The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-06-11
Eleven People Are Drowned and Not a WeeeI of Industry
 Turning
DEPTH RANGES FROM
 TWO ID FIFTEEN FEET
Citizens Work Frantieally to Stay the Flood, But In Vain, and Water Bushes Over EmbanI.ment
 of Sand Bags.

l St. Louis. June 1o.-Almost two-thirds of the territory embraced by East St. 1 Louis Ills. Is under from two to fifteen l feet of water Between twilight last night and dawn today eleven lives were sacrificed to the angry waters, and dam age which no man today attempted to estimate has been done to property. Not a wheel of industry Is turning In St. Louis. but the flood waters whirl and suck at the foundations of many great buildings that have been deserted. The vast railroad yards can be located only by hundreds of half submerged cars and 1 locomotives
 Huge grain elevators stand surrounded by running water. To the south beyond the railway yards are thousands of cot tages owned by laborers and containing their all submerged to the caves.
 In northern East St. Louis the eondi- ton is not so bad.
 The business portion of the city and the district containing the better residences is still intact but for how long is mo- known. Broadway, running from Fades bridge east to the city limits, a wide street built Of sand and walled with stone fifteen high, divides the city in halves.
 Water Sweeps Through Streets
 Over ten feet of water is pressing i against Broadway from the south, and in many places Is sweeping through in streams thick as mans body. Traffic l over certain portions of thoroughfare has been prohibited. If Broadway breaks the water will rush over much of the city un- til Missouri avenue, running parallel one block north, is encountered.
 Along the river front to the west a levee of sandbags from two to six feet high and two miles long keeps the river out. 1 Last night the river suddenly began to 1 rise Tired men worked with energy to | strengthen the sand bag levees. The city l was made safe along the river front. but word was received that the Illinois Gen. tral embankment skirting the river along the southern boundary of the city was 1 about to give way. Couriers were sent to shout warnings to the inhabitants of the southern half of the city and hum 1 dreds of laborers and citizens hasten6d | to strengthen the embankment. Locono- l tives rushed car loads of sand bags to the place and work was hurriedly begun. l Accustomed by this time to warnings of impending danger. the inhabitants did not
 
 crept the water until a thin stream be- gan to pour over the embankment and suddenly 1t broke.
 Great Stream Breaks l-eyee.
 The break occurred at II 40 o'clock. D. H. Sherwood. a laborer, was swept away and drowned. A section of the embank- | ment was torn out and a stream twenty five feet wide rushed through. Another section of the embankment went out few minutes later and then that portion stand ing between the two streams went down, i and the river poured through like mill race. It is believed many men, especially negroes, were drowned.
 The alarm spread like wildhre and whistles were blown, bells rung. shots fired and cries of warning were sounded, | but even with all this pandemonium many 1 of the inhabitants failed to leave their homes. Within an hour the houses stood in water that reached to the roofs of the one-story cottages. Many fled to large l brick buildings. Rescue boats today found many people in second stories and on housetops, but there is grave fear thar 1 when all the living have been transferred ] to land. the boats will bear bodies of 1 dead from the flooded cottages and the | desolnted quarter.
 In the turmoil it has been impossible | to verify reported deaths but from as  Press gathered that the following eleven persons were drowned last night:
 The Dead.
 John Koollsh and three children. drown- ed on Northside.
 Unidentified baby
 F. H. Sherwood.
 Lawrence Day.
 Two unidentified women.
 Two unidentified men
 It was currently reported today that seven negroes caught footing houses last night were shot to death. They were all on a raft and were surprised by guards who shot them down and threw their bodies into the water. While this is no. confirmed, 1t Is known that there was heavy firing on the Northside last night where these negroes are sad to have been killed.
 John Koolish, a Polish carpenter, and his three children. two boys. aged and respectively. and a girl of 12 years. were drowned by trying to save three kegs of beer.
 The Koolish home had been surrounded by water for several days. The family had been living in the second story and last night decided to go to land. Koolsh took the two sons and wife and 3-months- old infant safely to land. He then re- turned for his other three children. Get ting them safely into the boat he stopped at submerged house to take off three kegs of beer as requested by the owner. a friend. In trying to load the kegs into the boat the craft was overturned and the occupants were swept to their deaths by the swift current in full view of the mother.
 Naval Reserves Assist.
 A company of naval reserves from AL ton, who had rowed down to the city yes terday in cutter rendered splendid ser vice in rescue work Rescuers began work as soon as 1t was light enough to see. and continued their work far into .he night. Word was sent out generally for more boats. and the government responded through United States District Attorney Dyer of St. Louis who issued an order
 
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