The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-07-11
FLOOD SITUATION
MORE ALARMING
Hundreds of Men Working Des
perateIy to Save Homes.
RESIDENCES ARE ABANDONED
MISSOURI AND KANSAS RIVERS
THREATEN DESTRUCTION.

N ES MONIES, IA, July 1O.-The
flood situation reached its most
alarming stage in the history of
the city early this morning The Des
Moines river was twenty-one feet
above low water mark at Z O'Clock,
having risen three feet in less than
ten hours. It is still rising rapidly.
The Raccoon river, which empties into
the Des Moines at this place. advanced
four feet between and 1880 this morn
ing, and is still going up. The food
is at the highest point since 1851, when
the river was six feet deep over what
is now occupied by thousands of resi-
dences, business houses and factories.
At that time the river was but one
foot higher than at present and it is
evident the old, record win SOON be
broken. Only 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
homes and property, but the water is
slowly driving them from their posi-
lions. Residents of South Des Moines
kept an anxious vigil all night and at
O'Clock, owing to the breaking of a
large section of the levee, were forced
~ hOC. MANY uIulliAS TISSUES are re-
ported. Thousands of dollars worth
of property was destroyed in thirty
minutes in South Des Moines, and it is
now practically cut off from the rest
OF the city.
Forced to Abandon Homes.
Four feet of water is rushing
through a district of twenty blocks oc-
cupied by residences. In North Des
Moines a wide breach in the levee oc-
CURED at 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 win be absolutely
without water for domestic consump-
ton, factory use or fire protection.
Hundreds of men are constructing a
temporary levee about the waterworks.
but the water rises almost as fast
as they work. Street car traffic has
been abandoned on number of lines
and viii have to be abandoned all ovef'
the city in a short time owing to water
putting 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 great
er menace to this city.
Another span of the Great Western
railroad bridge at this place went out
this morning, the bridge now being al
most a total wreck.
The Des NIoines race track was sub
merged this morning. Two hundred
horses in training there were removed
during the night. The race meeting
has been abandoned.
In Danger of Drowning.
At Nineteenth street this morning
occupants of a half dozen houses sur
rounded by water were heard shouting
from second story windowS crying
piteousiy for boats. None We're avail
able at the time and the prisoners were
almost beside themselves with fear.
At 10 o'clock the Des Moines river
ceased TO rise and by noon it had re-
coded three inches. Heroic work on
the levees in North Des Moines re-
paired the breaks and saved many
valuable residences, The Raccoon
river, however, continued to rise. and
spread ONT over an enormous territory.
At noon y had invaded the factory dis
trict and nothing but the roof of the
Keith furnace factory and the McCor-
mack Manufacturing company could
be seen. thousands of dollars worth
of machinery in these places were de-
stroyed. The Keokuk & Western tracks
constitute the levee in this district. on
the other side of which the biggest fac
tories of DeS MOineS are located. The
river was within six inches of the top
| OF the levee at noon and was begin
! ming to break through.
The level of the water was then six
to eight feet above the factories, which
| would suffer a loss exceeding $500, 00C
whenever the levee gave way