The Copiah signal. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1882-1883, 1882-03-17

The accounts OF the unprecedented
floods in the river counties ore sim
ply heart rending. The river con-
tiuues t. rise aud the suffering
among both cattle and people is on
the increase. Hundreds Of those
who escaped with their lives will
have to be cared for during months
to como for after the waters subsidc
they will have no home to go, and
until cold weather begins again all
the over flowed country will DO n no,
bed OF diseases. We copy below a
graphic account OF tho devastatio II
from the Times-Democrat:
MEMPHIS, March l2 = The overflow is
not only eau sing death and drs'ruc,
ton to the people below, but ut this
writing Memphis, 40 to speak is cut
of from communication with the out
side world by means ofhor through
lines of railroads. The waters o.
the Tailahatchie, to tho sontb. have
hnodcd the Mississippi and Tonnes.
SEQ Railroad track, making transfer
necessary between hero and Grenada
Miss. Tne Memphis and Little
Rock Railroad ia under water to the
de It'll OF six feet from here to M"di'
son Arkansas, 40 miles to the west
To the east, on the line OF the Mem
phis aud Charleston, two washouts
have occurred between Grand Junc-
,ion AMI Corin,h, which delays trav'
ell, and this morning the Bridge
across the Big Hatchierivcr, 40 miles
east of Memphis, on the Louisville
and Nashville line, was submerged.
and passengers from Louisville and
the Eas', due here ~ 4 a. m, did not
arrive until S p. N. They were trans
iered at tho point named. The reg.
ular train on this road, which should
leave to. night, has been discontinued.
A largo fiat has been sent to where
tho bridge is located, and passengers
will be transferred on this improv-
ised A,tboat. All these misshaps
have been caused 10y recent rains
that have fallen throughout this
ectiop, and caused the inland
streams to food thoir banks aui add
to the restitution that prevails in the
bottom lands.
Your correspondent, in oonvoysa.
ton tonight with Capt. j III Lee, OF
the U. s. army detailed to ascertain
and report the number Of destitute
people in tho State OF Mississippi.
was told that there are about 68,OOO
square miles OF country between
Memphis and Vicksburg, Miss, sub
iect to overflow. md nearly all OF
this country was now under water
Tho population of this territory wa
$50, 600, and fully one third, or5O-
900 sou s, were suffering and would
be dope ndent upon the bounty OF
the COVE rnment for 40 days to keep
them from starvation.
There is no Disgusting the fact
that the magnitude Of the disaster
caused by the present unprecedented
high water OF The Mississippi river is
not fully comprchended.
For three hundred miles on both
sides OF the river below Memphis,
the water las .veraowed all the
country, and there are thousands If
persons yet within the inundated
regions who have not been assisted
by either private persons or by tue
government. They are cooped up 10
thoir dwellings. with no means OF
conveyance tO roach the high lands
further back in the interior, and are
inaccessible from the river. They
are subsisting on parched corn aud
cornmeal and their suffering can be
iusgined. Many lives must he lost
by Tie exposure these people are
subject to, and it would be difficult
10 suggest remedy. Four persons,