Evening star., 1943-05-26
Flood Peri|s Plants
And Several Towns. in
Southern Illinois
AtIos Powder Co. Unit
And s., 900, 900 Power
Project Endangered
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Two huge industrial plants in
Southern Illinois, as we'll as sew
eral small communities In that
region and in Eastern Missouri,
remained imperiled today as the
rampaging Mississippi River,
choked with flood waters from
scores of tributaries, showed no
material drop in the lower
reaches.
Although conditions upstream on
the Mississippi and the Illinois Rivers
were reported improved with drops
recorded. the two swollen streams
continued relentlessly along their
path of destruction over a wide sec
ton in the danger zones of the
flooded area.
War Food Administration and Red
Cross officials were to meet today
in St. Louis with representatives
from the six States affected by the
floods which have exacted a heavy
toll, damaging homes, crops and
property Latest estimates by Red
Cross and farm officials showed
$50 900 homeless; more than 5000, 900
acres inundated, and crop and prop
erty damage in the millions of
dollars. Seventeen persons drowned.
Powder Plant Endangered.
At Wolf Lake. Ill. 1875 miles south
of st. Louis. inches of water
covered the town and fear was ex-
pressed by officials that the Atlas
Powder plant, covering 1000 acres
of low land. was endangered by the
spreading Mississippi waters. The
plant, which manufactures industrial
explosives. is about 8 miles east
of the Mississippi, which already
has spilled water over thousands Of
acres of land in the vicinity after
levees broke at Preston and Aldridge.
Clarence Campbell. OCD director
OF Union County, said. we'll be
lucky if we succeed in holding the
plant
About Is miles north of Wolf Lake
at Grand Tower. ILL.,. the Illinois
Central Public Service generating
plant, 100000 project was
menaced by the ever-rising Mis-
sissippi waters and the situation was
termed critical" by Coast Guards
men at the scene.
The plant which supplies power
for Illinois south of Tuscola. includ-
ing many coal mines, also covers
1000 acres and it was r1nged with
sandbags. The plants intake for the
generator cooling system is located
on the normal bank of the Mis-
sissippi
Evacuation Urged.
Mayor C. D. Gardiner, who re-
ported that water covered 80 per
cent of the town. urged the immedi-
ate evacua ton of so per cent of the
300 inhabitants and the 400 refugees.
At Beardstown, H., the Illinois
River continued to rise. touching
2S78 early today. and indications
were that it would reach the 30-foot
crest today or tomorrow Army off,
cials termed the situation "poten-
TALLY serious" About $500 of the
river towns $500 residents have been
evacuated.
While communities along the Illi-
nois side of the Mississippi River
continued to engage the attention of
engineers. soldiers and workers, the
big stream showed drop of 8 inches
in "a hours at st. Louis, touching
38.4 feet last night
Downstream, more than 1000 900
sandbaes were put In place in an
attempt to save Dupo from the flood.
Sandbags were used also to block
an invasion of Prairie du Rocher.
The levee held at Columbia. The
kaskaskia island levee stood up to
the task of protecting 10000 acres
in section where 500 troops were
at work
Alth Levee Holds.
1t Col w. F.. Lawlor of the Army
Engineers reported every levee on
the Illinois side of the Mississippi
from Columbia to Gale-approxi-
mately 90 miles-had broken. but the
walls on the Illinois bank between
Alton and East St. Louis withstood
the terrific pressure
From Gale to the Cairo drainage
district there were no levees. but the
two stable Thebes
and Fayville-are on high ground,
and engineers evacuated residents
of FL unprotected regions.
Scott Field sent 2,400 soldiers to
Dupo. Columbia and Granite City,
where 800 high schoolers were re-
leased from classes to help f1ll sand
bags.
The food crisis passed In Indiana
yesterday, while no further serious
conditions were reported In Okla.
homa and Kansas.
A crest on the Arkansas River
moved swiftly toward Little Rock
and troops braced for another strug-
gle to hold levees. The Army has
used more than 10000 men in the
flood fight on the river and its trib-
utaries.
Roosevelt Discusses Moves.
In Washington President Roosevelt
told press conference late yester-
day that immediate steps are being
taken to repair cron damage canned