7/26/93
By: Brien Murphy
Courier-Post Staff Writer

WEST QUINCY ­ Members of the Fabius River Drainage District Commission asked authorities to investigate the possibility someone may have forced the West Quincy levee protecting 14,000 acres to break last Friday.

According to a brief statement issued after a meeting Thursday morning, the commissioners "believe that the levee break July 16, 1993, at approximately 8:20 p.m., was of a suspicious nature and have asked authorities to look into the matter."

Marion County Sheriff Dan Campbell said today there is no one in custody, despite rumors this morning an arrest has been made, but an investigation has begun. Adams County (Ill.) Sheriff Robert Nall was unavailable for comment this morning.

So far, Campbell and other sheriff's officials have studied videotapes and photographs taken the day before the break, and footage taken as water rushed into West Quincy.

A key piece of evidence, if it exists, would be videotape shot within 30 minutes or less of the levee break, Campbell said.

He asked any sightseers, film crews or anyone else with footage taken shortly before the break to bring it to the Marion County Jail in Palmyra.

Commission member Norman Haerr of Taylor said this morning the commission asked for the investigation because of "a gut feeling that our levee was strong, especially where it broke."

Campbell said so far, there is no evidence on video that suggests the levee portion that broke was weak. He did add, however, that he is "no levee expert," and he is relying on the commission members' judgment that the break appears suspicious.

Haerr said levee workers that day finished laying straw to control seepage and planned to do only maintenance that night. He said the only person who was supposed to be where the levee broke was a bulldozer operator and there were no plans to sandbag or do other major work.

The levee break about 8:20 p.m. July 16 about a half mile north of the Bayview Bridge in West Quincy allowed the record-high river to rush into the town. Flooding eventually covered about 14,000 acres, closed portions of U.S. 24 and U.S. 61 and cut off Northeast Missouri from Quincy with the closing of the Bayview Bridge.

A barge also was sucked through the hole in the levee. The barge is believed to have hit a large gasoline tank at the Ayerco Oil Co. convenience store in West Quincy, causing a fire that floated on top of the rushing water.

Haerr said it would not take a saboteur long to break the levee.

Campbell said investigators would try to account for all the flood workers and National Guard members who were reported to be near the levee. Haerr said the commission would provide names of all the people they believed to be near the levee.

The National Guard and civilian workers were changing shifts at the time. The soldiers were on a train used to carry people to the levee, and the levee's night shift of volunteers were being briefed at the Knapheide Manufacturing Co. in West Quincy about the day's events. A few levee workers, including some U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees, were on the levee.

No injuries were reported in the levee break.

The river at Quincy was above 31 feet when the levee broke, more than 16 feet above technical flood stage.

The levee break followed two weeks of intense sandbagging efforts to keep the levee standing and to keep the Bayview Bridge open.

The closest open bridge to Hannibal is between Keokuk, Iowa, and Hamilton, Ill. With detours around Taylor and Keokuk, the trip to the bridge is about 95 miles.

Although the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were not notified of the commission decision by Thursday afternoon, it is expected to provide technical help during the investigation if asked, a corps spokesman said.