The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-21
Population of Great Areas Has Fled to
Neighboring Cities or to the High
Bluffs of the Vicinity.
GREATEST LOSS is IN CORN
But THOUSANDS OF SHOCKS OF
WHEAT ARE SWEPT AWAY.
Whole Towns Under the Raging
waters-InhOwfng Rivers Add to
the Great Work of Destruction.

KEOKUK Ia. July 20.-ExpIoration of
the flooded districts of the Mississippi river
from Keokuk south shows conditions be-
yond the appreciation or realization of any
but people of long experience with the
Father Of Waters in its most destructive
mood.
The situation is growing worse hourly. and
a great confiagration in a great city would
not be more rapidly destructive of values
than the antithesis. a hundred miles below
Keokuk. There is absolutely not the slight
est chance of stopping this dozen-times
most costly flood in the history OF the great
river above St. Louis.
The correspondent OF the Associated
Press went all over the worst damaged
area to-day in the steamer Silver Crescent,
and found everywhere the greatest crops
ever known under water deep enough to
float a steamboat People at the river
cities give an immense mass of details. ali
TO be generalized in losses aggregating
many millions of dollars, hundreds of farm
ers rich ten days ago penniless and home
less, hundreds watching and praying that
the great levees may hold, which are now
their bulwark against additional millions
OF loss and many cases of penury.
Careful estimates of the territory covered
and generalization of the statements of
best informed people indicate the loss up
10 to-day is about S6.OOOOOO. with every
prospect OF two or three millions addi-
tional. by the rise above not yet reaching
the lower stretches of the river. Most OF
this loss is on the Missouri side of the river
between Keokuk and Hannibal.
Passing the water-lapped lumber yards
of Keokuk. the mouth of the Des Moines
mally there are two mouths and an island.
covered with farms, which are now under
raging torrents.
Alexandria protected to the last by
the Egyptian levee. the breaking of which
would send four feet of water all over the
town. Gregory is submerged. except the
White Church. in which service was held
to-day. the praying congregation from the
country reaching the house of God by the
railroad track, which is still above the
flood in waste of waters miles wide
Other towns and cities on the islands are
beyond the danger line.
Immense fields are seen in a great lake
with the shore line. visible only with a
glass. where the high bluffs bound the bot
toms. Islands dotting the river at its nor
NAL stage have disappeared except for the
tops of trees or fringe of high shore willows
slightly protruding like a circular green
coral reef. Occasionally a house on piles
or stills Is seen, but generally only roofs
protrude TO mark the center of farms of
corn. On the edge of the flood corn gradual
" rises on slope, tassels, tops. ears and
stalks appearing in order. In a few of the
half submerged fields is shocked wheat in
the background, the remnants of many
more washed 10 the Gulf of Mexico In the
middle of the present river the tracks of
the St Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern
Railroad normally the Missouri shore, are
now a few inches above the water and un-
der II In some stretches. Shore lights for
pilots are standing in the midst of a waste
OF water where steamboats, can run over
them. The river is five TO ten miles wide
for seventy miles long. and another great
lake is added TO the geography All this
territory practically covered with
corn a fortnight ago and estimated TO make
seyenty-fve to a hundred bushels TO the
acre. Previous estimates Of the loss have
been greatly increased by the prospective
yield being found much greater than ever
before, experts telling OF many farms that
were good for one hundred bushels TO the
cre before the food. The loss is total
Experience shows that If water STAYS for
ty-eight hours even four inches under the
surface IL kills corn and every stalk wet bv
waves perishes from rOtting roots. Much
OF that back from the channel looks To the
casual observer as If il would recover when
the food subsidies. but month will see il
ali brown and sere.
The height OF the food is indicated bv IN
incident at Lagrange. The steamboat
warehouse was well back from the river
bank and sits high A strong current and
q gale caused the pilot 10 make an inner
feet landing. and the cornice Of the roof
or the warehouse was torn of by the for
ward guards or the Silver Crescent The
fC rfe
the day IN the immense area Of 200 square
miles. and the worst is 20 come by the ex-
tension OF the flooded area by the water
passing levees IL Is now topping
The chief food thus far is ON the Mis-
souri, side. from Keokuk 10 louisiana Mo.
with Canton and West Quincy as centers
OF the country hurt the worst. On the Ini-
nois side are three continuous levees for
forty miles. from Warsaw TO Quincy above
the water. and they thus far safe. but
the farmers are afraid or crevasses from
nnuskrat holes. and every rod of the re-
doubt is watched day and night. The break
ing OF these levees would flood 175 square
miles in Illinois and destroy 5000 Oeo TO
s.. 900 worth OF corn. The levees below
Quincy are In the same situation. except
that they are lower and less frm
Opposite Quincy. IN Missouri is SIN a near
center OF special devastation which Is an
palling. North twelve miles 10 Lagrange
and south 20 Holland Prairies the lands
are well under water. reaching from the
Illinois bluffs 70 the Missouri bIuffs al
least ten miles. Levees hastily thrown
fierce current from above the
draw OF the Burlington route bridge
carrying everything before IL. Lone
Tree Prairie. ten miles square is de-
serted. the population having fed to Ouin-
cy and the bluffs on the Missouri side from
which they watch the complete destruction
Fabius river. fifteen miles above Hannibal
f. high and furnishes route for the Mis-
fissppi 20 flank and reverse the levee a
the Fox river does forty miles up the Mis-