7/15/93
By: Martha Parsons
Courier-Post Staff Writer

When Tony O'Cheltree drove to work at the Mark Twain Cave today, the road leading to the cave office was under water.

He managed to get through in his four-wheel drive, but tourists can't. That meant the business had to shut down this morning, for the third time since the Mississippi River flood began to inundate the area.

Besides destroying some homes and businesses, the record-high waters have waterlogged Hannibal's summer tourist industry.

Even if the company's road, which has been built up three times, were dry, that wouldn't change prospective tourists' misconception that all of Hannibal is submerged, O'Cheltree said.

"I think it's especially the TV media stuff going nationwide showing Hannibal as nonaccessible and dangerous," he said. "The flood is bad and it's bad for everyone, but the flood is not overwhelming Hannibal as much as the media are putting out."

Small crowds have forced the cave to shorten the number of hours it remains open, which means the 19 tour guides take home smaller paychecks.

The Mark Twain Home and Museum has suffered about a 75 percent decrease in attendance because of the flood, Curator Henry Sweets said. Usually this time of year brings 800 visitors a day ‹ now the museum is averaging about 200 a day.

The decline began at the end of June, when roads and bridges began to close, and continued dropping drastically around the Fourth of July, he said. The misconception about the flood has contributed to the downturn, he said.

"When you pick up the telephone and say ŚMark Twain Museum' and someone on the other end says, ŚSince you didn't say 'glub, glub,' I assume you're open,' people are just wondering what the conditions are," he said.

Sweets did not know how much money the decline will mean to the museum.

"We're certainly going to have a major loss this summer," he said.

Because the museum employs only three full-time and five part-time workers, cutting staff to recoup losses is not an option if the museum wants to remain open, Sweets said.

The Mark Twain Riverboat Co., which has had to move to two different less-flooded locations during the flood, has lost about half the income it usually makes between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Capt. Robert Lumpp said.

The business also didn't make any money between April 21 and May 13 because of the flood this spring. Paying for moving and cleanup costs also hikes the company's expenses 110 percent to 120 percent, Lumpp said.

"I think you'll find Hannibal's number one or number two industry is pretty well hurt this year," Lumpp said.

Shirley O'Keefe, office manager at the Missouri Division of Employment Security, said seasonal employees as well as tourist workers have been hit hard by the flood. Within the last week or so, about 100 people who were put out of work because the flood forced their employers to close applied for disaster unemployment aid, she estimated.

"I think (the applicant numbers) will increase ... until businesses get cleaned up and back in operation," she said.

Cleanup efforts after the water recedes may provide some local jobs, though, O'Keefe said.

Between July 1-12, the Hannibal Tourist Information Center reported a drop in the number of visitors of about 1,700, or almost 25 percent, compared with last year at the same time.

Center administrative assistant Linda Hedges said the bureau is trying to combat inaccurate depictions of the Hannibal flood by describing the situation to callers, and by sending news releases to Midwest media. The bureau is also considering placing cable television ads to entice travelers to visit Hannibal, she said.

"We have been doing our best to get the word out that we're protected by the flood wall, and people seem to be encouraged when they hear that," she said.

Also, some visitors want to come specifically to see the flood, she said.

"I overheard one woman say the (flooded) river is Hannibal's real tourism attraction."