Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-08-23
GERMAN GOVERNMENT STILL
SILENT ON ARABIC SINKING;
WASHINGTON ASKINCFACTS
SAVE HUNDREDS
FROM DROWNING
Motor Boats Heseue People Driven Into
Trees by MerameC Floods Crop
Loss Enormous.


county IS recovering somewhat today
from the third calamity which has
descended on this community in as
many days-a flood which snuned out
at least y lives, possibly many
destroyed more than million
dollars worth of property and made
1900 families homeless.
Twelve deaths had been reported to
I. the coroner this morning and almost
one hundred persons were listed as
missing River men who are closely
acquainted with the situation fear the
falling Of the MeTamec today may dis
close a heavy toll in human lives They
also said the bodies of many of the
drowned probably would be washed in
to the Mississippi river, carried far
down stream and might not be rec0v-
cred soon because Of the mass Of flood
debris now in the river. and Of its IN
usually strong current,
Equally distressing conditions pre-
vail throughout southeastern Missouri
|aad parts OF western Illinois. where the
I'll less severe in the number of lives
lost, is far greater in damage to prop
erty and crops. Railroad, telephone
and telegraph facilities in many coun-
tries are interrupted; the physical
damage may aggregate S6,O00,000 and
tens Of thousands Of farmers and vii
layers are homeless.
In Greene and Jersey counties, Ill.
from ten to fifteen thousand acres Of
farm land are under water as the re-
suit Of the breaking of three levees
ia Nadisot and ST. Clair counties. and
+ all rivers and creeks are flooded to the
point Of breaking their levees.
All these conditions are due to a
branch of the Texas coast storm, which
+ Hast Friday swept through Arkansas
/ into Missouri and across the INSISTS
sipDi to Illinois ST. Louis had hardly
! recovered from the effects of the tor
nado and it's accompanying record
breaking downpour Saturday. when the
river Des Peres went mile out of its
banks and on recediug disclosed IL
dead. Before the Des Peres had fallen
+ to its normal level. the Meramec, ten
! to fifteen miles west of this city, went
four miles out Of its banks with much
more disastrous results.
The AIeramec rose during the night
while thousands of campers and pic
nickers slept in club houses and SUM-
mer cottages which dot the rivers
banks From o'clock yesterday morn
ing until last midnight the river rose
foot an hour. The food waters Of
swollen Ozark mountain streams
which empty into the Meramec came
rushing down the river in layers a
fooJ high, tearing farms. club houses.
bridges and barges from their moor
ings and hurting them against trees,
telegraph poles and against each other
in the mad rush toward the Mississippi
river Men, women and children caught
in the whjrl of debris screamed, dis
charged firearms and climbed to their
housetops to attract rescuers. Calls for
help were sent to St Louis and hun
dreds Of rescuers with motor boats and
other craft were on the scene at day
break. They toiled all day and all
last night and rescued 500 persons.
This morning men. and in a few cases
women. who had climbed TO tree tons
and roofs. still were crying for help.
Scores OF them had spent "A hours or
more in the trees dressed scanHly and
soaked TO the skin.
Valley Park, Drake, Eureka Decke.
Clinton, Pacific ana every other city on
either side Of the Meramec for a dis
tance OF more than so miles were inun-
dated but this morning the water began
/ to recede Almost the entire popula-
tion Of Valley Park 800 families
were driven from their homes and
large manufacturing plants about
which the town is built were rendered
useless probably for weeks.
Little Rock. Ark, Aug. 23,-Flood
water from the White river is coming
over the Rock Island levee at New
port and the town viii be flooded ac-
coTding to reports here today, The
S25.600 causeway just completed over
Newport lake. has been broken.
Hundreds Of volunteers this morn
ing were working on the Ievee and
negroes had been forced at the point
of shotguus to Join them The Ievee at
IHgIeside near Newport has broken.
Reports were received here last
night that family Of five persons had
been drowned in the bottoms near Oil
Trough.
In Newport all business has been
suspended. The water and electric
light plants have been put out Of com
mission by the water The datJage t.
prope in White i-F~a5 E,c+frr,- NTH b..
enormous.
The steamers Muskogee and Mary G.
Lucas are running day and night res
cuing families from the overfowed dis
tricCs, many Of the lowIand dwellers
being taken from trees.
Fatality Near Starved Rock.
EltEauEa Ill AHa p. II E..-- p. :.