Omaha daily bee., 1899-04-27
WATER BEGINS TO RECEDE
Worst of the Flood Seems to Have
Passed By.
COMES TO SETTLERS oNlow LANDS
Prospective Overflow of Cut on Lake
is Held Back by building
E~mbnnkmcnt of sacks
FILLED with sand.

After a week Of devastation the water Of
the Missouri river has finally commenced to
go down and is now g OF a foot below the
danger line at this point. The weather bull
letin indicates a fall of s. of a foot here
during the last ~twenty-four hours, while at
Sioux City a drop Of two. feet is recorded.
The water continues to rise at st. Joseph
and Kansas City, being 2.5 feet at the
former city and 15 feet above the danger
line at the mouth Of the Kaw.
The Waterman at the Douglas street
bridge records a fall of nine inches in the
river and says it is falling steadily at the
rate of about half an inch per hour.
The fall has given no relief yet to the
settlers in the vicinity of East Omaha and
Florence and Cut OF lakes and below Elev-
enth street. \ strong south wind is blow
ing which threatens to crowd the water
from the river over the Burdette street en-
bankment or what is known as Avenue G
leading to East Omaha. This water ran
over Eleventh street near Burdette for a
short time and cut away about twenty feet
Of the west bank. A space twenty-five feet
square has been cleared of the granite blocks
which were displaced by the overflow. The
water was finally forced back by increasing
the embankment with dirt and straw. 1t
~ 80 NA'A NLllo VIII iON BlONS uiVluibO
protection against both wind and water.
Having forced back the water on Eleventh
street the workmen were transferred tenn
porarily to Locust street, where they packed
about 500 sacks of sand along the car track
to keep the water from Cut Off lake within
its banks. This work was done at night, as
1t is said the settlers would have secured
an injunction prohibiting 1t had it been done
in the daytime. This point and that at the
foot of Burdette street are looked upon as
the most dangerous along the river because
in case either breaks the water will force
its way down the bottom.
The water in Cut Off lake commenced fall
ing at 10 o'clock yesterday morning and is
now going down at the rate of half an inch
an hour.
In East Omaha the water has risen to the
top of the windows of the first story.
Frightened at last, the residents are en-
deavoring to float out their furniture and
remove it to a place of safety, as it is feared
the houses will leave their foundations.
All the tracks belonging to the Omaha
Bridge & Terminal company in East Omaha
and that leading down from Grace street
are under water and impossible. The Grace
| street line can be distinguished only by the
rails, as the water has not concealed them
entirely from sight. The Carter white lead
works is cut off on account of switches be-
ing submerged, and is compelled to haul its
shipments by wagon to the city. Eighteen
teams were engaged in this work Tuesday
| night.
The rain yesterday drenched the I'M
fortunates who were without protection and
those in tents and rough shacks Jared little
better. The rain was accompanied by a
strong wind, which swept the water under
- 81 l--.- z~l ,,-1@,.
Portable. The inhabitants of the lowlands
| below Eleventh street were more grievously
affected than those higher up, as they were
without any shelter.
Protection of Police Called For.
Anticipating an attempt to cut the en-
bankment at Locust street last night, John
R. Webster of the Terminal company asked
the chief of police for endorsements for
the squad of men already stationed at that
place to prevent an attempt to let the water
through.
Word was sent to the Terminal company
that a party of men living further north
| along the river had decided to use force
to o~verpower the guard at Locust street
and to cut the embankment so that the
water might run into the hollow south OF
the street. AS a preCaution against such
an attempt an extra number of armed men
were placed there and the police depart
ments of this city and Council Bluffs de-
tailed officers to watch the Nebraska and
Iowa sides OF the em~bankment.
Condition of Lower River.
ST. JOSEPH, April 26.-The high water
| situation is more serious today than it
has been this spring. The railroad trains
| are badly demoralized and some have been
annulled. The Rock Island tracks are
washed out at Beverly, Mo-, opposite Fort
Leavenworth, and the Burlington tracks
at the same place are under water. There
was a rise of three inches here last night.
LEAVENWORTH, April 26.-The over
flow from the Missouri river today sub
merged several farms in the bottoms OPP
| posite Leavenwortli, carried away 200 feet
Of grade and track Of the Rock Island road
two miles east of East L~eavenworth ana
| covered the Missouri Pacific tracks two
| miles north of here. The Missouri Pacific
10 still using its own tracks, but the Rock
Island is compelled to run its trains over
the Burlington tracks.