The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-06-11
PRoPERTYL0ss ENORMOUS
Reported That Seven Negro
 VandalS were Shot to Death.
John Koolish, in Trying to Save Three Kegs of Beer, Upsets Boat
 and He and His Two
 Children are Drowned

St. Louis, June 10.--Almost two-thirda of the territory embraced by East St. Louis. H.. is under from two to fifteen 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 Co estimate has been done to property.
 Not wheel of industry is turning An East St. Louis but the flood waters whit 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 cara and locomotives.
 by running water. To the south beyond tht railway yard are thousands of cot tages owned by laborers and containing their all submerged to the eyes
 In northern East St. Louis the condt- 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 not known. Broadway, running from Eads Bridge east to the city limits, a wide street built of sand and walled with stone. fifteen feet high. divides the city in halves.
 Waters Pressing Broadway.
 Over ten feet of water is pressing against Broadway from the south. and in many places is sweeping through in streams as thick as a mans body. Traffi0 over certain portions of the thoroughfare has been prohibited. If Broadway breaks the water will rush over much of the city until Missouri Avenue, running par allel 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.
 Last night the river suddenly began to rise. Tired men worked with energy to strengthen the sand bag ieveas. The city was made safe along the river front, but word was received that the Illinois Gen. tral embankment sixirting the river along the southern boundary of the cikx was about to give way. Euuriexs were sent k0 shout warnings to the Inhabitants of the southern half of the city and hundreds of Iaborers and citizens hastened to strengthen the embankment. Locomotives rushed carloads of sand bags to the place and work was hurriedly begun.
 Fail to Heed Warnings.
 Accustomed by this time to warninas of impending danger. the inhabitants did not leave their homes. Higher and higher crept the water until thin stream began to pour over the embankment, and sud- denly 1t broke.
 The break occurred at il :40 o'clock D. H. Sherwood, a laborer, was swept away anu OTOWn6u. A BoCIlOu or the emUaUK~ ment was torn out and a stream twenty five 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 It is believed that many men, especially ne- groes, were drowned.
 The alarm spread like wiIdfire, and whistles were blown, bells rung, shots fired and cries of warning were sounded. but even with all this pandemonium, many of the inhabitants failed to leave their homes. Within an hour the houses stood in water that reached to the roofn of the one story cottages. Many lied to large brick buildings. Rescue boats to- day found many persons in second sto- ries and on housetops, but there is grava transferred to land. the boats will bear bodies of dead from the flooded cottages and the desolated quarter.
 Eleven Known Dead.
 In the turmoil it has been impossible to verify reported deaths, but from ap- parently reliable sources the Associated Press gathered that the following eleven were drowned last night:
 John Koolish and three children. drown. ed on North Side; unidentified baby: E. H. Sherwood; Lawrence Day: two uni- identified 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 raft and were surprised by guards who shot them down and threw their bodies into the water. While this is not confirmed, 1t is known that there was heavy firing on the north side last night where these negroes are said to have been killed.
 The deaths of John Koolish, a Polish carpenter. and his three children, two boys. aged and respectively, and a girl or H years. were causer 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. Koolish took two sons and his wife and three 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 on three kegs of beer as requested by the owner, friend. In trying to load the kegs into the boat the craft was overturned and the occupants were swept to their death by the current in full sight of the mother
 A company of naval reserves from AL ton. which had rowed down to the city yesterday in a cutter. rendered splendid service in rescue work.
 Heroic Work of Brave Rescuers.
 Rescuers began work as soon as 1t was light enough to see and continued far into the night. Word was sent out Rener- ally for more boats and the government responded through United States District Attorney Dyer of St. Louis. who issued an order to conflscate temporary every boat seen in and around St. Louis regard less of ownership and to rush them to East St. Louis. The St. Louis fire depart ment at once rendered It's hose and coal wagons and boats were gathered up throughout the city from along the river front and hauled by running horses to East St. Louis. Volunteer oarsnaen promptly manned every boat furnished and before o'clock scores of craft were plying back and forth across the flooded railroad yards
 When boats were rowed alongside homes whose occupants were marooned in soc opA afnrac and av roafo xnavx, e.-a ..