Columbia courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1902-1905, 1903-06-12
FLOOD SITUATION APPALLING
ST. LOUIS is IN A VERY DANGER
Gus POSITION.
Many Lives Lost-Twenty-Fi Five Thou
sand People Have Been Rendered
HopeIess-Other Cities in Danger
Many Towns Are Under Water, and
Property Loss Is 100000.

St Louis, June 1o.-So great an eX-
tent is covered by the flood, SO con-
stantly changing are the conditions as
the water creeps higher and renders
the situation the more chaotic, and SO
unreliable are the various rumors OF
the devastation that substantial sum-
mary of the loss of life and property
can not lie obtained, but information
from the most reliable sources showed
| the situation at present to be as fol-
lows:
River stage, 97.5 feet; stationary.
Twenty lives known to have been
lost.
More than 100000 acres of rich
farming land under water.
All of Venice and the greater part
of Madison and Granite City under wa
ter.
Twenty five thousand people render
ed homeless.
Freight traffic completely paralyzed
and passenger traffic practically stop
ped.
The shipping and manufacturing dis
trict of East st. Louis for three miles
along the river front is under from
three to eight feet of water. Hun
dreds, and probably thousands, of head
of stock drowned.
East St. Louis threatened with COM
plete inundation.
st. Louis flooded only along the wa
ter front.
Entire property loss estimated at 3d.
100000.
The flood has practically reached the
height of its devastating power and
the situation is appalling. The climax
came when, by the breaking of levee
near Granite City, a wall of water six
feet high rushed down upon Madison
and more deeply engulfed that already
stricken city, sweeping houses from
their foundations and drowning Is peo-
pie who were vainly fleeing for their
lives. The report was current that Is
workmen In the St. Louis Car and
Foundry works had been drowned, but
later it was found that while seven
employees had lost their lives, 10 others
men, women and children-had per-
ished. Hundreds of persons were
forced to the roofs of their floating
houses, and an appeal was sent to St.
Louis for aid. Every effort was made
to force steamers against the heavy
current four miles north of the stricken
town, but it was noon before the steam
No VII T1,ya tn Annie PncSal
dashed together and their engines work
ing under every ounce of steam, after
five hours of battle with the current,
were able to reach Madison.
For the balance of the day and into
the night the work of rescuing people
from the floating or flooded houses.
treetops and various high places pro-
ceeded, and, there being no place to
take them nearer than st. Louis, they
are tonight pouring into the city by
the hundreds, weak, hungry and de-
spairing. 1t is probable that the esti-
mate of Is lives lost is below the actual
number River thieves are looting the
various vacant houses in Venice, Madi-
son and Granite City and carrying
Il away everything lHey cdu Hnu.
Throughout the entire flooded district
men with riot guns are patrolling the
levees to prevent pillaging and anxious
to try their craftsmanship on the
thieves, but the thieves pillaged houses
situated far from the levees, where
they are safe from detection.
Bad at East St. Louis.
An Associated Press reporter visited
East st. Louis and the situation there
is desperate. Mayor Cook had issued
proclamation ordering all business
suspended and calling upon every male
citizen to lay aside his employment
and render service in preventing the
inundation of the city. Mayor Cook
, went about seeing that signs were
posted offering men 81 cents an hour
to help build the levees, but the offers
of employment were ignored by the ma
jority of the throngs of unemployed
negroes and white workmen who stood
idly by. The situation was getting SO
S desperate that for time it seemed
,