The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1903-06-12
THE FLOOD SITUATION.
Mississippi River Commenced to
Fall Tuesday Morning.
Known Loss OF Life IL 20 ard Prop
erty Loss Is Eotims,cd at $3,oo0..
COO in That vicinity-Rich
Farm Lands Inundated.


-
st. Louis, June 9.-The crest Of tho
food has been reached and the Missi5-
sippi is falling. AT 1880 O'Clock Tues
day morning the gauge registered 81
feet. and indicating a fall OF 4 feet
since Z O'Clock Monday evening.
reports from along the Missouri
river indicate that IL is falling rapid
~ north of there. The high water
mark OF the great flood of 1909 as es-
tablishcd at st. Louis Is 37.5 feet.
st. Louis. June $50 great an ex-
tent OF territory Is covered by tho
food, so constantly changing are the
conditions as the water crceps higher
and renders he situation the more
chaotic. and so unreliable are the vari-
Gus rumors Of tle devastation that a
substantiated summary Of the losses
Of lives and property can not be OBJ
tanned. but Monday night information
from apparently reliable sources show
ed the situation Il be as follows:
River 37.5 feet, stationary. Twenty
| lives known to have been lost. Over
| 200, 900 acres Of rich farming lands un-
der water. All of Venice and h
| greater part Of Madison and OF Gran
tie City under water. twenty-five
thousand people homeless. Freight
traffic paralyzed and passenger traffic
crippled. The shipping and manufac-
turing district Of East st. Louis fo-
| three miles along the river front un-
der water from 2 to S feet of water.
Hundreds of head Of stock drowned.
East st. Louis threatened with nun
dation. st. Louis flooded only along
the water front. Entire property loss
estimated at $4,000. 900.
The flood has probably reached the
zenith OF its devastating power and
the situation is appalling. The climax
came Sunday night when by the break
ing of a levee near Granite City a wall
OF water six feet high rushed down on
Madison and deeper engulfed the al
ready stricken city, sweeping houses
from their foundations n drowning
IS refugees who were vainly fleeing
for their lives. The report was ur-
rent that 10 workmen IN the st. Louis
car and foundry works had been
drowned. but later II was found that
while seven employees had lost their
lives, 13 Others. men, m and chill
dren, had persisted.
Hundreds Of persons were forced IN
the roofs OF their floating houses and
an appeal vas sent to st. Louis for
assistance. Every effort was made tu
force steamers against the heavy cur
rent four miles north TO the stricken
town but II was only before the steam
ers Mark Twain and Annie Russell
dashed together and their engines
working under every ounce OF stean
after FIVE hours Of battle with the cur
rent. were able to reach Madison.
For the remainder OF the day and
into the night the work OF rescuing
refugees from floating houses. tree
tops and various high places proceed
ed and there being no place to q X
them nearer than st. Louis. they were
Monday night pouring into the citJ
by hundreds. wet. hungry n dispir
tied.
River thieves are looting the vari
Gus vacant houses. Men in skifs have
been seen to enter half submerged
J houses in Venice. Madison and Gran
tie City. and carry away everything
they could find.
In East st. Louis strings OF freight
? cars and houses with only the roof
above the surface told of the depth O
the water. Grain elevators that or
: dinarily stand at the edge OF the Mis-
sissippi are now a mile from dry land
Business in the railroad yards was al
most at a standstill.
The stencil arising from the bacl
water on the surface of which float
filth. is offensive. Tlis Is a menac'
to health. The sanitary department
will make every effort TO cleanse tn
district as soon as the food has de
! parted.
J. Word was received Monday nigh
that the levee at Kempar's Landing
below st. Louis. had broken. flooding
thousands of acres of fine Illinoi
farming land.
4 w. II. Wilkinson. a commission mel
L chant at Cape Girardeau. $50 miles be
low st. Louis. arrived here Monday D.
t boat after a long and hard strucgl
against the current and reports tina
the damage to crops between ST Loui
and Cape Girardeau amount to 81
600. 900. The river is 40 miles wide bt
4 low st. Louis in low places.
a.