Evening star., 1951-07-21
Flood
Continued From First Page.)

074, 900 in Kansas and $4,000 ir
Missouri; $4,000 persons dis
placed, 368,500 in Kansas and
10000 in Missouri; II bridges
swept away in Kansas.
The Missouri smashed nearly
all the flood barriers near its
mouth, spilling the flood over
thousands of additional acres ir
the area where nearly $4,000
acres already was flooded.
Although the long battle te
keep the waters out Of the towr
of West Alton had been lost, mos1
Iof the 300 residents stubbornly
stuck to their homes.
The water had pushed its way
into at least half the homes anc
was running 3-feet deep on some
of the streets. But the towr
people in the village near the
IMissouri's mouth moved to Sec
ond floors.
Twenty-seven miles upstream
power company trouble crew:
toiled through the night in ar
effort to save the only sources Of
electricity for st. Charles, Mo,
city of $4,000. One pole support
ing a 33,000-volt line was washed
out yesterday. Workers on
barge cut of the pole to relieve
the strain on the wires.
Two more poles began to SETTLE
as the fight to save the powel
line continued.
Scott Air Base AIerted.
With the worst yet to come OF
the Mississippi, airmen at nearby
Scott Air Force Base. H., 'wer'
alerted for possible flood duty
All military personnel at the biz
base except married men and Of
ficer's whose families live in tn
immediate area were restricted II
the base.
Army engineers still were con
f1dent that nearly all Of the majo
dikes on the Mississippi down
stream from st. Louis would hold
Scores of workers toiled feverishl,
at weaker points.
Two levees protecting 500
acres on the Illinois side jus
above St. Louis were pronounce.
in critical condition. Some con
Germ was felt fer another barrie
in Perry County, Mo-. holdin
back flood waters from 1900
acres go miles south of here.
Mayor Joseph M. Darst of 81
Louis advised the city health de
fpartment to take steps to proven
contamination of the water suppl
by sewage backed up by the f1ooo
This followed his plea for 81
ILouisians to go sparingly Of
drinking water. even though tn
supply on hand is expected to las
through the emergency perioc
The flood cut of trains supplyin
the city's two pumping plant
with coal and chemicals.
4 Business as Usual.
1t was business as usual in NOR
than 80 per cent of st. Louis es
tablishmentS.
! Travel still was sharply cur
tailed in Missouri.
The Santa Fe Railroad, one {
the lines hardest hit by the foo,
announced at Kansas City ths
passenger service was expected
be about normal today, allowin
for slowups over soft stretches {
roadbed.
Flood Relief Co-ordinator Ray
: mond M. Foley scheduled a meet
ing at Kansas City today wit
, Gov. Forrest Smith of Nilsson
and Gov. Edward F. Arm of Kar
saS to discuss the overall f1oc
situation. ...
He conferred yesterday wit
, representatives OF about 20 Fec
eral agencies on how best to e.
pedite aid to the stricken area.
The most urgent problem, M
Foley said, was to get the victim
: back to normal living with mir
} imum of delay. At the meetin
d. Mr.. Foley authorized expenditul
: of 81 million for the purchase {
livestock and feed for affecte
, farmers. This sum will come frol
5 the $25 million in emergency f1oo
relief funds appropriated by Cor
, greSs. -
Gen. Pick told the Senate suk
committee 'it looks like this is
billion dollar food" Losses a
ready have been conservative
estimated at $875 million, wit
more to come around st. Loui
he said.
Earlier. President Truman sa
losses were estimated at we'll ov'
i, "a billion dollars.