Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-07-26
LEVEES IN DANGER.
Floods Are Threatening Several
Near Quincy, Ill.
Should They Give Way, Fields of Corn
Valued at Several Million Dol
lars Will Be Ruined-Dike
at Pekin, I'LL, Breaks.

Keokuk, Ia, July 23.-The center
of the top of the Mississippi river flood
is now at Quincy. The river reached
the maximum at Quincy at noon Tues
day and has been stationary there
since. A stationary stage at Hannibal
is expected this morning. The Lima
lake levee, extending north from Mey-
err, Ill, 20 miles north of Quincy, de-
veloped danger Tuesday and large
force of men were employed to patrol
it and earth tools were scattered along
it's length. That and the Hunt levee
has stood the strain of the flood hith-
erto, but the insinuating water at one
point came near causing crevasse
near Meyer Tuesday morning. These
levees protect corn fields valued at
several million dollars. Levees on the
Illinois side of the river below Quincy
are standing and saved most of the
country there.
The Mississippi river fell nine inches
here during the last "a hours, and there
are no signs in Iowa rivers of any
more flood approaching. A gradual
fall of a couple of weeks will end the
flood in the vast domain south of here.
Several hundred tenant farmers are
absolutely penniless and with no
chance of an income this year. Each
community seems to be taking care of
it's own refugees and no systema tic
plan of relief has been preached yet.
The same conditions obtain along the
Is miles Of the Mississippi river on
the Missouri side, and hundred miles
of the Des Moines river lowlands. The
population of the village of ST. Fran
cisville, Mo-, has been nearly doubled
by refugees from the food district,
who lost absolutely everything.
Trestle Washed Away.
Tuesday night a trestle $50 feet
long one mile north of Alexandria on
the ST. Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern
railroad was washed out, blocking
traffic on that road and the Keokuk
d Western, which uses the track there.
Extraordinary precaution prevented a
serious casualty. The north-bound
Twin City express, from st. Louis to
st. Paul, passed the place half an hour
previously. The situation is in the en-
larged mouth of the Des Moines river,
which is now two miles wide between
the Iowa bluffs and the Egyptian levee
in Missouri. The water there has
hitherto been blowing over the tracks
and through the trestle. A large force
is at work repairing the break, which
is in the midst of the strongest current
of the river torrent and is extremely
difficult to handle.
Dixie Gives Way
Peoria, H., July 23.-The dixie pro-
tecting the La Marsh drainage district
across from Pekin gave way Tuesday
morning and caused damage that can
not be estimated at this time. Two
square miles of farm lands are covered
from two to ten feet. During the cul-
tivation of the district it is practically
uninhabited, but during the winter
months several families make that dis
trict their home. Three weeks ago,
when the river began it's phenomenal
rise, those people living within the
district moved out. Over 1000 feet of
the tracks of the Peoria & Pekin Ter
minal railway we're washed away
Fatal Storms in Hungary.
Vienna, July 23.-The storms Mon
day last did immense damage through
out the country. Many villages were
flooded and large number of houses
were swept away. The spire of
church at Zupine, Hungary, was struck
by lightning and fell, dem olishing the
church. A total of four deaths from
lightning is reported.