New-York tribune., 1903-06-10
THE CREST BY ST. LOUIS.
FLOOD NOU SUBSIDING.
HeaOy Loss IN the Illinois Losctdnds
-RiUer Forty Miles VIDE.

Washington June 9.-The Weather Bureau TO-
day issued the following special river nuiielih'
After slight fall during Monday the river at
st. Louis began to rise SLOWLY on Iuesoay ino
ing reaching a stage of 3I.f feet at II d hi''
and at S D. m was still at that point inns Is
no doubt the maximum stage that VIII oe
reached and the decline will begin on W edlles-
dav morning The fall of Monday is believed TO
have heen due to breaks iD the leVees apoNe-
The crest stage of 81 feet is " 1oo6 6lsneI
than the maximum stage of May ~ 1900 ano
: feet below the great high water mark OF
T1ne % 1874 The Missouri and upper Mis-
sissippi are falling steadily. In the lower MIS-
;rs;-,r; +be -ise continues. No stages of really
dangerous nature indicated from the water
in sight.
ST Iouis. June 9-At the rate of from eight to
ton miles an hour the Mississippi River, ninety
feet deep in the channel, is pouring past this
cftv toward the Gulf The food is going
down Thirty feet above low water mark is the
danger line here. and the river rose ~ feet
above that.
The crest of the food has passed, and any fur
ther damage will be from the crumbling of
undermined buildings and to the country below
this point. hut the danger there is lessened by
the spreading of the river over the lowlands
The rapid falling of the water. it is expected,
will quickly drain the inundated section on the
Illinois side. where the property loss will be
heaviest. and repairs soon will be possible
Reports from Madison. Granite City and
Venice. Ill. indicate that the death list may
be larger than was first estimated. report
was received to-day from Newport. three miles
from Granite City that a school building, in
which were sheltered fifty children, was tot
tering and threatened to collapse at any moment
Appeals were made for assistance, but there
was no way to reach them from here or East
ST Louis the only places that now give
aid
In one party Of refugees near Edwardsville
four cases of smallpox developed yesterday The
officials OF Madison County are doing all in
their power to isolate the cases and prevent
spread of the disease. Numerous families, pen
niiess and having friends to whom they can
go refuse to leave their flooded homes. In
many cases these people actually starving
and food will be sent to them at once by men
in skiffs.
Word was received last night that the levee
at Kemper's Landing, thirty-five miles below
here had broken, flooding thousands OF acres
of fine Illinois farming lands w r WILKINSON
a commission merchant at Cape Girardeau, one
hundred and fifty miles south of St Louis, ar
rived here last night by boat after a long, nara
struggle against the current He reports that
the damage to crops between this place ana
Cape Girardeau will amount to S2Oo0ooo. The
liver is forty miles wide in low districts. The
steamer was unable to render any assistance TO
many refugees seen cIinging to floating houses
on account of the swift current, and Mr. VII
kinson thinks it probable that several lives have
been lost
No passenger trains are crossing the Eads or
Merchants bridges to-day. and Union Station Is
temporarily abandoned as terminal for East
arn traffic both incoming and outbound. II
is thought that all the railroads combined have
thus far suffered total loss of SS,oooeto-
From police reports it is learned there are
only 800 destitute flood sufferers in this city
to-day The remainder have either secured
TRANSFORMATION to other cities or are being cared
for bv relatives and friends A number have
become i'll from exposure. There were 1.ZVV
food refugees in Edwardsville Ill, last night
from the tri-cities and Newport Because or me
congestion 1t was found necessary to distribute
the sufferers in the cities and villages along the
wabash as far north Litchfeld.
Four-fifths of the 5000 inhabitants or Gran
ite Citv remain within the limits OF the town
One-half of them are homeless. The ofnclals
of Granite City and those who have been most
active in relief work believe that no deaths nave
followed the food there. Reports OF droWnlngs
have not been verified, and there is SAID TO De
no sickness due to the flood
The Merchants Exchange has raised nood
relief fund OF 81 900. OF this amount S1,Voo
each has been sent to Topeka and Kansas City,
kan The remaining 5000 will be used in re
lieving suffering in this vicinity