The Irish standard., 1903-06-13

st. Louis, June $50 great an ex-
tent OF territory is covered by the
ti"Gd, so constantly changing are the
conditions as the water creeps higI-
er and renders the situation the more
chaotic, and so unreliable are the va
rious runors Of the devastation that
Il substantatcd summary of the
losses of lives and property cannot
be obtained, but up to eight o'clock
Monday night information from APP
pareEtly the most reliable sources
showed the situation to he as fol-
lows:
Twenty lives known to have been
Over 100000 acres of rich farming,
lands under water.
All of Venice and the greater parr
Of Madison and Granite City under
water.
Twenty-Five thousand people ren-
dered homeless.
Freight traffic completely paralyzed
and passenger traffic practically so.
The shipping and manufacturing
district of East St. Louis for three
from two to eight feet of water.
Hundreds and probably thousands
of head of stock drowned.
St. Louis flooded only along the wa
ter front.
Entire property loss estimated at
$3OOO.OOO.
II is more than probab BILE that the
estimate of 20 lives lost is far below
the actual number. On all sides per-
sons are found who tell of having
seen houses turn over, plunging lone
occupants beneath the water to rise
no more in the swift unde:tow, or of
having seen men struggling in the
water too far from land to receive
assistance. who, from exhaustion,
gave up and sank. or of women being
drowned under various circum-
stances. Put these stories are so
varied that confirmation is impossi-
bic. Some persons declare that when
the flood shall have subsidized and or
der shall have finally been restored
4 it will be found that 200 persons are
missing.
Crest of the Flood.
st. Louis, June 10.-With an unex-
pectedness astounding to the tired
citizens OF threatened East st. Louis
and vicinity, and even to Government
Forecaster Bowie in ST. Louis. the
Mississippi flood which on Monday
night began to rece;le after reaching
Il stage of 27.5 feet. began a rapid
rise Tuesday and reached stage of
1915 feet, establishing the highest
official water mark ever recorded in
st. Louis. The rise was rapid after
the dawn Of the day. the water
creeping up from 37.1 feet, where
the recession during the latter
part of the night had placed
the stage, steadily regaining
lost ground and increasing until at
aeon the stage had reached 1915
F""t. and from that time until eight
O'clock at night the river remained
>:a1 ionary.
Vast -. I.nuis l'1cnde1.
Word was received here at 2:10
o'clock this morrin" hat the water is
rushing into East St Louis from the
south side in Il torrent and people are
7cinr for their lives. The heavy pres
cure hat tore away the Illinois Central
emhanlment swept other barriers
aside and flowed en- in a torrent into
The southern portion of the city.
Tier" is no means Of communication
excepting by Telephone and the en-
element is SO great that little can be
learned. One report has it that the
e~tire city is being flooded, but it
cannot be confirmed. The business
noriion of the city is from two to six
feet below the food level and if the
water poufs through the streets prop
cry loss Will be heavy and many lives
wi! probably be lost.
Death List May BE larger.
Reports are coming in from Madison.
Granite City and Venice, which indi-
cate the t.eath list may be larger than
irst estimated. IT is known that at
least 20 people have been drowned in
that Vicinity. A report was received
s"r;y T0es.,ay from Newport. small
Town three miles from Granite City,
shat school building in which are
sheltered 50 children was lettering and
"eG'e;.ed to collapse at any moment.
.eals were made for assistance, but
there was no way to reach them from
Nj. Louis or East ST. Louis, the only
Ac@s that can render aid.
Very little has been said about the
condition Of the river below here.
rom st. Louis to Cape Girardeau,
istance of 40 miles, the Mississippi
as attained an average width Of four
lies, Tic 81 aamer Cape Girardeau,
which has arrived in st. Louis brings
:rcnunts of the immense damage in
:'cted on the farmers located on the
Mississippi lowlanGs south of here.
Rivers Failing.
Reports received Indicate that both
t"e Missouri and Mississippi rivers
are falling above Eere. and the pres
ant rise cannot be maintained for