The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-20
FARMERS AND RIVER FIGHT --< Mississippi ar r$DesMOines Still osaging.
 LEvEES a&E HOLDING OUT
 If They Go, the Loss Will Be Enormous.
 For seventy-fve Miles Beiow Keokuk, Ia., the Father of Waters is from Two to Ter | Miles in Width.
LEvEES a&E HOLDING OUT

Keokuk, la, July 19.-A hard battle was waged all day today and has reached it's crisis tonight. in which Missouri farm CTS fought the waters of the combined Mississippi and Des Moines Rivers at the Egyptian levee. a few miles south of here. They were fighting for their homes, many square miles of cornfields and the safety of the town of Alexan- dria.
 The Des Moines at its mouth rose today six inches higher than during the flood of the first of the week. Tonight it lacks a bare half foot of topping the Egyptian levee, and Is still steadily rising. The Mississippi Is coming up faster. rising a foot and a half today. This checks the current in the Des Moines River and turns the flood against the great levees The crest of the flood of both rivers is due to arrive at noon Sunday and settle the question whether Alexandria and the best corn acres shall go with the crest. adding another $100.00O to the damage | already done.
 than yesterday and the Mississippi River | Is from two to ten miles wide for seventy | five miles below Keokuk, and rising rap | idly. The flood is reaching outlying | farms hitherto missed, and farmers in 1 the lowlands on the Missouri side have | lost everything except their citadels on high points and a few fields beyond the highest levee The Lima and Hunt le- wees, opposite Canton, Mo, the most dangerous places and which protect many | square miles of corn in Illinois. are be- ing constantly pstrolled and hopes are
 entertained that they may possibly hold. | Damage on M; M;ssissippi Side. The great test damage is on the Missouri
 side of the Mississippi River, between | Keokuk and Hannibal, a territory cover
 ing 300 miles. and on which the corn was estimated at eighty bushels to the acre
 few days ago.
 | Hendricks of farmers are tenants who
 lost crops by last years drought in the | uplands and moved to the lowlands this
 year. Reports today are that in the ter
 ritory indicated the loss will be over %.- | GOO GOO chiefly to corn laid by and in l splendid condition previously. The dam l age done up the Mississippi River Is | greater than expected or at first report | ed. One township in this county IS FIX | or seven feet under water. It contains | over Il 900 acres of crops. Three faml-
 lies were driven out hurriedly and some l cattle drowned. COTn lHeTe was biS RCl | finest in this section of the county last | week.
 The levee eight miles north of Bur
 lington broke. inundating three miles l that had been considered safe. The
 Skunk River, the most damaging tribu-
 tary of the Mississippi is raging down
 with a flood reached but twice in the
 history of the State, in 1851 and 1892. The
 water topped the record of 1892 and
 touched the highest record of 1851. This
 river rises in the center of Iowa and
 empties into the Mississippi S miles
 north of Keokuk and greatly increases
 the flood at points below.
 Interior Iowa towns on the Des Moines
 and Skunk rivers were surprised by the | rapid rise and there is much excitement.
 Eddyvile, Ottumwa and Coppock are | among the heaviest losers.
 Railroads in Iowa will be put to great
 cost in the maintenance of tracks and
 safety of trains