| extent Over half OF the city was under
water. caused by the creek rising rapid
ly and sweeping everything in its path
Two small bridges of the Chicago, Pc.
| oria and st. Louis railway have gone
out. and also a wagon bridge. The
Sangamon river is rising very fast and
| the three railroad bridges north Of here
are in great danger Of being carried out
Several levecs have broken and some o,
the families had narrow escapes. There
were no services at any Of the churches
yesterday.
Farmers Abandoning Their Homes.
Mascoutah-The reports from above
| indicate that the great levee twenty
miles up the Kaskaskia are expected tt
be swept away. Many farmers are aban.
doning their homes in the lowlands
taking their families and live stock ant
leaving other farm property at thu
mercy of the floods. Between Fayette.
VILE and st. Libory the Kaskaskia 1:
now about four miles wide and all over
land traffic has been abandoned. Spe.
Gals say that the situation Is critical II
towns and villages south Of Springfield
Ills.