The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1898-03-30
REAL DELUGE OF RAIN
Falls Over the Prairie State, Fills
the Rivers and Floods the
Farm Lands.
GREATEST TORRENT FOR YEARS

Comes Down Like = Cloudburst over
Large Areas az Territory-Msny Fami-
lies Driven from Their Homes-Levees
Break Everywhere - Many Families
Have Narrow Escapes Hannibal Mo-.
suddenly Flooded at Night Catching the
People Asleep--No Lives Reported Los.
Springfield Ills. March 2S-Rain
poured down in torrents nearly ali sat
urday night and yesterday forenoon
and the rain fall in eighteen hours was
40 inches. the greatest rain fall in
twenty-four hours for eighteen years.
The precipitation during March has
been Sol inches, the greatest ever
known here. The Sangamon river is
badly overlooked and is still rising Il
is expected at the water works that
the fires under the boilers will be eX
tinguished, and il may be several days
then before water can be pumped. Rail
road traffic is badly crippled.
Illinois River Coming Up Rapidly.
Beardstown Ills, March PA severe
rain storm visited this section Satur-
day night and yesterday The Illinois
TiNEr yesterday raised sixteen inches.
banks and nundatng thousands 81
acres OF farming land. A large portion
of the Fourth ward is under water
Hundreds of feet of track of the c.. B.
and @. and the b. and O. S w. were
washed away, Railroad traffic Will be
suspended for a day at least
Rainfall Was Real CIoudburst
st. Louis. March 2S.-Specias to The
h. ft1I
ing towns in Illinois:
lliopolis-The wabash raj road briCg $
on both sides OF the town are washed
out and the families living in the San
CANON bottom have been obliged 10
leave on account of the high water.
Virginia-The rainfall assumed the
proportions of cloudburst and every
thing is flooded. The Illinois and San
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 food and
are being cared for by citizens.
Heaviest Rain for Thirty Years.
storm that has been known for thirty
years fell yesterday. damaging city
property To the extent Of $4,000 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
cut, 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 levees have broken and some OF
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 TO
be swept away. Many farmers are aban-
donng their homes in the lowlands.
taking their families and live stock and
leaving other farm property at the
mercy Of the floods. Between Fayette-
vile and ST Libory the Kaskaskia is
now about four miles wide and all over
land traffic has been abandoned Spe-
Gals say that the situation is critical in
towns and villages south of Springfield