The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-07-15
FLOOD SITUATION REACHES AN
ALARMING STAGE.
RIVER IS RISING RAPIDLY
Hundreds Of Men Are WORKING in
Endeavor to Save Their Homes
and Property.

Des Moines, July 10.-The flood sit
uation reached it's most alarming
stage early this morning. The Des
Moines river was Fl feet above low
water mark at Z o'clock, having risen
three feet in less than 10 hours. It
is still rising rapidly.
The Raccocn river, which empties
into the Des Moines at this place, adj
vanced four feet between 3 and 1880
this morning. and is still going up.
The flood is at the highest point since
1851, when the river was six feet
deep over what is now occupied by
thousands of residences, business
houses and factories. At that time
the river was but one foot higher than
at present, and it is evident that the
old record will 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 desperately along
the levees to save their homes and
property, but the water is slowly driv-
ing them from their positions. Resi-
dents of South Des Moines kept an
anxious watch all night and at 4
O'Clock owing to the breaking of a
large section of the levee, were fore
ed to flee. Many thrilling rescues are
reported. Thousands of dollars worth
of property was destroyed in 80 min
in South Des Moines and it is
now practically cut off from the rest
of the city. Four feet of water is
rushing through a district of 20
blocks occupied by residences.
The situation is intensified by the
necessity of closing down the water
works if the river advances another
foot and the city will be absolutely
without awter for domestic consump-
ton, factory use or fire protection.
Hundreds of men are constructing a
temporary levee about the water
works, but the water rises almost as
fast as they work. Street car traffic
has been abandoned on a number of
lines and will have to be abandoned
all owe the city in a short time ow-
ing to water putting out the fires I'M
der the boilers Of the power house.
1t is reported from Abel, Fort Dodge
and other pieces above Des Moines
that the rivers are still rising, which
is a greater menace to this city. An
road bridge at this place went out this
morning, the bridge now being almost
a total wreck. The Des Moines race
track was submerged this morning.
Two hundred horses in training there
were removed during the night. The
race meeting has been abandoned. At
street this morning oc-
cupants of a half dozen houses sur
rounded by water were heard shout
ing from second story windows, cry
ing p~iteously for boats. None was
available at the time and the prison
ers 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
the breaks and saved many
valuable residences. The Raccoon
river, however, continued to rise and
over an enormous territory.
At noon it had invaded the factory
district and nothing but the roof Of
the Keith furnace factory and the Nc
Cormick Manufacturing company
building could be seen. Thousands
of dollars worth of machinery in
these places were destroyed. The
Keokuk e Western tracks constitute
the levee in this district, on the other
side of which the biggest factories of
Des Moines are located. The river
was within six inches of the top of the
levee at noon and was beginning to
break through.
The level of the water was then
six to eight feet above the factories,
which would suffer a loss exceeding
half a million whenever the levee
way.