The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-06-09
eST. LOUIS IN THE
GRIP OF FLOOD
Water Probably Reached Its
Highest Mark Yesterday.
MANY LIVES HAVE BEEN LOST
AMOUNT OF DAMAGE CANNOT
BE ESTIMATED.

Ut LOUIS, Mo. June S.-The flood
has probably reached the zenith
OF its devastating power and the
situation is appalling. The climax came
last night when by the breaking of a
levee near Granite City, a wall of water
six feet high rushed down upon Madi-
son and deeper engulfed the already
stricken city. sweeping houses from
their foundations and drowning fifteen
people who were vainly fleeing for their
lives The report was current that ff-
Teen wOrkmen in the St Louis Car &
Foundry works had been drowned, but
later II was found that while seven en-
pIoyeS had lost their lives. thirteen 9TH
ers, men, women and children. had per
lshed- Hundreds of persons were forced
70 the roofs of their floating houses and
an appeal was sent to St Louis for as
slstance. Every effort was made to
force steamers against the heavy cur
rent four miles north of the stricken
town, but 1T was noon before the steam
ers Mark Twain and Annie Russell.
dashed together and their engines work
! ing under every ounce of steam. after
i've hours Of battle with the current
were able TO reach Madison.
Horde of Hungry Refugees.
FOr the balance of the day and into
the night the work Of rescUing refugees
from floating or flooded houses, tree tops
and various high places proceeded and,
there being no place to take themtnearer
ing into the city by hundreds, weak,
hungry and despairing. 1t is probable
Ihal the estimate Of twenty lives lost
is far below the actual number.
River thieves are lOOtiug the various
vacant houses in Venice, Madison and
Granite City. and carrying away every
thing of value they can find.
Throughout the entire flooded district
men with riot guns are patrOlling the
leEeeS 10 prevent pillaging and are anX-
icus to try their craftsmanship upon
some river thieves caught in the act, but
the thieves pillage houses situated far
from the levees. where they are safe from
detection
Desperate Situation.
SkAu Associated Press reporter visited
A4ast St. Louis today and the situation
there is desperate Mayor Cook had is
sued proclamation ordering all bust
ness suspended and calling upon every
male citizen to lay aside his employ
mcnt and render service in preventing
the lnundatiOn OF the city Mayor Cook
went about seeing that signs were post
ed offering men 81 cents an hour to help
build the levees. but the offers of en-
plOyment were Ignored by the majority
of the thrOngS Of unemployed negro
and white workmen who stood idly about.
The situation was getting so desperate
that for a time-it seemed possible that
points of rifles. The water was steadily
creeping up. inch by inch. to the tops
of the hurriedly erected sandbag levees-
a break in the a dyke meant vast de-
struction to property and possibly loss
OF life, as the swift current would have
turned into East St Louis like a tor
rent
Citizens Working Hard.
But citizens hurried to the work OF
saving the city and the inspiration
spread until idle wOrkmen Joined the
thrrags on the levees and the sandbags
were piled higher and higher as fast as
freight cars could bring them, and to-
night the city is still dry. but still men,
aced by the flood. Several amateur pho
tOgra pliers came TO grief today Their
cameras were ierked away and thrown
into the water, and they were told that
trouble would follow if they persisted IN
taking pictures of the city lnundaJOn
-Ehich might get into public prints
From Cahoka creek bridge north the
railroad yards are still out Of water by
reason of the leveeS and are lined with
freight cars containing refugees Each
car contained two or three families
Business in the railroad yards was COM
pletely at a StandStlll- excepting that mere
and there an engine cautiously made its
way over unseen tracks to haul cars
loaded with sand bags to various portions
Latest Summary.
So great an extent of territory is COW
cred by the Hood so constantly changing
are the conditions as the water creeps
higher and rends the situation the more
chaotic, and so unreliable are the vari-
Gus rumOrs of the devastation that sub
Stimulated summary Of the losses of life
and property cannot be obtained, but W
TO s o'clock tonight information from ap-
parently the most reliable sources showed
the situation TO be as follows
River stage, 80 feet, stationary
Twenty lives known to have been lost
More than 100000 acres of rich farming
ands under water.
All of Venice and the greater parts OF
Madison and Granite City under water
Twenty-five thousand people rendered
homeless.
Freight traffic completely paralyZec
and passenger traffic practically stopped
The shipping and manufacturing dis
trict Of East St Louis for three mile:
along the river front is under from three
to eight feet of water Hundreds anC
probably thousands OF mead of stock
drowned. East ST. Louis is threatened
with complete inndatiOn- St Louis is
flooded only along the water front TIL,
entire property loss Is estimated at 80
100000.
The crest OF the flood has been reached
and the river is falling. At 80 the cause
REGISTERED 81 feet. indicating fail of o.
OF a foot since Z O'Clock this evening
Reports from along the river indicate thai
81 is falling The high water mark of the
flood of 1885. as established at St Louis
is 3f.5