Evening journal., 1903-06-09
WESTERN FLOOD
At ITS WORST
Thirty-hve Are Dead and 25,-
900 Homeless in Vicinity
Of ST. Louis
LOSS ESTIMATED At SsO00,00O

St Louis, June $50 great an ex-
tent OF territory Is covered by the
mood, so constantly changing are the
conditions as the water creeps higher
and renders the situation the more
chaotic and so unreliable are the var
ious rumors of the devastation that a
substantial summary of the losses Of
lives and property cannot be obtained,
but information from apparently the
most reliable sources showed the situ-
alton to be as follows:
River stage S75 feet, stationary.
Thirty-fye lives known to have been
lost
over 100000 acres of rich farming
lands under water.
All Of Venice and the greater parts
of Madison and Granite City under
water.
Twenty-Five thousand people render
ell homeless.
Freight traffic completely paralyzed
and passenger traffic practically so.
Hundreds and probably thousands
of head of stock drowned.
East St Louis threatened with COM
plete inundation
st. Louis flooded only along the
water front
Entire property loss estimated at
100000.
In East st. Louis. on proclamation
Of Mayor Cook. business is suspended,
the saloons are closed and everybody
is at work on the levees in a desper-
ate effort to save the city, which is
from one to four inches below the
level of the water that presses up
against the embankment. A hastily
constructed levee of sandbags and
mud is all that stands between the
city ami almost complete submersion.
If the levee gives way all the main
part of the city will be quickly flooded
and not a street in the business sec
tion will be left out Of water The
relay station is now surrounded by
water
Relief boats were sent to Venice,
H., which Is completely flooded as a
result Of the break in the levee just
south Of the Merchants bridge. Only
the roofs Of houses are visible and
the 500 inhabitants are homeless.
Many persons were obliged to flee
from the flood only partly clad. The
Methodist Church was lifted from its
foundations and carried three blocks
In the school house, which is of brick
200 men. women and children have
found refuge. Unless there is a rise
of another foot or so they are safe
but they have no food supplies. Sew
eral business houses were carried
away in the terrific current and stock
valued at thousands of dollars was de-
stroyed
When the Venice levee burst the
current swept northward to the ter
minal yards The citizens had barely
time to leave their homes. One wo
man who lived close to the river put
her three children in a washtub and
waded through the waters, which kept
increasing. They escaped.
John Arnold, who escaped from
North Venice. brought the report that
a house containing 13 occupants was
swept away and all were drowned
River thieves are looting the various
houses.
The climax of the flood came by
the breaking of levee near Granite
City. A wall of water six feet high
rushed down upon Madison, sweeping
houses from their foundations and
drowning Is refugees who were vainly
fleeing for their lives. The report wa!
current that 10 workmen in the st
Louis car and foundry works had beer
drowned, but later it was found that
while seven employees had lost theii
lives, 1S others-men. women and chill
dren-had perished. Hundreds of per
sons were forced to the roofs of theil
floating houses and an appeal was sen
TO st. Louis for assistance.
For the balance of the day and init
the night the work of rescuing refu
gees from floating houses, tree top
and various high places proceeded
and, there being no place to take then
nearer than st. Louis, they are pour
ing into the city by hundreds wet
hungry and dispirited.