The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1898-04-06

RDGwAY, Ill, April Shawnee
town, food-swept, is threatened with
total destruction7 Inuumerable more
lives may be lost before another day
has passed.
Hundreds of people have not yet
been rescued from the houses In which
they were imprisoned, others are still
in the treetops, and still others are
afloat on the waste OF the current
Late reports say that the entire levee
will be destroyed and every frame
house in town Is certain to Le dashed
TO pieces The wind is blowing thirty
five miles an hour with rain that cuts
like glass. Great fear is expressed for
the rescue force now in Shnwneetown,
as nothing can resist the power of the
waves dashing ten feet under the inn
petus of the gale. IL tho storm does
not cease, the entire town is doomed,
not yet reached the hill tops. This in
formation comes by telephone from
the temporary station on the hill
at Shawneetown.
Almost two score bodies OF victims
of the Shawnee town food have been
recovered and hundreds Of homeless
people are dependant on charity for
food and shelter. The death list Is
likely to be largely increased, when
definite Information from the negro
quarters, which suffered most Is Sc
cured.
The flood burst upon the people
without warning and owing to the
weak construction of their shanties,
they toppled over In the rush of
water, leaving their inmates no means
of getting out of danger Hundreds
of the people who lived farther from
the river front sought safety on roofs
and in upper stories, or made re-
treat to the hills TO the west
These are being removed as rapidly
as possible to places where they
can be given proper care. No effort
has been made TO search for the
bodies, the attention of the relief par.
ties being directed entirely to the
distribution of supplies and making
the homeless as comfortable as pos
sible. The relief work is well organ'
lied Tents aud blankets sent by the
governor will be promptly distributed.
Those who escaped lost every thing
and their homes are in ruins
J. T. Hogan OF Omaha, Ill. left the
scene of the food half an hour before
the dixie broke. His brother-inlaw,
Sheriff Galloway Of GELATIN county,
whose home was In Shawnee town. had
. l.. .ns Il fi.
wife and two daughters were swept
away, and their bodies have not yet
been recovered. Hogan's story of the
flood shows that tho townspeople had
absolutely no warning OF the disaster.
Ridgway, town twelve miles from
Shawneetown, was made the basis of
relief work. All rail communication
being cut off four miles out, boats
were constructed and a committee
started TO the scene. They reached
Cypress Junction, half way TO Shaw
neetown, and found dry land extend
| ing toward the river Following this
they arrived within two miles of the
! flooded town. More boats were
started and the rescuers crossed to
Shawneetown. Owing to the
scarcity of boats the work was very
slow, but over 200 persons, including
many women and children, were taken
to the oadway, two miles from Shaw
neetown, to Cypress Junction. Here
the greater part of them are camped,
with very little TO eat and exposed to
the driving rain and piercing wind.
Cypress Junction is almost sur
rounded by water, which has over
flowed the banks of the Wabash and
Is covering the entire country. The
overflow from the broken dyke at
Shawneetown has backed two miles
inland, but Is slowly receding. IL
will be impossible to recover any
bodies antl the waters recede very
materially