The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1913-04-03
Seven Thousand Acres of Land
Is Under Water.
LOSS WILL BE 100000
Citizens and Soldiers Labor Hard to
Save Levess Which Protect iii
nois City From Being
Inundated.

the angry waters OF the Ohio.
Owing to many warnings given PEG
Pile, of that section and needed by
them the lossAwill be much less this
year and will probably not exceed
$1,0O0,000. Waters are now rushing
over the district and it will be mum
dated from depth of ten to twenty
feet. Besides many large Industrial
plants the village of Future City with
negro population of 1900 is located
in the district as well as a large
number of farm houses.
1000 Acres Inundated.
The district contains 1000 acres OF
land. 1t has been entirely recon
structed since the aood of last year
This district lies on the north OF
Cairo and the food there will in no
way affect the city proper as the big
food gates at Subway protects Cairo
from the drainage district.
Workmen swarmed Cairo levees
like swarm of bees and trainload
after trainload of sand bags and other
material was. dumped upon the levees
10 most convenient places for use OF
these busy men. " BY calling every
levee workman in out of the drain
age district 1t nearly doubled the
force in the city. The work of bulk
heading and sand bagging levees pro-
--ceeded so rapidly that Maj. George
Parsons felt justified in issuing the
following statement:
Prospects are favorable to success
fully take care of the approaching
floods at Cairo, coming out of the
Ohio river which will greatly exceed
the high water OF 1912 provided the
levees below do not break. Citizens
and soldiers are working vigorously
to accomplish this end"
Men Forced to Work.
Col. D. J, Moriarity was given full
charge of the situation by the Local
committee. He Immediately put his
soldiers on levee work and called
upon. citizens to help and they re
sponded promptly. Soldiers were sent
out to pick up every negro found in
the city and to pull off every negro
found on outgoing trains and to put
them upon levee work.
The general exodus of women and
children continued and very few are
left in the city. At conference be-
tween Colonel Moriarity Mayor
George Parsons and the sheriff II
was decided to place soldiers on
picket duty at night. Colonel Mortar
ity also requested that all woman and
children remaining in the city be
placed upon barges anchored in the
Ohio river when the stage of water
passed 81 feet. the highest stage dur
ing the flood of 1912.
Mound City in Peril.
Mound City. eight miles above
Cairo, is having the fight of its life
with the flooded river, the water, in
many places, is tapping over the levee
Many men are at work at that place
Two companies of National Guards
were sent there.
The Missouri levees have begun
to break under the strain of the wa
ter which is pouring into the Missis
sippi from the Ohio river. .-- 81.
The Dofield levee, eight miles be
low Birds Point, broke about Mon
day night The water is pouring into
Mississippi county, through the open
ing and is running down toward Bel
mont over O'Brien's ridge.
One or two other small levees In
that section have broken and the en-
tire west side of Mississippi county
is inundated. A eommissary depart
ment for food refugees has been es
tablished in the city.
The Illinois Central railroad are
running all through trains over the
bridge without coming into Cairo
These trains are to be met at Cairo
Junction by bob tail" All terminal
trains will be run in and out as usual
unless stopped by water. The Mobile
and Ohio is running its trains as
usual around the loop and will con
tinue to do so as long as possible.
Levee Is oynamited.
Shawneetown, ILL.,, April 2,-The
levee which protects this city from
the Ohio, two miles west of town, was
dynamited to prevent the embank
ments above the city from giving
away, under the terrific pressure oil
water.
While this action will inundate the
town in few hours, it is believed
that it will minimize the damage anf
that no buildings will be wrecked.
All hope of saving ShawneetowI
from high water was abandoned, wher
the city council. In extraordinary ses
sion, voted to dynamite the big levee
Resolutions we're passed relieving As
sistant Adjutant General Shand from
responsibility and authorizing Colone
Lang to take what steps he saw fit t.
prevent looting. In the presence .
Mayor Sarnshaw, city officials AMI
members of the citizens vigilanc,
committee. fifty sticks of dynamite
were placed in the extreme ives
isvee. two miles west OF the city.