The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-14
SERIOUS FLOODS

In Northern Illinois Overflow Of n
linois, Desplaines, Fox, sangamon
and Kankakee Rivers Doing Much
Damage-Towns Flooded and Much
Live Stock in the Valleys Drowned.
CHICAGO, March ls.-Reports re-
celved here to-day show that serious
floods are prevailing in the northern
portion OF Illinois by the overfowing Of
the Illinois, Desplaines, Fox, sangamon
and Knnknkee rivers. Much live stock
and property have already been de-
stroyed.
At La Sale, the Illinois river and
tributary streams are now fourteen
feet above normal height, and still rIs-
ing. Not since 1892 has there been so
much water in this vicinity. and II the
rivers continue to rise during the next
twenty-four hours, the damage to pro-
perty will be enormous, One pump at
the water works Is already shut down,
the engineers are working in twenty
inches OF water and superintendent
Walker says that one foot more Of wa
ter will mean the stoppage OF the entire
plant, thus placing the city In jeopardy
from fire,
The fires in the engine room Of the
Dickinson cement works were e6tin-
g1ilslled and the kllns flooded. William
Chaplin and family were driven from
their home and water stands q foot
deep on the floors Of the summer cot~
tuges.
At Peru, Water street is flooded and
store Easements are filled with water,
doing much damage to merchants re-
serve stocks. Fears are entertained
that the fires Of the big Illinois zinc
company's works may be reached by
the rapidly rising water. which already
covers part of the compnny's premises
General Manager w. b. Brlnton has
taken every precautIon against the In
undation Of the Peru plow works. II
the water should rise two feet higher
800 workmen at that factory will be
thrown out Of employment.
AtPeoria, the Illinois river II out OF
It's banks and Is doing considerable
damage along the valley. II Is still rts-
ing. This usual small stream has risen
more than two feet In the last six hours,
mostly caused by the rapidly melting
SHOWS OF the last few days. To-day the
floating Ice formed gorge. backing up
the water to such an extent that famil-
les living along the river banks were In
danger OF their lives and some property
was destroyed.
At Havana the Herget levee on the
Sangnmon river broke last night com"
DelllnE three hundred fN1nilieB to fee
10 higher ground. Much stock has been
lost.
ing on an island at the junction Of the
Kankakee and Desplaines rivers. had q
narrow escape. An ice gorge formed
above the island and broke. The re-
leased waters submerged the entire is-
land, and the family found refuge on a
large cake OF fee and were carried sew"
erai miles down stream before rescued,
The house and all the stock we're de-
At Pontiac, the vermIlllon river is
higher than 1t has been for the last
twenty years. Several negro families
had a narrow escape from drowning,
and were compelled to leave their resi-
dences for safety.
CHICAGO. March l3,--A dispatch
from ottawa, Ills. says many factories
In towns and cities Of the upper Illinois
valley are idle on account OF the Utmost
unprecedented floods. Much damage
was done in that section by ice TO In
dustrial plants and private property.
The water is twenty-one feet above the
normal stage, Forty families have been
driven from their homes here. Great
RpDrehenslon Is felt al MRrsellles for
its dam, which has been, aB yet, but
nrn N1ia no tho resO1k Of ihe floods.