Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-03-14
FLOOD SITUATION WORSE.
Residents Preparing to Abandon
Shawneetown. El.-COnditions
at Other Points.

my 1IO1u Uno Guy Will IuolT per
sonal property and then opening the
levee and allowing the river to food
the town, thus doing away with the
great danger of disaster that now
| threatens the place, which is situat-
| ed on low ground and protected by
a large levee, which the people fear
| NAV break should the river rise
much more. A few years ago the
| levee broke at Shawneetown and the
| place was inundated and scores of
| people drowned The story cannot
| be confirmed, but those who know
the situation of the city believe it
| true.
Omaha, Neb., March 1.-THE ST.
Paul q Omaha road has been una BILE
| to move a train on it's Wakefield
| branch since last Saturday, on ac-
count of washouts. Albert Kohler, a
young farmer, was drowned near Os-
mond. He was driving across bridge
over which the water was running.
The horses jumped off the bridge and
the driver and both horses were
drowned.
Lincoln, Neb., March 1.-THE flood
situation in Nebraska is even worse
than "a hours ago. The wrecking by
an ice gorge of the main line bridge
of the Rock Island across the Platte
river at South Bend, and that of the
Missouri Pacific near Louisville has
still further demoralized railroad
traffic. The Rock Island is still run
nj tro
ha over the Burlington tracks, and
the Union Pacific utilities the same
line for an outlet from Omaha west
ward. The center of the flood along
the Platte, which Monday night was
at Columbus, has moved eastward,
and on Tuesday reached Fremont,
the bottom lands for miles east and
The point of greatest danger now is
at Portsmouth, where the Platte
empties into the Miss ouri, which
stream, already high, will be given
an increased and dangerous volume
| of water as the mass of ice and
water flows into it. A gorge, which
formed at Plattsmouth Tuesday
out of it's banks, and the crash of ice
against the Burlington's new steel
| bridge shook the structure threaten
| ingly. Workmen on the bridge at the
time, dropped their dinner buckets in
| the river and fled N terror. Both
| the Burlington bridges at Platts-
mouth are still in danger. and are be-
oh %
state every stream of any magnitude
is bank full or running over. Stock
| is being moved to higher ground. and
| there is occa sional reports of stock
losses.
| Peoria, H., March 1.-THE Illinois
river is rising at an alarming rate,
and should the present rise continue
for the next "a hours the high water
mark will be beaten. The approaches
to the upper bridge are now mum
! dated and farmers are unable to
reach the city. Fields below the city
are under water, and much alarm is
felt among the owners of bottom
land.
Cairo. Ills, March 1.-THE river at
Cairo is gradually rising, the gauge
! showing a stage of 4S.4 feet. The stu
! alton below Cairo is hourly becoming
more critical At Bird Point the water
| is running over the Iron Mountain
| tracks and is within few inches of the
| Cotton Belt tracks. The entire place
/ is under water. The water has backed
in behind the levee at Norfolk and the
entire country between the river and
/ Charleston is fast being submerged.
! Reports from Belmont, Mo-, say the
entire place is under water and that
| the situation is gradually becoming
worse The steamer Rees Lee arrived
from the lower river and reports a Sc
rious state of affairs at Columbus and
| Hickman, KY, thousands of acres of
farming lands being covered by raging
/ waters. The farmers have been NOV
| ing as best they could but much valu-
able stock has been left to perish. The
Kentucky country opposite Cairo is
| under water for several miles back.
Grand Haven, Mich, March 11.-A
great ice gorge has formed in the
! Grand river above the railroad bridges.
and there is grave fear that the Grand
Trunk and Interurban Electric railway
companies bridges will be carried
away, entailing less of $4,000 All
| efforts to break the ice jam have so
far proven futile. The tug Bos, in an
effort to break the jam, lost her wheel
! Forty thousand logs were carried
away from a raft above this city Tues
| day afternoon
BattIeship Oregon in Terrible storm.
| San Francisco. March 11-SailOrs
recently on the battleship Oregon
| who have arrived here on the steam
er Coptic, report that the Oregon was
| in a terrific storm on February 90
while en- route from Yokohama to
Woo Sung. The boats were carried
away, the large seven-ton steam
| launch was tossed out of it's davits
and against the turrets and other