The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1898-04-09
W ITHOUT WARNING.
Levee Breaks and Scores of People
Are Carried to Death.
Appalling Calamity Visits shawneetOwn,
m.-WhOie Town Under Many Feet
of Water-Death List May
Reach 500.

EVANSVILLE, Ind, April 5.-Nearly
800 persons are believed to have per-
ished in a flood that swept over Shaw
neetown, ILL.,, last night on the break.
ing of a levee of the Ohio river. Houses
were turned and tossed about like
boxes. The people had no warn.
ing. Those at home sought refuge in
second stories and on house tops.
Those in the streets were carried
before the avalanche of water. In
the center part of the town some
brick structures stopped the rush
of water for a few minutes,
but about t~wo-thirds of the dwell
ings were lifted from their foundations
and fioated out into the current of the
river. After q few minutes a large
house that had started down stream
with the others caught fire. A num-
Der of houses that it struck in its zig
gag course caught fire and the people
on the roofs were obliged to intrust
themselves to improvised RATS. Be
sides those who were on the roofs of
the sound buildings, it is believed a
large number of the inhabitants man.
aged in one way or another to maxi
their way to the high hills back OF
the town or to houses in the higher
section of the village itself.
No offers have yet been made to search
for bodies, the attention of the relief
parties being directed almost entirely
to the distribution of supplies and
making the homeless as comfortable
as possible. The relief work is well
organized. Tents and blankets sent
by the governor yesterday will
be promptly distributed. Those who
escaped lost everything and their
homes are in ruins. Hundreds of peo-
pie have not been rescued from the
houses in which they were imprisoned,
others are still in the treetops and
still others are afioat on the waste of
the torrent. Late reports say the IN
tire levee will he destroyed by morn
ing and every frame house in town is
certain to be dashed to pieces. The
wind is blowing 80 miles an hour with
rain that cuts like glass. Every means
of assistance is used to provide food
and shelter to the hundreds of homeless
refugees. Absolutely nothing has been
saved in the city. The stores and 9TH
err business houses are flooded to the
second floors. All the streets are under
water from ten to 80 feet. Provisions
are constantly arriving from all the
neighboring towns. A relief train ar.
rived here last night, but owing to the
high winds and roughness of the water
at the ferry crossing, all attempts to
transfer the provisions across have
been abandoned. Gov. Tanner yester-
day afternoon started from Spring
field 200 tents, blankets enough for
800 people and a sufficient amount of
prepared food for the immediate relief
of 1900 people.
Twenty Thousand Affected by q Strike.
CHICAGO, April 4.-Three thousand
j~ourneymen carpenters went on a
strike in this city this morning. Men
to the number of about 30, 900 were
laid off on buildings, repairs, etc, as
they cannot work unless the carpen-
tiers do. The strike is due TO the re-
fusal of the j-ourneymen to agree that
no work shall be done for bosses out
side of the Builders association.
Six People Drowned.
PIGGOTT, Ark, April 5.-M. Wehren-
dorf, his three children and sister and
brother-in-law were drowned in st.
Francis river, neal St. Francis yester-
day afternoon. Their BOAT capsized.
None of the bodies has been recovered.
Twelve buildings Burned.
CHARLOTTE, N. c., April Fire at
Rock Hill, S. C., yesterday morning
destroyed IL buildings, involving u
loss of $3.50, 600 upon which there was
an insurance of $3.50, 900 distributed in
10 companies.