Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-12-04
CITY TOTTERS FROM
INR0ADS OF FLOODS
PINE BLUFF, ARK, IN DIRE PERIL
AS RESULT OF RISING
OF RIVER.
WAR DEPARTMENT PUTS
BAN ON A NEW CHANNEL
Only Apparent Safety Measure Is Not
ADMINISTRATIVE Business Section
May Be Destroyed-Death in Okla
homa Because Of Conditions.

Pine Bluff, Ark, Dec. 2.-Following
an all-night struggle against the en-.
croachments of the Arkansas river,
citizens of Pine Bluff renewed the ap.
parently hopeless struggle Tuesday.
The fate of property aggregating prob.
ably $5.000,000 was In the balance. All
teams that could be pressed into sery.
Ice hurried willow and pine branches
to the river. where hundreds of
men We're working hard weaving mats
and pushing these into the river, hop.
Ing to form a temporary barrier
against the flood. Unless this served
to check the waters force the Jeffer.
son hotel, the court house and other
buildings were almost sure of destruc.
ton when the crest of the flood
reached this point.
Business Section in Danger.
To this was added the strong proba.
bility that II these buildings went, and
the river remained unchecked, nearly
the entire business section of Pine
Bluff would be destroyed. section
OF land north of the courthouse walls.
10 feet wide by 100 feet long.
was moving slowly toward the river.
The kitchen of the residence of C. G.
Brockway slid into the river. The &C.
cupants fortunately had timely warn
ing. Several warehouses along the
banks which have been partly wrecked
were tottering.
Citizens of Pine Bluff late Tuesday
wired President Roosevelt to inter.
cede in behalf of this city to get per-
mission from the secretary Of war to
divert the channel of the Arkansas
river here. The telegram was signed
by Mayor w. l.. Tooney and large
number of citizens
Steps at Rescue Fail.
Those most familiar with the situa-
ton believe this step alone could be
of permanent value in keeping back
the ravages Of the stream The mes
sage sent to Secretary Wright was
signed by Mayor Toney, County Judge
Gould, President of the Board OF
Trade Byrd and Chairman of the Citi-
zens' Committee Bell.
n hCSoo6C llOL lllc WdT department
refused permission to citizens of Pine
Bluff to cut a new channel for the
river, and property owners must rely
upon brush "fastenings' to protect the
river banks. 1t was doubtful If they
could give the protection needed. The
river was rising rapidly. and stage
of rs or 80 feet was expected by
Thursday. The flood stage is rs feet.
Two government boats lent all the
aid possible.
Deaths in Oklahoma Town.
Guthrie. Okla, Dec. Flood condI-
lions in this part of the state contin-
ued to improve and the Arkansas.
Caney and Verdigris rivers fell stead
lily Tuesday. Two deaths were report
ed, but there were number of mar
row escapes
The dead are: John Sullivan, Sec
ton foreman. drowned in Black Bear
creek, near Red Rock; A. j. Whitney,
secretary and treasurer of the Farm
ers union oil mill in Guthrie, drowned
while leaving the mill on a raft at
night. AS result of washout Tues.
day which caused break in the nat
ural gas supplying Oklahoma City and
Guthrie. both cities were out of fuel,
and practically all the factories were
closed. Street car service was sus-
pended