The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-21
LOSSES IN MILLIONS
FLOOD SITUATION IN MISSOURI IN
DESCRIBABLE.
THE CRISIS STILL TO COME
WATERS NOW SHOW NO SIGN OF
SUBSIDING.


Being Heavily Incrcased-One OK
the Most Magnificent Corn Crops
Ever known Destroyed and Many
Farmers Completely Ruined-COrn
Fields Converted Into Lakes Ira
verscd by Steamboats,, With shores
Visible Only With GIass-Only
Roofs of Houses Above Water
Mark Site of Farms.
Keokuk, Ia, July 20.-Exploration of
the flooded district of the Mississippi
river from Keol6uk south, shows con-
ditions beyond the appreciation or
realization of any but those of long ex-
perience with the Father of Waters in
his most destructive mood.
The situation is growing worse hour
ly, and a great conhagration in "A great
city would not be more rapidly der
structive of values. There is abso-
lutely not the slightest chance Of stop
ping this most costly Hood in The his
tory of the great river above st. Louis.
correspondent of the Associated
Press went over the worst damaged
area to-day in the steamer Silver
Crescent and found everywhere the
greatest crops ever known under water
deep enough to float a steamboat. 70 O.
pie at the river cities give accounts
of losses aggregating many millions of
dollars. Hundreds of farmers, rich
ten days ago, are penniless and homie
less.
careful estimate gathered from
the statements Of The best informed
people indicate the loss up to to-day is
about six million dollars, with every
| prospect of two or three millions d.
ditional by the Use above not yet
reaching the lower stretches of the
rivers
Most of this loss is on the Missouri
side of the river between keokuk and
Hannibal.
The Flooded Section.
Passing the water-lapped lumber
yards of Keokuk the mouth of the Des
Moines river is nearly two miles wide.
! Normally, there are two mouths and
| an island delta, covered with farms,
which are now under raging torrents.
Alexandria was protected to the last
by the Egyptian levee, the breaking
of which would send four feet of water
| all over the town. Gregory is sub
merged, except the White Church, in
| which service was held to-day, the
! congregation from the country reach
| ing the church by the railroad track,
which is still above the flood in
waste of water miles wide Other
towns and cities on the islands are be-
yond the danger line,
Immense fields are seen in a great
lake with the shore visible only with
glass, where the high bluffs bound
the bottoms. Islands dotting the river
at it's normal stage have disappeared
except for the tops of trees or fringe
of high shore willows, slightly pro-
truding like a circular coral reef. Oc-
casionally a house on piles or stills Is
seen, but generally only roofs rise to
mark the center of farms of corn. On
the edge of the flood river corn grad
ually rises on a slope, tassels, tops,
ears, stalks appearing in order. In the
middle of the present. river the tracks
of the st. Louis. Keokuk and
Northwestern Railroad, normally
on the Missouri shore, are now
few inches above the water and
under it in some stretches. Shore lights
for pilots are standing in the midst
of a waste of waters where steam
boats can run over them. The river is
five to ten miles wide, and another
lake seventy miles long is added to
the map.
Immense Corn Crop Lost.
All this territory was practically COW
cred with corn a fortnight ago. estf-
mated to make rs to 100 bushels to the
acre. Previous estimates of the loss
have been greatly increased by the
prospective yield being found much
greater than ever before, experts tell
ing of many farms that were good for
100 bushels to the acre before the
food. The loss is total. Experience is
that If water stays forty-e eight hours
even four inches under the surface it
kills corn and every stalk wet by
waves perishes from rotting roots.
The hight of the flood is indicated by
an incident at La Grange. The steam
boat warehouse was well back from
the river bank and stands high. A
strong current and a gale caused the
pilot to make an imperfect landing and
the cornice of the roof of the ware
house was torn off by the forward
guards of the Silver Crescent. The
river is rising all the time, six inches
during the day, in the immense area
of 700 square miles, and the worst is
yet to come.
Missouri Worst Hurt.
The chief flood thus far is on the
Missouri side, from Keokuk to Louis
lana with Canton and West
Quincy as centers of the country
hurt worst. On the Illinois side are
three continuous levees for forty miles
from Warsaw to Quincy above the
water, which thus far are safe, but
farmers are afraid of crevasses from
musk rat holes, and evey rod of the
redoubt is watched day and night.
The beaking Of these levees would
flood IT'S square miles in Illinois ami
destroy 81, 000.0 900 TO 50, 900 worth OF
corn. The levees below Quincy are in
the same situation, except that they
are lower and less firm.
Opposite Quincy in Missouri, is still
another center of special devastation,
which is appalling. North twelve miles
to La Grange and south to Holton,
large prairies are well under water,
reaching from the Illinois bluffs to the
Missouri bluffs, at least ten miles.
LeYees hastily thrown around farms
are disappearing in a fierce. current
rushing from above through the draw
of the Burlington bridge, carrying
everything before IT. Lone Tree prai-
RE, ten miles square is deserted. the
population having fled to Quincy and
the bluffs on the Missouri side, from
which they watch the complete de-
struction.
Around La Motto, Silverton, Busch
Station, Clemens and Ashburn. north
Of Hannibal. there is more wheat than
v-Ia oil In he oh