Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-07-10
IN GREAT DANCER
DeS MoineS is Seriously
Threatened.
The Great Flood of 1851 is
Surpassed.
Des Moines River Sill Rising as Are
Tributary Streams.
HOT WAVE BROKEN.


Hood situation reached the most alarm
ing stage in the history of the city
early this morning. The Des Moines
river was p feet above low water
mark at o'clock, having risen three
feet in less than ten hours. 1t is still
rising at rapid rate. The Raccoon
river, which empties into the Des
Moines at this place, advanced four
1eet between and 1880 this morning
and is still going up. The flood is at
its highest point since 1851, when the
river was six feet deep over what 10
now occupied by thousands of resi-
dences, business houses and factories
At that time the river was but a foot
higher than at present and it is evi
dent the old record will soon be
broken. Nothing but levees protect all
this district and in two score places
they have either broken or given way.
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-
tions. Residents of South Des Moines
kept anxious vigil all night and at A
o'clock, owing to the breaking of a
large section of the levee, they were
forced to flee. Many thrilling rescues
are reported. South Des Moines is
practically cut off from the rest of the
city. Four feet of water is rushing
through district of twenty blocks oc.
cupied by residences. In North Des
Moines wide breach in the levee oc.
CURED at o'clock and 400 residents
were forced to abandon their homes
The situation is intensified by the ne
cessity of closing down the water
works if the river advances another
foot and the city will be absolutely
without water for domestic consump.
tion, factory use or fire protection.
Hundreds of men are constructing Q
temporary levee about the water
works, but the water rises almost as
fast as they work. Street car traffic
is abandoned on a number of lines and
will have to be abandoned all over the
city in a short time owing to the water
putting out the fires under the boilers
in the power house 1t is reported from
Adel, Fort Dodge and other places
above, the Des Moines river is still
rising, which is a greater menace to
this city.
Another span of the Great Western
bridge at this place went out this
morning. The bridge is now a total
wreck. The Des Moines race track is
submerged. and the race meeting is
abandoned.
At 10 o'clock the Des Moines river
ceased to rise and by noon it had re-
ceded three inches. Heroic work on
the leYees i'll North Des Moines re-
paired the breaks and saved many val
liable residences. Raccoon river, how
ever, continued to rise and spread out
over an enormous territory. At noon
it invaded the factory district and
nothing but the roof of the Keith fur
mace factory and Mccormack Manufac-
turing company could be seen. Thous.
ands of dollars worth of machinery in
these places were destroyed. The Keo-
kuk and Western tracks constitute the
levee of this district, on either side
of which the biggest factories in Des
Moines are located The river was
within six inches of the top of the
levee at noon and beginning TO break
through. The level of water was then
six to eight feet above the factories,
which will suffer loss exceeding half
a million dollars whenever the leyee
gives away.