The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-06
TWO SERIOUS CREVASSES
SNY LEVEE AND THE MADISON
EMBANKMENT BROKEN.
West Granite and Venice, Ill.,, Under
Water-ThousandS of Fertile
Acres Overlooked.

destructive magnitude OF the great flood
steadily increasing in volume. surmounting
and demolishing barriers OF protection and
greedily tapping at property and reaching
for lives as 1t resistlessly extends farther
and farther beyond the ordinary river con-
fines. is now being felt in st. Louis and
vicinity to an alarming extent The flood
is the one absorbing topic OF conversation
and throngs OF people congregate upon the
Eads bridge and fill the street approaches
to the flooded levee to view the torrent of
muddy water that is swirling past st. Louis
and spreading out over the lowlands with
devastating energy. At o'clock tonight
the stage reached s4.2 feet. rise of seven
tenths of foot since o'clock this morn
ing Government Forecaster Bowie to-
night issued bulletin predicting stage of
thirty-hve feet by tomorrow noon, thirty
six feet by Sunday and thirty-seyen feet on
Monday.
The Mississippi north of the mouth of the
Missouri is rising stiI but the rapidity of
the rise has been diminished because of the
breaks In levees The great Sny levee,
which extends for miles along the Illinois
shore from Hannibal northward. broke to-
day and the angry waters went rushing
through the crevasse 70 devastate thou
sands OF acres of fertile farming lands.
Possibly some lives may be lost. but no re-
ports OF loss of life had been received up
TO o. clock tonight.
WA kr-r-s
Later in the day the flood forced passage
through the levee at Madison. H.. just
north OF st. Louis. This ievee is fifteen
miles long. and for days men have been
hard at work endeavoring to strengthen it.
but the. river found its weak point in
sewer way. and the water broke through
like geyser. Carloads of bags of sand
and all other available material were hur-
ried to the break and dumped in. but the
force of the flood washed out the filing.
and the break constantly widened. West
Granite. town OF two thousand people, is
under water.
The river also has broken through pri-
vate levees at two points below Oldenburg,
above Granite City. ILL.,. and is flooding
valuable farms in the bottoms. Several
farmers are vainly seeking TO fill the gaps
with brush. planks and sandbags. Every
family in the bottoms protected by the
levee. which Is private one erected to
keep out the backwater from above, is
fleeing TO the high ground at mitchell,
which offers the best protection in that
section.
In ST. Louis the buildings along the river
front have practically been abandoned as
the first floors over a foot under water
which stands tonight two feet deep on top
of the steamboat levee.
Venice, H.. has been under water for
two days.
In South st. Louis fully one hundred
families living near the mouth OF the river
Desreres were forced to leave their houses
to-day by the advancing water, and many
families living in house boats fed to land
for shelter. Men and in some cases even
women worked to their waists in the swirl
ing waters with ropes aid wire cables an
choring their homes to the railroad tracks
and to trees on high ground. Wagons were
backed into the river up TO their beds and
furniture loaded In. Many families had re-
NAMED In their homes even after the water
had risen several feet deep in the first
floors, but the rising ffoodtide to-day began
to sway the houses threateningly. and the
brave occupants were driven forth.
LEAPED FOR THEIR LIVES.
Burlington switch engine. having on
board a switching crew OF four men. top
pied from the undermined track into five
feet OF water north of the Merchants
bridge to-day. The men felt the engine
sinking. and. leaping into the water. swan
ashore
The interrupted train service has very
materially improved. although more or less
delay attends their running. Owing to the
fact that portions OF the Wabash the Mis-
souri Pacific. the Missouri, Kansas a.
Texas, the Chicago & Alton and Santa Fe
the Missouri Pacific has temporarily be-
come the main outlet to the West and the
above mentioned roads are for the time be-
ing operating their trains over the Missouri
Pacific The St Louis * San Francisco.
running TO the Southwest. has not been
inconvenienced by the food and Is running
regularly. The ST. Louis. Iron Mountain a.
Southern. running 10 the south along the
Mississippi. has not been reached by the
high water and traffic Is not impeded The
Burlington trains running west are using
the Wabash track To st. Peters where
they connect with their own line.
A Chester. Ill. dispatch says: THE Mis-
sisssppi river at this point is rapidly rising
The rise has been great within forty
eight hours that II threatens 10 do great
damage 10 the property OF persons livine
on Kaskaskia island The home OF Stanley
Jones. on Kaskaskia island, Is entirely sur.