The semi-weekly messenger., 1903-06-12


ILL.,, is under from two to fifteen feet
OF water. Between sunset last night
and dawn today eleven lives We're sac
rlhced to the waters and damage which
no man today attempted to estimate
| mas been done to the property.
Probably never before IN the history
OF the country has a, more valiant fight
been made by brave men, with defeat
staring them in the face, to protect lives
ana property than has been made by
the citizens of East st. Louis. When
the rising Mississippi began to threaten
the city last Thursday morning, Mayor
SlIas Cook ordered men to work to con-
Struct sand bag leVees at once. The
river rose higher and more men We're
employed. Citizens of all classes
and avOcatiOnS worked side by side.
Since Thursday morning five thousand
men, under the leadership of Mayor
Cook, without sleep, with little resi-.
and food snatched at intervals. have
tolled increasingly to strengthen the
leVees and to do everything possible to
save the city. Not q wheel of industry
IS turning, in East t.Louis. The
smokeless chimneys of manufacturing
plants stand lifeless while the flood
WhlrlS at the foundations.
Inc vast railroad yards are outlined
by hundreds of half submerged cars.
and here and there stand locomotives
only half visible.
Huge grain elevators stand surround
ed by a veritable sea.
To the south, beyond the railway
yard, are thousands of homes, mainly
humble cottages owned by the labor
ers and containing their all. submerged
to the caves
In Northern East St Louis. the de-
ScrlptlOn is repeated, but not on such q
large scale.
The business portion of the city and
the district containing the better resi-
denceS is still intact.
But for how lOng?" is the question
tonight. Broadway, running from Eads
bridge, east to the city limits, a wide
street. walled with stone fifteen feet
high, divides the city in halves More
than ten feet of water is pressing
against Broadway from the south, and
IN some places is sweeping through in
streams as thick as a mans body If
Broadway shall break, the water will
rush over much of the city until Mis-
souri, avenue, running parallel, one
block north, is encountered.
THE LEVEE BREAKS.
Along the river front to the west a
leVee OF sand bags from two to six feet
high and two miles long, keeps the river
out. Without warning the river sud
denly began to rise. The city was made
safe along the river front. but suddenly
a new danger menaced. Word was re-
CelVed that the Illinois Central embank
ment skirtlng the river along the south
ern boundary of the city was threaten
ing to give way. COurierS were sent on
horse back and a-foot to sAout warn
inss to the inhabitants Of the southern
half of the city. Carloads of sand bags
were rushed to the place and work was
hurriedly begun. Accustomed to warn
lngs the inhabitants did not leave their
homes. Higher and higher rose the wa
ter until a thin stream began pouring
over the embankment, and suddenly it
broke.
Thomas Middleton, a volunteer in
charge Of a gang of men who were
working at the point where the en-
bankment gave way, gave description
of the break to the Associated Press
agent. He said:
The break occurred at 11:40 o'clock
last night. Ny gang was hard at work
with the others. The water was pour
ing over the top of the embankment in
q sheet. even after all our work. Sud-
denly, with a roar. a jet Of water shot
through the embankment almost at my
feet. I was carried away. but soon
pulled myself out of the water One Of
swept away and / saw him drown. In
an instant the water had cut a section
OF the embankment out, and the stream
. feet wide, was rushing through. 1
saw another section of the embankment
go out a few minutes later and then
that portion between the two torrents
went down and the river poured
through in all its fury. l believe many
men. especially negroes We're drowned.
l know that several negroes. worn out
from work. had been permitted to leave
and they were lying asleep right in the
path Of the flood They certainly We're
drowned
Middleton escaped by running along
the embankment to the city
The alarm spread like wild fire and
whistles were blown. bells rung shot5
fired and cries of warning were sound
ed, but with all this pandemonium, the
majority Of the reused inhabitants did
not leave their homes.
Within an hour the houses stood in
water that reached to the roofs Of the
one story cottages. It is known that
numbers Of people fed to the Central
hotel. four story brick structure and
70 10 41r I,,,I - 10