Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-04-19
Omaha Checks
Bursting Sewer
Behind Levee
Workers Stem Flow
In Broken Line as
bikes Still Hold
BY the Associated Press

OMAHA, April 19.-The run
away Missouri threw a new flood
scare into Omaha last night but
appeared under control again here
today. Along some 200 miles of
its downstream reaches, however,
the river smashed more levees, en-
quilted more farms and spread new
destruction.
This biggest history flood for
the Missouri Valley ran almost
uncontrolled into Northeastern
Kansas It was driving families
from their homes in growing num-
bers in Nebraska. Iowa, Missouri
and Kansas. Damage and flood
fighting costs we're mounting into
millions.
The new threat to Omaha devel-
oped suddenly last night when
pressure from the raging river tide
blew out sewer line leading into
the loWland industrial area. It
came after the flood crest had
passed through the narrow Oma-
ha-Council Bluffs Uowa) channel.
Earlier Optimism Dashed.
The greatest danger seemingly
had passed when the rivers 1924
foot crest Q1.24 feet above flood
leveD Surged downstream yester-
day. There was a wave of elation
in the Twin Cities that this men,
ace had failed to smash through
the narrow channel levees.
But then the rivers still-tre-
mendous pressure burst through
a 7-by-9-foot concrete sewer line
four blocks behind the levee.
Water ripped up street pavement
for 100 feet. 1t spurted in gey-
Sers and gushed through the
streets across a wide area where
there are warehouses, railroad
switch yards. lumber yards and
factories.
City officials said they weren't
too certain what happened except
that the tremendous back pres
sure eXerted on the pressurized
line blew it open. The system was
designed to be equal to the high
river water situation and similar
systems in the city were giving
no trouble.
Situation Under Control.
BY midmorning today the situa-
ton was described as "well@il
hand" The bulk of the backhow
had been cut off at its mouth in
the river and pumps were lifting
excess water back into the river.
A complete breakthrough at
the point would have let water
push into the east Omaha area
a residential area abandoned last
week by several thousand persons.
Army engineers rushed hun
dreds of workers into the fight.
They toiled through the night to
seal off the sewer line at its
mouth. They lowered steel L
beams and sheet steel into the
river at the mouth of the sewer.
Barges dumped rocks and sand
bags in an effort to seal off the
sewer and halt the squirting
water.
The great danger was that the
rising water behind the dixie would
weaken the earthen barrier-or
that the river would blow out the
sewer line entirely and undermine
the water-logged dixie.
The flood sufferers had the
sympathy of the Nation.
Queen Juliana and Prince Bern
hard of the Netherlands messaged
Iowa's Gov. William S. Beardsley
from San Francisco: 1--WE in the
Netherlands know all to we'll by
experience how greviouS the SUI
fering of the victims can be-"
Suffering Is Widespread.
And the suffering, discomfort
and disorganization was wide
spread in this rich valley.
At Hamburg, Iowa, half the
towns 2,086 residents were evacu-
ating their homes after the Mis-
souri, chewed through the Plum
Creek leveeS about Is miles north
ward and topped a secondary
levee at Hamburg. Parts of the
town were under water and SEQ
(See FLOOD. Page A-2D