Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-06-11
FLOOD DAMAGES
REACH MILLIONS
Public and Private Levees
in Illinois Yield to the
Pressure.
WATER oyERFLOWS RICH LAND
Attempts to Fill the Gaps With Sand
Bags and Other Material Prove Use.
observation-disclosures Flee to High
Ground to Save Their Lives.


dollars of damage has been caused by
the inundating of tens of thousands
Of acres Of the richest farming land in
Illinois by the breaking of levees
along the Mississippi river. Still high
er water Is certain, and the loss may
be doubled or trebled before the wat
ers recede.
The Sny levee, the guardian Of
some of the most fertile land In iii.
nois, is broken in a number of places
and the food is sweeping over scores
of farms. Crops have been ruined and
farm buildings carried away.
sny levee Breaks.
The Sny is the most important
levee on the north end Of the river
and is seventy miles long. In some
places IL Is twenty-eight feet high and
eighty feet across at the base. II in
closes a fertile farming section from
three to seven miles wide, containing
over 100000 acres.
There are several towns within the
district. the population of which is
probably 10000. Many of them re-
main, and loss Of life is certain. This
district has not been overfiowed since
1888.
The Madison levee. north of the
Merchants bridge, also has broken,
endangering the lives and property OF
the citizens of Granite City. Large
forces of men are at work In an at
tempt to fill the gap, but much dam
age has been done already by the
raging waters.
Government Aid is Asked.
A telephone message was received
from Waterloo, H.. forty miles below
st. Louis, situated In the lowlands sew
eral miles from the river. saying that
the flood has spread to that point and
levee erected for just such an emer.
gency is in danger Of being washed
away. Government aid Is asked to
strengthen the levee and avert the
threatened inundation OF the town.
The Mississippi has broken through
private levees at two points below Old.
enburg and is flooding valuable farms
In the bottoms. Several hundred farm
ers are vainly seeking to fill the gaps
with brush, planks and sandbags.
Every family in the bottoms pro-
tected by the levee, which is private
one, erected to keep out the backwat-
er from above, is fleeing to the high
ground at Mitchell. which offers the
best protection in that section.
Finds Weak Spots.
The food forced passage through
the levee at Madison, ILL.,. just north
of st. Louis. This levee Is fifteen
miles long, and for days men have
been at work endeavoring to strength
en- II, but the river found its weak
point and the water broke through
like a geyser. Carloads Of bags OF
sand and all other available material
were hurried to the break and dumped
In, but the force of the food washed
out the filling and the break con-
stantly widened. -
West Granite, town Of 1000 popu-
lation, is located in a depression be-
tween the levee and a railroad en-
bankment. Ample warning had been
sounded and the Inhabitants had
sought safety when the deluse came.
1t Is believed all escaped, but the
town Is under water.
Like Old Venice.
The streets OF Venice. ILL.,, almost op.
posite st. Louis. are waterways and
the inhabitants go about In boats.
Venice was the first town in this vicin-
ity to feel the full force Of this flood.
and 1t has been under water for two
days.
In st. Louis the buildings along the
river front have practically been
abandoned. as the first floors are over
a foot under water, which stands to-
night two feet deep on the top of the
steamboat levee.
In South st. Louis fully 100 families
living near the mouth of the River
Des Peres were forced to leave their
houses by the advancing water. and
many families living in households
fed to land for shelter.
At Bremen avenue the st. Louis
stockyards have quit business and the
packers are unable to do anything.
Shipping has been interrupted on most
of the roads and no cattle are com.
ing In.
Extra police patrolIed the flooded
district Of Jefferson City. and at 8
o'clock in the morning they awakened
residents on West Main street. and or.
dered them to move out, as backwater
was forging into the street. The cleo
trio light and gas plants have closed
down completely and the water sup
ply will likely be cut of. Nearly
all the residences in the bottoms have
been abandoned.
GIVES GOVERNMENT DECISION