The Red Cloud chief., 1902-07-04
RAIN (AUSFSFLOOD
Heavy Downpour Damages Much
Property.
ST. LOUIS IS A STORM GkTtR
r'oo" widespread In Extent, and No
Sign OF EndIng-Ai,on, H.. Hard
MISUNDERSTANDING Plants Dam
aged or Destroyed.

A st. Louis, Mo, June 20. dispatch
says lnls city and vicinity is in the
center OF a rainstorm of Unprecedented
severity, that has prevailed almost in
cessantly since Saturday morning. Ac-
cording to the local weather bureau
reports $40 inches Of rain fell here be-
tween 2:30 a. III Saturday and s d. m.
Sunday, n the end is apparently not
yet in sight. At times the storm
eQualled a cloudburst.
The storm is the most widespread
that has been experienced in this sec
ton for many years. extending. as IL
does, from the Rocky mountains to the
Alleghenies. In Kansas. Iowa. Mis-
souri,. Illinois. Indiana. Ohio and Penn
sylvania, the rainfall during yesterday
and today averaged from one TO two
inches. Considerable damage. the total
estimated at about S25O.OOO. resulted
from the wind that accompanied the
rain. Last night the wind attained a
Nlocity of about , ffty-six miles an
hour, blowing down trees, telephone,
telegraph and trolley poles. and inter
fering with communication of all
sorts.
From the country surrounding
comes reports of destruction to. and
the washing out of, railroad tracks
and bridges, causing considerable de-
lay to trains. Five hundred feet of
the north wall of the varied Industries
palace at the worlds fair site fell last
night as the result of the storm. the
water undermining the foundations
when the wind was at its height. In
places the worlds fair grounds are COW
cred with water.
Nearly all inbound trains were
greatly delayed today as a result of
the storm. arriving at the union sta
ton from forty minutes to five or six
hours late. Several washouts were
reported and telegraph wires were
down. go that the trains could not be
located.
One of the most destructive floods
in the history of Alton. H.. and vi
entity. resulted Sunday from the heavy
rains of Friday and Saturday. At 4
O'Clock in the afternoon IL was esti-
mated that TO- 600 acres had been COW
cred by the overflow of Wood river.
which Is from three to six miles wide.
Most of this land is either occupied
by manufacturing interests or planted
in crops.
The greatest single disaster caused
by the food WAS the destruction of the
plant OF the Stoneware Pipe company.
at East Alton. The loss is estimated
at 100000. The waite rose rapidly, be-
ing eighteen inches higher than ever
before, and filled an underground duct
leading from the mammoth smoke
stack of kiln No. 4. The kiln was
filled with stoneware, and was hcdhot.
When the water reached the kiln il
turned into steam and an explosion
followed.
AIN East Alton the residents were
Nmpelled to use skifs 10 get about
the principal streets. The water filled
all the cellars in the village and some
OF the largest stores were also flooded.
A number of Outbuildings were washed
away and the station of the Chicago.
Burlington 4 Quincy railroad was ear
ried away by the food and lodged in a
field a quarter of n mile distant.
The storm conditions in Illinois
which in the American bottoms had
assumed grave proportions Saturday,
became intensified throughout the
night, and Sunday. AS n result in
Madison county and adjacent territory
Several cities and towns are absolutely
cut off from communication with the
outside world. Railroad tracks are
washed out, telegraph and telephone
lines are down and the public high
ways quilted and traversed by torrents
of surface water. Besides the farmers.
the railroads are the heaviest losers.