Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-07
A Train Load Of Grocery Bargains for Monday

two weeks, creeks became rivers and rivers
overlooked their banks, flooding lowlands
and entailing losses estimated at $50, 600, 900.
Railroads alone lost $1,000, 900 by washouts.
On the 18th of that month a waterspout
broke loose in the Floyd River valley and
destroyed $1,000, 900 worth of property in
Sioux City and vicinity. The flood at it's
height extended from Court street to the
Floyd bluffs, a distance of a mile and a
half.
The Record Floods.
The great flood of 1874, according to st.
Louis records, was started by the melting
SHOWS of the mountains and the unprece-
denied rainfall during May of that year.
The flood reached the record height OF
forty-one feet at st. Louis, six feet above
the expected record of the present flood.
o June 90" says the st. Louis Globe
Democrat, "the river in front Of the city
was from three to six miles wide, and
Front street was entirely submerged. The
boiler fires at Cathcart's mills were ex-
tnguished by the water, and the steamer
Lightner, arriving that morning, tied up 10
the front of Davis store, on Front street
and Morgan, Below Mil creek valley the
city streets were under water as far west
as Second.
1.-THE following day the steamer India "a
arrived from the couth, laden with refugees
that had been taken from the bluffs and
other points of safety on the Illinois eide.
A large number Of Sisters of Charity and
several priests from the convent and re-
ligious institutions at Kaskaskia were
among the number. The town of Kas-
kaskia was reported to be under from ten
to twenty feet of water, and Indiana had
marked its course along the river over
what had been. the road to nlinoistown,
now East St. Louis, some miles to the east
Of the usual river channel.
The great food was on in deadly ear
nest now, and from 7 o'clock Thursday
morning TO the same time Friday broke all
records for a rapid rise by mounting seven
teen inches in that interval Of twenty-four
hours. Good sense prevailed in st. Louis
by this time. however, and few felt any
undue apprehension, although many dire
predictions were made that in some in
stances were justified by existing facts.
From Hazel street South Second street was
entirely under water. and east of Fifth
broadway. all the low places were flooded
by from four to six feet In depth. while the
river was ten to fifteen miles wide and land
could not be seen to the east at all. On
June p the editor Of the Republican started
In due easteTly direction in a large boat
to ascertain the width OF the river at the
foot Of Vine street, and on his return re-
ported that he had been able 20 get nine
miles inland on the surface OF the water
from what had been Bloody island, and
still saw submerged fields and villages be-
fore him
Sunday. June %. the river mounted four
teen inches, and the apex OF the flood was
reached, a height Of a trihe over forty-one
- -.-..a.l a -. -
when It began TO recede so slowly that II
was not until the latter part OF July that It
attained It's normal level.
'The damage resulting from this Hood in
st. Louis and vicinity was never very we'll
known, but that II must have amounted TO
millions Of dollars may be readily inferred
from its vast extent. Crops were totally
destroyed. thousands of head of cattle per-
ished, hundreds Of farm houses and scores
OF villages were obliterated and a great
number of people were rendered homeless"