The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-10
Flood at Des MOines Breaks
Half Century Record.
Highest Point Was Reached at
O'Clock Today.
NOTHING BUT LEVEES.
Only Protection to a Large Area
of the City.
Are Breaking and Giving Away
in Many Places.

Des Moines, July 10.-At 10 O'Clock the
Des Moines river ceased to rise and by
noon had receded three inches. Heroic
work on the levees in North Des Moines
fixed the breaks and saved many valu-
able residences. Raccoon river, now
ever, continues to rise; At noon IL mao
invaded the factory district and MOTH
ing but the roof of the Keith Furnace
factory and the Mccormack Manufac-
turing company could be seen. Thou
sands of dollars worth OF machinery III
these places were destroyed.
The Keokuk & Western tracks con-
stitute the levee in this district, on the
other side of which the biggest factories
of Des MOineS are located. The river
was within six inches of the top OF the
levee at noon and was beginning to
break through. The level of the water
was then six to eight feet above the
factories, which would suffer a loss ex-
ceeding half a million whenever the
1evee gave way
Des Moines, Ia, July 10.-The Hood
situation reached the most alarming
stage in the history of the city early
this morning The DeS MoineS river
was q feet above low water mark at
z o'clock, having risen three feet in
less than 10 hours. 1t is still rising al
a rapid rate. The Raccoon river, which
empties into the DeS Moines at this
place, advanced four feet between 3
and 7:30 o'clock this morning and is
still going up. The flood is at the high
est point since 1851, when the river was
six feet deep over what is now occu-
pied by thousands of residences, BUSH
ness houses and factories. AT that
time the river was but one foot higher
than at present, and it is evident the
old record will soon be broken. Moth
ing but levees protect all this district
and in two score places they have
either broken or given away.
Hundreds of men are working des-
perately along the levees to save their
but f1a Tor ic-
slowly driving them from their posi-
TONS Residents of South Des Moines
kept an anxious vigil all night and at
4 o'clock, owing to the breaking of a
large section of the levee, were forced
to flee Many thrilling rescues are re-
ported Thousands of dollars worth of
property was destroyed in 80 minutes
in South Des Moines and it is now
practically cut off from the rest of the
city. Four feet of water is rushing
by residences. In North Des Moines a
wide breach in the levee occurred at 8
o'clock and 400 residents were forced to
abandon their homes and much of their
property.
The situation is intensified by the
necessity of closing down the water
works If the river advances another
foot and the city will be absolutely
without water for domestic consump-
ton, factory use fire protection.
Hundreds of men are constructing q
temporary levee about the waterworks,
but the water rises almost as fast as
they work. Street traffic has been
abandoned on a number of lines and
will have to be abandoned all over the
city in a short time owing to water put
ting out the fires under the boilers of
the power house. 1t is reported from
Abel, Fort Dodge and other places
above Des Moines that the rivers are
still rising which is a greater menace
to the city.
The Rock Island railroad has resumed
trains on almost it's regular schedule
and the Northwestern is making salts
factory time on it's main line. The Mil
waukee and Great Western continue to
suffer. Another span of the Great
Western bridge at this place went out
this morning, the bridge now being al
most a total wreck
The Des Moines race track was SUBJ
merged this morning. Two hundred
horses in training there were removed
during the night. The race meeting has
been abandoned.
AT Nineteenth street this morning oc-
cupants of half dozen houses sur
rounded by water were heard shouting
from second story windows, crying
piteously for boats. None was available
at the time and the prisoners were al
most beside themselves with fear