Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-07
ST. LOUIS STANDS READY
Waters Still Rise, but Find Little Left tC
Destroy.
THREE SMALLER TOWNS ARE INUNDATED
Twenty-Five Thousand Driven from
Homes, while Two Hundred Thou
sand Acres of Farm Land
is Submerged.


the Illinois shore about st. Louis. A mag
nifcent view of the angry waters is OBJ
tained from Fades bridge by the thousands
of spectators who throng the structure
Far away to the southeast the water
covers lower East st. Louis and a big
grain elevator that at normal stages stands
high above the water line Is now isolated
with heavy current pouring past its in
land side Half submerged freight cars
stand on the siding and tree tops appear
above the surface like small bushes. The
shipping district presents a small peninsula
on which freight houses stand a short dis
tance above tho flood, but beyond these ex-
tends lake half a mile wide, while the
water at the eastern edge laps at the
foundations Of tall business blocks. The
st. Louis Hay Warehouse company's build
ing, situated on the levee near Fades
bridge, is half submerged and as the water
creeps higher bales Of hay float out and are
carried away by the current.
North OF East st. Louis the eastern
boundary of the floods cannot be discovered
Here and there the tops Of freight cars
and of houses appear above the surface
and grain elevators surrounded and flooded
present a. scene of desolation indicative of
the foods advancing energy.
ANNhA EtlbhN
Along the St. Louis shore wharf boats
are drawn in almost to the foundations OF
buildings, and in an endeavor to continue
business freight companies hauled their
loads with their wagon beds touching the
water and the horses all but swimming
Freight traffic will probably have to be
discontinued on Monday.
At I tonight the stage registered 35.4
feet 81 rise ~ 80 ha of
this morning. The stage of the Mississippi
has not changed materially north of the
mouth of the Missouri, but below the rise
continues Government Forecaster Bowie
tonight issued a statement that the rise
will continue rapidly for the next forty
eight hours and q stage of 37.5 feet will be
registered by Monday. He says this stage
Will certainly be reached and II Is probable
that the water will go to thirty-eight feet.
Two lives have been lost in the flood,
but in both cases the fatalities were the
result of accidents, both being boys who
ventured too near the treacherous waters
slipped in and were swept away. The
victims were James Linton, jr., and John
| Clark. The body Of the latter was re-
covered late today.
For a time today train service to the
west was cut of. The Missouri Pacific
track had been used since the flood began
by all the western roads and today the
swift current of the Missouri undermined
a portion OF the track bed between St.
Louis and Jefferson City Workmen and
carloads Of filling were rushed to the spot
and the track bed was speedily rebuilt
strongly and substantially and service was
resumed this afternoon. 3s.
Take Warning Betimes.
r. There is so much flooded territory in the
vicinity that tits difficult to say Just where
the greatest amount of damage is being
done. The disastrous inupdations of To-
peka and Kansas City served as a warn
ing for st. Louis and vicinity and know
ing that the high water must later pour
down through this section every effort was
| expended to remove property to safety and
| secure buildings that might float away.
| Despite all these precautions, however, the
| flood has wrought great damage, as levees
| expected to Withstand the rush have been
washed away and vast tracts of grain that
was deemed beyond the reach of water is
overfiowed.
Missouri Point. just north of the con-
| huence of the Missouri and Mississippi
rivers, fertile section beyond the reach
of ordinary high water. has been covered
| to a considerable depth Twenty miles
i west OF Ol. LOUIS lne nllleS OF FARMING
bottoms, in the center Of which Is located
the summering place. Creve Couer lake
has been deluged by the breaking OF the
levee, which formed a barrier to the Mis-
| souri, river.
South of st. Louis the water has backed
\ into the River Desperes, which is several
miles wide, and families have been driven
from their homes.
| North OF st. Louis, across the river. the
three towns of Madison, Venice and Gran
lite City, are now. for their greater por-
| tions, under water by reason of the break
| Ing Of levees yesterday and last night.
AT Mitchell ILL.,, twelve miles north,
! "cross" levee broke this afternoon and
parts of Mitchell and hundreds of acres
of additional farming land were flooded
Gangs of men, with loads of sacks of sand
were hurried to the latest levee break this
afternoon. II this gap is not closed the
flood will pour down upon Granite City,
Madison and East st. Louis and unless
stopped by the Chicago & Alton. Wabash
and Burlington embankment will cause
more destruction.
| POstomce is Abandoned.
The postofices at West Alton and Falcon,
Ill, were abandoned today. There are but
| eight or ten families in that vinicity now,
all sheltered in one dwelling on an Indian
mound which is about eight feet above the
| water.
| So far as st. Louis is concerned, the city
| is built upon a hill and is safe, though
some portions extend down upon the low
lands which are food-swept but these dis
tricts comprise warehouses, shipping yards,
| small dwellings and structures OF minor
| value, and as most of the movable prop
! erty had been taken 20 higher ground the
damage VIII be heaviest in the small ad-
Joining towns and East ST. Louis.
| II is estimated that within a radius of
twenty miles from ST. Louis the flood has
rendered 5000 people homeless and sub
merged 10000 acres OF fertile farming
lands. The flood is already almost 10 the
tops OF some OF the levees on the Illinois
side that are protecting additional large
areas. II the predicted crest rise OF S7.5
feet is realized the aood must necessarily
pour over these levees. II indeed they are
not demolished by the increased strain,
and the devastation will be greatly in
| creased.
Martial law has been proclaimed in East
St. Louis. Men with riot guns are pa
trolling the levees and have orders TO shoot
down thieves and levee breakers. The mer
will patrol every section OF the city ir
which possible danger exists from tht
Hood.
Word was received tonight that Yves
Alton is completely inundated and that th'
Missouri river appears to be shifting Ia
| IN fhe nrincinal afreets NJ the vii