Arizona republican., 1903-06-11
Fast St. Louis in the Midst
 of the Flood.
TW0- THIRDS SUBMERGED
There is Already An Appalling Loss of Lifeline Damage to Property Is Beyond Calculation The Work of Rescue.


 thirds of East St. Louis, H.. is under water from two to fifteen feet. Between twilight last night and dawn today eleven lives were lost and damage which no man attempted to estimate was done to property.
 | Since Thursday morning five thous- and men under the leadership of May or Cook without stop, with little rest and food, snatched at intervals. had toiled increasingly in East St. Louis strengthening levees, building them up erecting additional safeguards and do- ing everything in the power of man to save their city. but it was fight that so far has terminated half in victory. and half in defeat Notwithstanding all this ceaseless la Dor the arms of East St. Louis were extended to those in distress and refugees from adjacent flood stricken towns were received and fed and shel- tered. Not wheel of industry is turning in East St. Louis. The vast railroad yards are made apparent by hundreds of half submerged cars and | here and there stand locomotives only half visible. Huge grain elevators are surrounded by veritable sea. To the south. beyond the railway yard, are | thousands of homes. the greater num- Der Of humble cottages owned by la borers and containing their all. sub. 1 merged to the caves.
 In northern East St. Louis destruc- | tion is reported but not on so large a scale. The biggest portion of the city and the district containing the better residences is still intact Broadway. running from the Eads bridge east to l the limits. wide street built of sand and walled with stone 15 feet high di- 1 vides the city in halves. Over ten feet of water is pressing against Broadway from the south and in many places is sweeping through in streams as thick as mans body. Traffic over certain portions of the thoroughfare has been prohibited and even pedestrians are not allowed to traverse those threat ened points. If Broadway breaks the water will rush over much of the city until Missouri avenue. running parallel one block north, is encountered.
 Along the river front to the west levee wall of sand bags from two to six feet high and two miles long shuts the river out
 When the embankment broke last night the alarm spread like wildfire, | WHiSlitS were DlOWn, DellS were rung, shots were fired and cries of warning were sounded but even with all this pandemonium the ma ajority of the aroused inhabitants failed to leave their homes.
 A wall of water rushed onward and within an hour the city stood Tn water that reached to the roofs of the one story cottages. It is known that num- | hprS of nROnln fled tn fha tral hAf al a four story brick structure and the large brick Washington and Franklin high schools. but not one of these buildings today contained over 25O per sons. and although the rescue boats found many people in second stories and on house tops. there are rows upon rows of cottages that early this morn ing did not show a sign of life. It is not known what became of the occu- pants.
 From apparently reliable sources the Associated Press gathered that the fol- lowing eleven persons drowned last night, four of whom perished on the north side early in the evening: | JOHN FOOLISH and three children. drowned on north side.
 Unknown baby.
 F. H. SHERWOOD.
 LAWRENCE DAY
 Two unknown women.
 One unknown man.
 One unknown colored laborer
 It was currently reported today that seven negroes caught in the act of footing houses last night were all 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 was not con- firmed it is known that there was heavy firing on the north side early last night where these negroes are said to have been killed.
 The deaths of John Koolsh, a Polish carpenter and his three children, two boys, aged five and seven. and a girl of twelve. were caused by trying to save three kegs of beer. Rescuers be- gan work as soon as it was light enough to see. and continued their | work into the night. Word was sent out for more boats and the govern ment responded through United States District Attorney Dyer of St. Louis, who issued an order to confiscate tenn porarily all boats seen in and about St. < Louis regardless of ownership and rush them to East St. LouisA The St. l their hose and coal wagons and the Boats were gathered up throughout the city and from along the river front and hauled by running horses to the deso- late city across the river.
 Volunteers promptly manned every boat furnished and before 9 o'clock craft were plying back and forth through the flooded railway yards res cuing flood sufferers. When boats were rowed alongside of homes where the occupants were marooned on roofs. in the great majority of cases the oc- cupants could not be induced to leave. They said that to leave meant that their belongings were left to the mercy of river thieves and they would remain and stand guard. Particularly the women were unwilling to be rescued.