Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-07

standing ten feet deep over ground which
never before in the memory of white men
had been affected, and 1t was still rising.
The mayor of Sioux City demanded of Cen
eral George Crook, then In command OF the
Department OF the Platte, explosives from
the federal governmental be used in break
ing the gorge. The general had no such ex-
plosives, but referred the mayor to an army
officer in st. Louis who could supply him.
Before sending to st. Louis a committee
from Sioux City made an inspection of the
gorge and decided that not enough dyna-
mite could be secured to destroy the pile Of
ice, and it was allowed to pass out nat
urally.
Lots of Narrow Escapes.
The water at Omaha was rising slowly
compared to what it was at other places,
for the gorge above held the waters back
to a great extent, but by Thursday, April Z,
a break had been made in the government
riprap and the buildings at the smelter
were in the line of the current of the rising
waters. Michae Cunningham and Nicholas
Keenan,, with another person. attempted
to go in a boat to a barn north Of the
smelter. The boat was overturned by the
current and both were drowned, while the
third man was rescued with difficulty, after
clinging to the boat for some time. These
were the only recorded fatalities from the
food in Omaha, although narrow escapes
were common with the men who worked
along the river front for the month during
which the river threatened to take all of
the land and the buildings east of Ninth
street.
This day was the most exciting of the
flood, although the waters did not rise as
high as later. The gorge at Sioux City
went out and the ice came down on the
crest of the flood. II the passing OF the
gorge at Omaha a few days before was
interesting the passing Of this ice was ter
rife. Light cakes OF ice sweeping rapidly
on the waters would strike a more slowly
floating block and be thrown twenty feet
in the air. Large blocks that hoated out Of
| the center OF the current would ground I'm
the shallower water and an incipient gorge
! would start. which would defect a side cur
rent to land previously dry. TIL river
stood at 10 feet, 7 inches.
At Foot of Douglas street.
Water was six inches deep in the Union
Pacific car shops and was three miles wide
from the foot OF Douglas street. Railroad
communication was entirely cut on and
south of Omaha the water stood to the tops
OF two-story houses from the bluffs at
Plattsmouth to the Iowa bluffs. Pacific
Junction was inundated and the farms in
the valley in Mills county. Iowa. were de-
serted.
April 9 the gauge showed p feet, 2 inches
OF water above low water mark at Omaha.
Every available man was at work building
an embankment between the Union Pacific
shops and the smelling works. A crew
worked day and night. and it was hoped
that the flooding OF the railroad shops
could be averted. The water at that tim
was pouring through the riprap and form.
ing a lake at the foot of Douglas street
At II o'clock In the morning the watel
stood p feet, s inches. II had penetrated
to the lime room at the smelter and the
Stacking lime fired timbers in that room
adding flames to the horror OF the Hood
still the men worked on the embankmeni
and hoped TO keep the noOd In cheek. At
o'clock at night the men working on thu
northern end Of the embankment shouteS