Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-30
RIVERS FLOOD LOWLANDS
Electric Light Plant at Beatrice Is Forced
to Close Down.
TRAINS ON MANY LINES UNABLE TO MOVE
some Live stock Drowned and Large
Amount of Damage Done 20
Growing Crops and
Farm Property.

BEATRICE, Neb., May 2s.-(special Tel
egram )-ManY families in the lowlands
were driven from their homes today by tbs
floods. The river has risen three feet dur
ing the last ten hours and shortly after
/ y. m. water broke over Court street,
flooding the west side of the city for sew
eral blocks west of the Court street bridge.
AT 2 ,. m. the electric light plant was
forced to close down, but the water works
plant Is still safe and 1t will require a
four-foot rise TO reach the fire boxes. The
burlington track is under water in the
north part OF town, but trains on this line
ran as usual today. The Union Pacific has
abandoned the running Of trains to this
city on its line.
Reports from outlying districts are to
the effect that everything is flooded. Sew
eral head of fat cattle were carried down
the river today and the loss to stock and
property, it is feared, will be immense. 1t
is raining here tonight and the river Is
rising at the rate of four inches per hour.
So far no fatalities have occurred. The
situation is appalling.
The people in the towns of Holmesville
and Barneston have not had any mail
since last Monday. Notwithstanding the
river is now from a half mile to three
miles wide. 1t rose ten inches this evening
in an hour and a quarter. The property
loss will be enormous in this county alone.
People living in the submerged sections In
many instances have lost everything.
Abandon the LowIands.
HEBRON. Neb.. May 2g.-(special)-
Rain began falling yesterday noon and
continued all night, causing the creeks in
this vicinity to be out Of their banks. All
danger Of flood is past and the people in
south and west sides have moved in. The
Rock Island had no trains running through
here since Monday. The total rainfall for
the month has been twelve inches.
FAIRBURY, Neb.. May 29.-(Special)-
The rainfall during the last eighteen hours
has amounted to 225 inches, making a
total Of over 9 inches this month. The
river is again overlooking the bottom lands.
The st. Joseph & Grand Island track west
will be repaired so that train service will
be resumed tonight. All county bridges
over the river are reported badly damaged
except one OF the Fairbury bridges.
PAPILLION, Neb., May 29.-(SpeciaL.)-
The floods Of last week have about receded
and as one looks over the fields and pas
lures in the lowlands he sees a pitiable
sight. Pastures covered with mud nearly
a foot deep and acres of farm land stand
ing under water which cannot be used
again this summer. The farmers are be-
hind in their corn planting and some al
ready planted will have to be gone over
again. Oats are looking fine.
1t has rained here every night since a
week ago last Wednesday and PapiIion
has. been flooded three times. A heavy
shower fell last night.
Many People Homeless.
LINCOLN. May 2S.-(special Telegram.)-
The heavy rain today has started Salt
creek on another rampage and as a conse-
quence thirty families, numbering over 100
persona are pleening. In the LIGHTHOUSE to-
ni@ht. These were driven out of the bot
toms this afternoon and tonight, several
having been brought out in boats by the
police. Their homes are completely sur
rounded by water and many of the houses
are threatened with destruction. The
families belong to a Russian settlement liv-
Ing east of Sixth street and south of ]. The
water from Salt and Oak creeks began to
rise several days ago, and many families
were driven out of the district then. Today
1t became worse and many more were
driven out. The police made a trip over the
flooded district in boats, but found that the
remaining families are in little danger. The
flooded district comprises several hundred
acres and in some places the water is five
feet deep. Early tonight it was still rising.
Nemaha is Getting High.
FALLS CITY, Neb., May @.-The Ne
mahA river is about twelve inches from the
high water mark OF 1888. 1t is over the
Burlington tracks and has reached the
Missouri Pacific tracks south of the Bur-
lington station. The water rose six inches
after the. rain today and Is stll rising.
TECUMSEH. Neb., May 2o.-It has con-
tinued to rain today and the Nemaha river
rs out of its banks. Five hundred feet OF
the Burlington track is washed out near
Bracken. The train from Nebraska City
was unable to get through to this place on
account OF this washout.
nAAIKEnO MEET AT nnAMIEnnn