OCR Text |
Show MANY CITIES AND TOWNS INUNDATED Northern Illinois Rivers Flood Large Area Joliet Engulfed Engulf-ed and Hundreds Driven From Homes. BOATS USED IN CHICAGO Southeastern Iowa and Northwestern North-western Missouri in Rain Belt Which Came Up From Texas. Chicago, Jan. 21. Rivers throughout northern Illinois, swolen by the rain which fell almost continuously through the night, today overflowed their banks and inundated a score of cities and villages. No loss of life was reported but the property lam-age lam-age was estimated at several hundred thousand dollars. All through tho valley of the Des Plalnes river the water spread far over tho lowlands, reaching its height in the neighborhood of Joliet where that city and several villages were flooded Sheets of water spread over the western suburbs of Chicago and boats and hastily constructed rafts were utilized Aurora and Elgin on the Fox river and intermediate towns of St. Charles Batavia and Geneva reported high water and much damage. Southeastern Iowa and northeastern northeast-ern Missouri were also in the rain belt which came up from Texas. Business is Suspended. Joliet, Ills., Jan. 21 Floods caused by heavy rains and the resultant overflowing over-flowing of the Des Plaines river engulfed en-gulfed Joliet today driving a thousand persons in the lower parts of the city from their homes. "YVater ran five root deep In the streets. Rockdale, a manufacturing town southwest of here, reported six feet of water In the streets and business suspended. sus-pended. At Rockford, 111., a rapid rise of the Rook river and its confluents flooded the east side of the city. One school was closed because of the Inability oi the pupils to reach the school house, riremen and policemen were busy assisting as-sisting families in the Inundated district dis-trict to higher ground on boats and on rafts. Serious Flood Danger. Los Angeles, Cal., Jan. 21. A gate in the diversion dam of the Imperial alley irrigation system wont out last night, and there Is serious danger of a break in the levees, according to advices received here today from Yuma, Ariz. Flood waters of Arizona rivers and streams were reported to be somewhat some-what lower today. Bisbee, Douglas, Nogales and other towns were without with-out communication most of tho day. With the exception of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad line to San Diego and a few branches of the local electric railway system all railroads rail-roads In southern California had restored re-stored traffic today. Heavy Snow Stalls Trains. Albuquerque, N. M., Jan. 21. Transcontinental traffic over the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe lines, bumpered by flood conditions in Arizona, Ariz-ona, was further impeded today by heavy snowfall in the vicinity of Glo-liela, Glo-liela, northeast of here Three passenger pas-senger trains are reported stalled there and three westbound trains are being held here because of washouts In Arizona. At the local Santa Fe offices of-fices it was said it was uncertain when through traffic would be resumed. re-sumed. Clinton, la., Jan. 21. Flood waters, the result of a 24-hour rain converted convert-ed creeks In this vicinity into raging torrents, flooded lowlands and completely com-pletely surrounded the town of Charlotte Char-lotte in this country. No serious damage is anticipated. |