The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1898-04-07
THE LEVEE BROKE
And Shawneetown, H., is Under From
Twenty or Thirty Feet of Water.
Over Two Hundred Lives Were Lost By the
Sudden Onslaught of Waters-Houses
Floating With Their Occupants
Cilnging to Their Roofs.

LOUISVILLE, KY, April A special
to the Courier journal from Evansville,
Ind. says:
At 8 o'clock Sunday afternoon the
levee at Shawneetown, ILL.,, broke a
mile above the town, and from all the
information that can be secured here
it is learned that great part of the
place has been destroyed and that per.
haps large number of citizens have
been drowned.
Shawneetown is IS miles below
Evansville, on the Ohio river. 1t is
situated in valley of extremely low
land, with hills skirting it in the rear
and with a 25 foot levee in front rum
ming from hill to hill. The town is
very much in the position of forti.
fed city, and when the levee gave way
a mile above town under the pressure
of the very high river the water shot
through 90 foot opening and struck
the place like a hurricane, sweeping
everything before it
Houses were turned and tossed
about like boxes. The people were not
warned of the break, and for that rea-
son SO many were caught. Those at
home sought refuge in second stories
and on housetops. Those in the streets
were carried before the avalanche of
water and probably majority were
drowned.
Citizens came from the place by
skiffs to telephone several miles
away and asked for aid from Evans
vile. They said that more than 200
people were drowned, and they had
70 ha1inya ~ 1x,n1,11 raoob E00
or even 1000.
all over the town.
There are of course no fire or lights
in the place, and darkness envelopes
the desolate scene. Consequently it
was impossible for them to have any
thing like definite information. The
men quickly left the telephone and no
communication has since been had
D with the place.
All telephone and telegraph wires
are now down, and outside communi-
cation appears to be impossible.
At ten o'clock Sunday night two
steamboats, and couple of tugs start
ed for Shawneetown under full head OF
steam, and it is expected that some of
them will arrive there by two o'clock in
the morning. They carry large sup
plies of food and blankets quickly col
lected by the city officials.
CHICAGO, April A special to the
Record from Cypress junction, Ill,
says: Two hundred and fifty persons
were drowned Sunday by the inunda-
tion Of Shawneetown, six miles from
this place.
The north levee broke at 4:2O o'clock
Sunday afternoon and the Ohio river
flowed over the town many feet deep.
Scores of houses were floating about
Sunday night and many persons were
clinging to the wreckage in the hope
that rescuers would soon appear with
boats to take them to places of safety.
All communication with the town is
cut off. Trains can not reach there,
and telephone and telegraph wires are
down.
The first report that reached here
was that the entire population had
been drowned, but this is not con-
frmed.
The levee was built by the govern
ment and was regarded as impregna-
BILE, hence the people had taken no
precautions against a possible flood. 1t
is reported that the flood now extends
four miles inland. and people are flee.
ing for their lives from the lowland
hamlets.
DARLINGTON, KY, April AT s:45
Sunday evening Superintendent w. S.
Martin, of the Henderson & st. Louis
division of the Louisville & Nashville
railroad, stationed at Evansville,
Ind, received telephone message
from Cypress Junction, ILL.,, say
ing that the levee surrounding
Shawneetown, ILL.,, on the Ohio riv'
err had broken and the waters had
drowned every one in Shawneetown,
There has been no railroad communi.
cation direct between Evansville and
Shawneetown for over a week, on ac'
count of the high water in the Ohio
river.
The levee was built by the govern
ment after the floods of 1884 and has
been regarded as safe; people felt Sc
cure.
Cypress JUNCTION is six miles from
Shawneetown.