Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 June 1903 — FLEE FROM THE FLOOD. [ARTICLE]

FLEE FROM THE FLOOD.

Fire Thonnand Illinois People Leave Menaced Land for Safety. The Sny levee, thirty-five miles long and protecting 100,000 acres of land along the Mississippi on the Illinois side, is iu danger and at least five thousand people have left the lowlands or are preparing to leave. Hundreds of acres of rich farming land have been flooded by the breaking of the Greeu Bay bottom levee, south of Burlington, lowa, and below Warsaw, 111., train service has been cut off by the breaking of the Hunt levee. Ali low land in the vicinity is submerged. In St. Louis railroad tracks along the river front are submerged and all roads are seriously embarrassed. Passenger traffic to Kansas City and the West and Northwest is badly crippled. At Carondelet (South St. Louis) the river is four miles wide, extending on the Illinois fide to the Mobile and Ohio tracks, which nlone serve as a protection to thousands of acres of farm Iknd. In North St. Louis the stream is three miles wide. No estimate of the damage done can be given until the water subsides. Kansas floods arc receding and the coat is being counted up. Engineers who have gone over the situation in Kansas City estimate that the cost of rehabilitation will range from $5,000,000 to $6,000,000. Unless great precaution is observed a terrible epidemic of sickness may follow the flood. The whole terminal Bystem of the railroads in the bottoms must be rebnilt The bridges alone will entail an expenditure of reveral milllone. Sewers are entirely washed out and must be replaced, and a complete new pumping station must be constructed on higher ground. As the water subsides a slime-covered tract of land five miles square is beiug disclosed, and it hourly becomes more apparent that the task confronting the two cities is a stupendous one. At the stockyards 2,500 bogs and 300 cattle wer? drowned. The death list will be very much smaller than first estimated, as the early r§nerjfl sent mil w££f greatly exaggerated b6cl~!e oTTnalniity to get communication witk many of (he stricken districts, Armourdale and Argentina, iubnrbfi of Kansas Citv, Kan., have issued appeals for aid. Contributions for Argentina will be received by Dr. D. E. Clopper, Mayor, and for Armourdale by the Armourdale State Bank of Commerce, Kansas State Bank or Home State Bank. Six bodies of unidentified flood victims at North Topeka were picked up Thursday. Sanitary conditions there have been made worse by the breaking of but no acute suffering is reported. The North Topeka desth list ia now seventyone, with thirty identified. Frank Plumley of Vermont has been appointed umpire for Great Britain and for The Netherlands in the approaching arbitration at Caracas in place of lie. Partridge, who was obliged to decline Mr. Plumley formerly was United State* District Attorney for Vermont. ■ a 0 T is ~^V