Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-06-10
Raging Waters Break Down Embankment at East
st. Louis and Overflow the Town,
DEATH AND
CAUSING
Many Lives Lost and People Are Being Rescued
From SeCond-Story Windows.

st. Louis, June 1O.-The Ievee at
East St Louis broke at o'clock this
morning. Five thousand persons were
driven from their homes. At O'Clock
the river registered 379 feet, and the
southern half of East ST. Louis was
under water. Probably the city will
be entirely submerged soon.
1t was believed that when the warn
ing that the levee had broken came
many families in the cottages awoke
only when it was too late to escape.
The Ievee workers, who laid down to
rest on the embankment, worn out
with hard labor, are said to have been
caught in the flood and drowned like
rats when the break occurred. D. H..
Sherwood, John Koolish and three
children lost their lives by the over
turning of a boat.
Efforts at Rescue.
Everything obtainable is being used
in the rescue of the people in the sec
ond stories of dwellings i'll the sub
merged district The naval militia of
St Louis and Alton are rendering val
uable service, rescuing the people and
transporting them to places of safety
and guarding the levee against depre-
dations by horde of negroes and
buns.
The flooded district in East St. Louis
is a mile wide south from Broadway,
which runs east and west and divides
the city in two, and four miles long
and includes the Second and Third
wards known as Illinois town and
Denver side.
just Fate of a Negro.
few hours before the break of the
levee Ned Roberts, negro employed
as Ievee builder, was killed by mem
bers of the Ievee patrol for attempt
ing to tear down a portion of the dixie
His act was caused by anger because
he was not allowed to draw his pay at
once.
Congressman Rodenburg has issued
an appeal for aid for flood sufferers
Food is mostly needed.
Militia to the Scene.
Springfield, June 1O.-Acting Gov
ernor Northcott today ordered five
companies of militia to East st. Louis
to aid the local authorities in coping
with lawlessness in the flooded district
St. Louis. June 1O.--A telephone
message just received from Congress
man Rodenburg says 80 lives have al
ready been lost in the East St. Louis
flood.
River Starts to Rise Again.
st. Louis. June 10.-With an uneX x
pectednesS astounding to the tired cltl-
zens of threatened East st. Louis and
vicinity and even to Government Fore
caste. Bowie in st. Louis, the Missis-
sippi flood which had begun to recede
after reaching a stage of 31.5 feet be
gan rapid rise, and reached stage
of 37.75 feet. establishing the highest
official water mark ever recorded il
ST Louis. The rise was rapid after the
dawn of day, the water creeping vi
from 81 4 feet, where the recession dur
ing the latter part of the night hac
placed the stage, steadily regainins
lost ground. and increasing until al
noon the stage had reached 37.75 feet
and from that time for some hours re
mained stationary.
Explanation of tho Phenomenom
What caused the rise is problem
atical. Forecaster Bowie advances al
explanation that the water that hat
sDread out through broken levees tf
the north was being drawn back int
the channel by the receding water
and had caused a temporary rise a
this point He says the rise will be o
short duration and the decline vii
consequently be rapid. report ha
been current all day that nine persons
were drowned by the capsizing of
toat near the Madison railroad deDo