Show ROAR OF THE FLOOD HEARD NEAR ST LOUI i breaking of levees allows the mississippi to submerge farms and towns river is rising st louis jane 6 the break in the great madison county levee which gate way yesterday has widened and today the water ia rushing through a gap yards wide covering acres of fertile farm land and three villages oldenburg mitchell and west granite about hare been driven from their homes by tha flood the roar of the water as it pours through the break can be heard a mile and a half the break ia only a mile from the head of this great bulwark which was regarded until this morning as the principal barrier between the river and all the cast side cities including east st louis back of the madison levee is another mud embankment known locally as the cross levee which is today only three feet aboe the flooded wheat fields this levee runs from bell southwest forming a junction with the madison levee one mile north of the merchants bridge but while the cross levee protects granite city it does not protect at st louis from the current which has set atwith terrific force through venice and it is within one foot of the ton of the several railroad embankments which are now holding it back the water ia within one foot of he floor level of the railroad depot in east st louis which is representative of the height of the principal business and residence sections of eliat city the island that part of east st boim which lies between the river and cahokia cheek ia under six feet of water with the large and rapidly widening break in the madison levee just south of oldenburg and brother but smaller break and a third break at chou trail mana the conditions g to the protection of madison venice and granite city haw changed and it is only a matter of the flood advancing a foot above the present stage until the current will lie rushing oer the railroad embankments at alie merchants bridge today juat south of the junction of the croaa and mabion leters ana chero both ito and cherp the protection the rail road embankments the water wag a foot of tha railroad tracks in several places the yater was over the big four tracks st louia 3 une 6 the river today reached a stage of feet a rise during the past 24 hours of 12 feet arid e continues jiing at about the same rate all along the levee water is up to the stores and housch hou in some of them bein B foot and more deep on th first floors so far river traffic has not been greatly hindered but when the water reaches a stage of 30 feet come of the will probably refuse to receive freight as the approaches aches cannot be used and tha water will be too deep for teams to drive through at the ferries the loading of teams is done with great difficulty the hrones having to wade ip to their shoulders the national stock yards has notified the railroads that no moro stock will be received until the water recedes that part of east st louis known es the iland i land is under water the exception of fifty or more houses around the douglas school and the baltimore ohio and tho entire city is gas mayor cook of east st louis has organic d a special flood patrol of the city council and men while the worst situation is in the western part of tta i city residents of the high district felt the effects of the rivers rise saturday morning cellars all over town have water in them water i still flowing into the city water pipes but it ii no longer filtered it isriel known how long even this may be available of mi sotiri avenue a street running cast and west through the heart of the city ot eart st loun have been notified by the authorities tant the stories of their buildings buil dingi are in d ingar of flood they are now moving their booda to the second floors in east st louis the freight yards un ater are the chicago beoria ayd st louis closer leat wabash burlington chicago and alton B 0 and tho vandalia wy |