The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-06-10
Madison Overwhelmed by
Wall of Rushing
Water.
TIE FLOOD AT ST. LOUIS
All The Fast Side Cities Under From Ten to
Eighteen Feet Of the Freshet---
The Flood Nears Its High.
est Stage.
A Severe Fall,
A Severe Fall,
(Bv the Associated Press. J


territory is covered by the flood so CON
stantly changing are the conditions as
the water creeps higher and renders the
situation the more chaotic as the rumors
of devastation come to hand that an ac-
curate estimate of the loss Of property
and lives can be made, but tonight in
formation from apparently the most re-
liable sources showed the situation to be
as follows
River stage S7.5 feet, stationary. Prob
ably n slight rise by morning when the
highest stage shall have been reached.
Twenty lives are known to hive been
lost
over 100000 acres of rich farming lands
are under water.
All of Venice, and the greater parts Of
Madison and Granite City are under
water
twenty-five thousand people were rend-
cred homeless.
Freight traffic is completely paralyzed
and passenger traffic practically so.
The shipping and manufacturing dis
trict of East st. Louis for three miles
along the river front are under rom two
to eight feet OF water.
Hundreds and probably thousands Of
head of stock have been drowned.
East st. Louis is threatened with COM
plete inundation.
St. Louis is flooded only along the water
front
The entire property loss is estimated al
SO, 600, 000
The entire group of East side cities
lying just north of East st. Louis, and
including Venice, Madison, West Madison
Newport, Brooklyn and Granite City, are
under from ten to eighteen feet Of water,
which is still rising Very little cOnfT-
matory of the reports of drowning can be
had as these places are all cut off from
railroad service, and telephone communica-
ton is uncertain at best. The weather
bureau promises relief after the river shall
have risen to about thirty feet
so far as is known the casualties arc
as follows:
JOHN CRITTENDEN, aged 10, drowned
near the Merchants bridge in Venice.
A WOMAN AND SEVEN CHILDREN,
swept from fence by the flood in sight
Of the terminal railway operator at Madi-
son, who was attempting to save them.
A WOMAN, drowned in Madison near
the American Car Works.
A WOMAN AND BABY seen clingiug
to a telegraph pole in Madison. The pole
turned in the water and both disappeared
MANAGER SHIPLEY, of the Madison
Car Works, reports seeing seven employees
of the American Car and Foundry Com
pany drown.
HENRY REDMONDS. farmer, drowned
near Granite City. His wife was rescued
The harbor boat Mark Twain and
the private yacht Annie Russell, with
several tugs have gone to Madison and
Granite City, where the floods have caused
a number of deaths and where scores Of
families, cut off from escape, are at the
mercy Of the rising water.
Dummy trains of the Terminal Associa-
ton connecting with skiffs, commenced
today the work of bringing across the
river more than 700 persons who spent
Sunday afternoon and night on the tops
Of houses and at other points of elevations
above the flood in Madison, Venice and
Newport Four drownings were reported
by the refugees, but none knew the names
of victims One said that father, mother
and child hsd been drowned while trying
to reach a point of safety and another
told of the death of a man under like
circumstances.
In East St Louis, on proclamation Of
Mayor Crook business is suspended, the
saloons are closed and everybody Is at
work on the levees in a desperate effort
to save the city, which is from one to four
feet below the level of the water that
presses up against the embankment. The
hastily constructed levee of sand bags Is
almost that keeps the city from complete
submersion. If this levee gives away all
~ 4 -, ,,rTn I. Ill
flooded and not street IN the business
section will be left out Of the water. The
railroad business in every dierction is laid
out and the freight business is done at all
in the East side Two roads, the Missouri
Pacific and Frisco, are the only ones run
nings trains between here and Kansas
City. Passenger traffic and the most ur-
gent freight business is all that the rail
roads will handle West 1t is too early to
accurately estimate the damage which,
however will run into the millions, and
the loss due to the interference with bus
mess.
This afternoon the viaduct connecting
St Louis with the Eads bridge was con
demned as unsafe. The street cars were
stopped and not allowed to cross the bridge.
The water OF the Cahokia Creek has been
washing against the viaduct for several
days and it has been strained to its ut
most by sightseers who used it as a van
tage point to view the flood
The climax Of the flood came last night,
when by the breaking of levee near
Granite City wall Of water six feet high
rushed down upon Madison, sweeping
houses from their foundations aud drown
81 l.
ing for their lives. The report was cur
rent that fifteen workmen in the st. Louis
Car and Foundry Works had been drown
ed, but later it was found that while sew
EN- employees had lost their lives, thirteen
others, men, women and children had
persisted Hundreds of persons were forced
to the roofs of their floating houses and
an appeal was sent to ST. Louis for as.