Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1903-06-17
ELEVEN LIVES LOST.
Almost TwO-1hirdS of East st.
Louis Under Water.
Business Portion and the District Con.
tanning Better Residences Is Still
Intact, But For How Long II
Is Not Known.

st. Louis, June 11.-Almost two
thirds of the territory embraced by
East st. Louis. ILL.,, is under from two
to hfteen feet of water. Between twi.
light Tuesday night and dawn Wednes.
day ii lives were sacrificed to the an
CRY waters, and damage which no man
Wednesday attempted to estimate has
been done to property. Not a wheel
OF industry is turning in East St
Louis, but the flood waters whirl and
suck at the foundations of many great
buildings that have been deserted
The vast railroad yards are made
apparent by hundreds of half-submerg.
ed cars and locomotives.
Huge grain elevators stand sur
rounded by running water. To the
south. beyond the railway yards. are
thousands of cottages owned by labor
ers and containing their all, submerged
TO the caves.
The business portion of the city and
he district containing the better resi-
dences is still intact but for how long
is not known. Broadway, running
from Eads bridge east to the city linn
its wide street built of sand and
walled with stone, 10 feet high, divides
the city in halves. Over ten feet OF
water is pressing against Broadway
from the south and in many places is
seeping through in streams as thick as
a mans body. Traffic over certain
portions of the thoroughfare has been
prohibited and even pedestrians are
not allowed to traverse these threat.
ened portions. If Broadway breaks.
the water will rush over much of the
city until Missouri avenue, running
parallel one block north, is encoun-
tered
Along the river front to the west
levee of sand bags from two to six
feet high and two miles long keeps the
river out
Tuesday evening word was received
that the Illinois Central embankment
slNrting the river along the southern
boundary Of the city was threatening
TO give way.
COuriors were sent on horseback to
shout warnings to the inhabitants of
the southern half Of the city and hun
dreds of laborers and citizens hast
ened TO the embankment. Locomo
tives rushed car loads of sand bags to
the place and work was hurriedly be-
gan. Accustomed by this time to
warnings of impending danger the in
habitants did not leave their homes
Higher and higher crept the water un-
I'll thin stream began to pour over
the embankment and suddenly il
broke.
The break occurred at 40 o'clock
The water cut a section of the en-
bankment out and stream % feet
wide rushed through. Another section
of the embankment went out a few
minutes later and then that portion
standing between the two streams
went down and the river poured
through. 1t is believed that many
men. especially Negroes. were drowned.
The alarm spread like wildfre and
whistles were biz Tn, bells rung. shots
fired and cries OF warming were sound.
ed, but even with all this pandemoni.
um many Of the inhabitants failed 10
leave their homes. Within an hour the
house stood in water that reached to
inc IOOlS vi the OUe-StOry cottages,
Many fed to large brick buildings.
Rescue boats Wednesday found many
people in second stories and On house
tops but there is grave fear too that
when all living have been transferred
TO land. the boats will bear bodies OK
dead from the flooded cottages and
the dcsolated quarter.
st. Louis, June 12.-That the CRISIS
OF the food situation in East St. Louis
has passed so far as that city is con.
cerned was generally accepted as a
fact by the citizens Of East st. Louis
Thursday night Boat crews which
Wednesday strained their energies to
the point Of exhaustion in rcscuing tho
prisoners Of food. Thursday occupied
themselves in saving property and in
bringing to higher ground belated ref
ugoes wlo previously had not believed
themselves in immediate danger. The
river has fallen two inches since 6
o'clock. the gauge at midnight read.
ing 81 feet