Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-05-05
PREPARE AGAINST
HIGH RIVER MARK
Final Precautionary Measures Taken
in Rock Island to Protect Prop
erty From Possible Damage.
ARE PUMPING FROM EASEMENTS
Many Cellars in Buildings Along First
Avenue Inundated From Scep-
age and Back Water.

Final precautionary measures to
protect property in Rock Island from
the high water in the Mississippi river |
were taken today. The crest OF the |
food stage will be reached here tomor-
row, the river to be 16 feet or a shade /
over that, above low water.
The river today was one-ffth of a |
foot from the crest predicted earlier
in the week by the local government
weather bureau. The stream was 15.S
feet above low water at o'clock this
morning, rise Of 3 of a foot during
the preceding "A hours.
The Rock Island municipal commits
sion today directed draining of ponds
in the lower end of the city. The ponds
are being emptied through the use Of a
pump, the water being deposited in the
sewer.
Business houses on First avenue are
feeling the effects of seepage from the
river and back-water from the sewers.
Easements in many of the structures
on the river front today were filled
with water and the sewer system rem
dered yalueless.
Harms Hard Hit
Hotel Harms is one of those hard
| hit because of the high water. 1t has
been necessary to install pump in
| the basement of the hosiery to re-
move the water The water is being
pumped into a pipe onto the gutter
on Eighteenth street and flows into
the river near the ferry landing.
| Conditions remain practically I'M
| changed along the river front. Some
of the families driven from their
| homes in the Mill street district have
erected tents on higher land back from
the stream and have moved their
! household goods to the temporary can
vas homes
The municipal bathing beach at the
| foot Of Seventh street is practically
ruined, it is believed More sand will
have to be placed on the bank of the
river when the water lowers. The
bath house is completely surrounded
! by water to heighth of about three
feet from the ground.
Still DetOuring Trains.
Milwaukee and Burlington trains
continue to be detoured on the Hi
nois side of the river The l. & l. in
terurban line, whose tracks are situat-
ed above the D., R. l. & n W. tracks
used by the steam roads, is not him
dered
Both the incinerator and the water
| works at the foot of Twenty-fourth
street are feeling the affects of high
water. One pump, not in regular use
at the waterworks, is partly sub
merged, while the floor of the incinera-
tor is covered with water Municipal
authorities said today that the water
is not deep enough in the plant to
stop the operation of the garbage bur
ner.
The road north of the Milwaukee
depot is submerged.
Crest Reaches Clinton.
Clinton, Ia, May with the stage
of water in the Mississippi river at IS
feet this morning, a rise of one-tenth
Of a foot in the preceding "a hours,
but stationary since late yesterday aft
ernoon, it is believed the crest of the
food has reached Clinton. Although a
large number of houses on low land
in the city and surrounding country
are surrounded by water and practi-
cally all Easements in the city are
flooded. no material damage has been
reported. Total damage, however, it
is estimated, will be large. The Bur
lington and Milwaukee railroads today
continued to detour trains between
Clinton and Davenport