The weekly Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1911-1922, 1912-04-04
FLOa,, DESTROY
LIFE And WEALTH
Rivers of Central West Over.
flow the Country.
HIGHER THAN EVER RECORDED
levees Reported Broken, Towns
Washed Away, Several Persons
Drowned, and Stock Perish
ing in Raging Waters.

st. Louis, April 3.-With Hickman,
KY. under twenty feet of water and
5000 persons without shelter, with re-
ports of broken levees at Commerce,
in Scott county, Missouri; Birds Mill,
back of Birds Point, Mo-, with the
entire town of Mcclure. ILL.,, under wa
ter, with an unconfirmed report
from Memphis, Tenn, stating that
New Madrid, Mo-, has been swept
away by waters from the Mississippi,
and with a portion of the city Of Mem
phis itself under six feet of water,
the Mississippi and Ohio rivers at
their confluence reached the highest
mark in their history, and reports in
dictate there will still be greater
floods, bringing the greatest flood dam
ger in history.
Confirmatory of this fear comes a
report from Kansas City, Mo-, stating
the crest of the food is passing a
foot above the danger mark, which
means that the Mississippi will be
swollen still further. The Wabash,
Illinois and Missouri are also above
the flood stages.
The breaking of the levee at Hick-
man, KY, to some extent relieves the
strain at Cairo, ILL.,, and encouraged
citizens to hope that the worst is
over. Work of building up the levees
was renewed with fresh vigor. Half
the women of the town have joined
in the work of supplying hot coffee
and lunches, working day and night
in relays, while the men toll on the
banks
Panic-stricken citizens have pre-
pared for the worst, moving their
household effects to upper stories.
Pianos and automobiles were placed in
storage warehouses, and st. Patrick's
Catholic church was thrown open for
persons wishing to store pianos. When
the levee broke at Birds Mill, Lee
Foggy, a negro, was drowned while he
was eating breakfast.
Mount Vernon, Ind, reports the lit
tie village of New Haven. west Of
there, completely surrounded by water
from the Little Wabash river. Peo-
pie are living four and five families in
a house in order to shelter homeless
farmers from the lowlands.
The railroad blockade that has been
In effect several days because Of the
food, was broken and forty-five
through trains, east and westbound.
passed on their way. The railroads
have been feeding 5000 persons free.
Late telegraphic messages from
Nashville, Tenn, state the flood there
Is testing the levees to the limit, and
that breaks may occur at any mo-
ment. In Cumberland Valley untold
damage followed the greatest flood in
its history. A number of deaths due
to the flood have been reported in
Tennessee. The train bearing the
body of Senator Taylor from Washing.
ton to Nashville was detained by the
floods in the mountains of Virginia
near the Tennessee line.
Passenger trains have been oper.
| ated with difficulty out of Cairo, Ill.
The Big Four is entirely out of bust
ness between Cairo and Mound City,
ILL.,, detouring it's trains via the ILL
nois Central.
An appeal was sent to the secretary
Of war to have the government fleet
tied up above Cairo sent to the relief
of the stock in the overlooked district
of Missouri, back of Cairo. Stock
has sought refuge on high ground and
in many cases is entirely surrounded
by water and in danger of drowning