The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-03-24
Death and DesOlatiOn Prevalent
Throughout the Vast Flooded Dis
trict---A Narrowing Story.
Telegram to Chicago Times.]

Telegram to Chicago Times.
The half has not been told about the inunda-
ton Of the Mississippi valley. For distance
of 1000 miles it is under water to width Of
from ten TO 100 miles. No such flood has oc-
CURED IN history, according to the accounts Of
old river men. The Times correspondent has
talked with several old pilots and Captains,
and with one accord oil unite. in saying that
the overfows of 1862, 1867 and 1874 did not
compare with the foods which are now laying
waste hundreds OF thousands OF acres Of the
most fertile land the sun ever shone on. In
lS47 there was great overflow OF the Mlssis-
sippl, but less damage resulted than has al
ready occurred this spring. The freshet has
been gathering in force for two months The
Illinois, Wabash, Ohio, Tennessee, Cumberland,
on the east, and the ST. Francis, White Arkan-
sas and Red rivers on the west, together with
scores and hundreds OF lesser streams, have
been empying torrents into the Father of
Waters for q long time. Since the LIST OF Janu-
airy the fall OF rain has been continuous
throughout the whole region west of tho Allie
ghenios and the southern extension of that
range, and south OF line running east and
and west through Central Illinois The deluge
has averaged from ten to twenty-five inches ON
dead level insignificant creeks have swollen
to the proportions Of raging rivers Through
Southern Missouri and Illinois 1t has not been
30 Ddu, Out III lellneSSee, Arkaubah,
Mississippi and Louisiana the destruction Of
bridges and roads, to say nothing OF buildings
and other property, has been enormous and be-
yond computation The flood has been little
less disastrous In many sections than the war.
The greatest suffering on account OF the
food Is found between Memphis and Vlcks-
burg. The section OF river country In Ken
lucky and Tennessee is overlooked, and the in
habItants are living on rations contributed by
the Government and by benevolent societies.
As far south as the Mississippi line, the bluffs,
or highl ands, as general thing, are not further
back than mile or two, and oftentimes above
the main channel Of the river. After passing
Memphis, on the way SOUTH the face OF the
country changes, and only patches Of high land
are to be seen. There Is not an inch Of blum
OH the west side of the Mississippi, from q
point above Cairo TO the gulf. Excepting az
the town of Helena, there is low, flat land
on either side of the river, extending back
from twenty to seventy-ive and one hundred
miles. This immense country Id under water,
and almost isolated from the rest OF the world,
lad but for the forests it would DO simply
great lake. The Arkansas has been boiling
like a mountain torrent, washing away railroad
tracks, telegraph lines, and cutting
swath of destruction through the State from
one remote corner to the other. The sufferings
Of the population of the Mississippi and Arksn-
sas inundated districts have not been exagge-
rated nor adequately described they have only
been guessed at Thousands of families living
few miles back from the river in little settle
ments for twenty, thirty, forty and even fifty
miles in the interior, have been cut of from
succor for the reason that they have no means
OF letting the world know their situation,
and because those who are safe can not
reach them with provisions The loss of life
is already known to have been large, and the
lowest estimate places the number at 100. The
Government relief boats cannot reach the
places where the suffering is greatest. They
can only toEeh at few OF the landings.
Thousands OF human beings are left like drown
ing rats to perish. The picture is not over
drawn. The victims deferred fleeing to the
highlands until it was too late, trusting that
every inch Of rise in the inland sea would mark
flood tide. The cruel waters kept creeping up
and up, and encroaching upon territory that
had been considered safe, and finally. cutting
off means Of escape and surrounding them with
dead waste off back water. The ground,
saturated to its full limit, held the water like
cement floor. Ii can only get out the way 1t
came-by flowing back again into the Missis-
sippi.
Capt. Corville, Of the steamer Dick JONES' has
just arrived from St Francis and the sunk
lands, and tells n tale of woe almost incredible.
There Is very little communication between
those points and Helena, and thus far no aid
has reached the people from without. The peo-
po OF these districts are chiefly white. They
cultivate good grade OF cotton and were we'll
off. Now they are drifting about ON RATS with
no subsistence whatever, actually starving, and
even devouring dead beasts that have been
floating in the water for several days. AS
their carcasses pass them, they are eagerly
sought after and devoured- The bodies OF the
dead animals have large slices cut from
them where tho starving have been butchering
them. For 800 miles there is not Wis
IDLE spot of land, except four Indian
mounds, which rise so high that their tops are
out of water. The Tyronga is tributary to the
st. Francis, and is settled by families from Ken
lucky and other Southern States. Above this
small tributary is Little river and Buffalo island
where here aud there settlements are to DO
he Of ba