Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-11
WORST OF THE FLOOD OVER
Rivers at Des Moines Commence to Recede
Late Thursday Evening.
DAY WAS WORSE THAN ITS PREDECESSORS
Every Levee in the City O~vernows,
Families Driven from Homes
and Factory District
Flooded.
(From a STAFF Correspondent

FlOOueus
(From a STAFF Correspondent
DES MONIES, July 10.-(Special.) Ut was
supposed yesterday that the climax had
been reached in the flood troubles In cen
trail Iowa, but when daylight came this
morning and the people of Des Molnes dis
covered that the Des Moines and Raccoon
rivers had both been steadily rising ali
night and were still going up, they real
ICED that the worst was to come. Bright
skies gave promise Of better things for
another week, but today the rivers were
raging outside their channels and spread
ing all over the adjacent country and
did not to fall until late at
night. Every levee OF the city was broken
over, railroad grades were washed out and
instead Of fifty families homeless there
were at least $50 houses that had to be
abandoned wholly or in part. AS many OF
those who were compelled to vacate on
short notice were poor people, the suffer
ing Immediately became intense, and it was
found necessary to start a subscription pa
per for a fund to relieve the sufferings OF
poor folks. The families who were forced
from their homes will suffer much loss
even II the waters Immediately subside,
for their gardens are destroyed and the
houses are filled with mud and filth. Many
Of the levees which have been broken over
we're regarded as higher than would ever
be needed and the houses were not thought
to be In danger.
Early this morning there was a great de-
mand for boats OF any kind. The people de-
sired to get their furniture out of the
houses as soon as possible, and in some
cases 1t was impossible to find boats
enough to take away the women and chill
dren until they were thoroughly fright
ened. Women were calling from upper
story windows Of small houses and begging
for boats and many narrow escapes from
drowning were reported. Only by making a
thorough organization of the forces engaged
in rescue and relief work was It possible to
prevent loss by drowning. Livestock suf-
fered greatly and many animals we're lost.
Frank Mahoney, a boy 9 or 10 years old,
was drowned this afternoon in the Coon
river in the western part Of the city. He
was in a boat with others when the boat
was upset In slack water and he could not
be rescued.
Fear for Water Works.
The greatest alarm prevailed early in the
day when the Des Moines Water company
gave notice to its patrons that IL the Coon
ii'OA AOpV q lOSb " ~ WOulu NC lmpOS-
sible to keep 1t out Of the pumping sta
tion, which is protected by a dirt levee.
II the water should break over the levee 1t
would completely flood the station and
then II would take at least q week to clear
It out and prepare to resume pumping.
There is no provision for such an emer.
gency. It was realized at once that this
would put a stop to hundreds Of the in
dustries of the city depending on city
water, and 1t would be necessary to draw
the fires under nearly every steam boiler.
Men were put to work at once on the levee
which surrounds the water plant, and al
though the water kept rising steadily until
noon 1t was kept back, and at / o'clock the
water in the Coon river commenced TO, re-
cede slowly. This gave great relief to the
city, though reports from above Indicated
that possibly the river might rise again
and surpass It's record. During the night
it went up about four feet This evening
1t is almost stationary.
The water in the Des Moines river went
to the twenty-two-foot mark at the Lo-
Gust street bridge in the center of the
city, the highest mark since the food Of
1851. 1t backed UP in the sewers on the
east side and flowed out into the streets
The street car lines running past the
state capitol went through water a foot
deep before reaching the Northwestern
track. All the business houses in q large
area were threatened. Nearly half the
factories in the city were shut down be-
cause OF water. All that portion Of Eas'
Des Moines lying south of the railroad
tracks and including the district where
the starch works were was flooded.
In the northern part of the city many
houses were surrounded. All that part Of
the city in the direction of sevastopol and
South Des Moines was cut of.
Railroads Great Sufferers.
The railroad companies were great suffer.
ers today. The Great Western not only
lost a long bridge over the Des Moinet
river, but a large amount Of grade. Its
trains went out over the Keokuk & West.
ern to the south side. The Keokuk
Western was forced to give up during tn,
day. The water of Coon river flowed ovel
a long grade and trestle work. The com
pany sent out hundreds Of carloads o
cinders and dirt to be dumped In to pre-
vent washing out of the tracks. Finding
this would not do. the company dumped
many carloads of lump coal into the rive.
to fortify the embankment.
The tracks Of the Des Moines Unior
railway were inundated and many train.
Of cars standing on the sldthgs in tn,
yards, some Of them loaded, were unde
water. The Rock Island at Valley juno
tion had a great deal of trouble in keep
ing above water, but succeeded in putting
the trains through.
, The street car company suffered fror
the flood. The lines to South Des Nome
5 and to the southern part of East Dc
2 Moines and to Highland Park were al
abandoned. A large amount OF track wa
4 washed out.
I The city council held a special meetin
2 today and appointed a committee to Sc
about cleaning up the city after the sub
D sidence Of the hood.
I Late tonight the embankment of tn
3 Keokuk & Western railroad broke throug
and the large factory district in the hear
t CT the city is flooded. About a doze
factories in wood working and machiner
5 were surrounded by water and the ma
= chinery damaged. The damage here wi
. be larger than at any other place. proba
e bly, reaching $25 900. 1t is estimated to