Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-03-05
THE FLOODS.
The River Slowly Falling at Mem.
phis.
Still Rising at Helena, Arkansas.
Story of Terrible Desola-
ton
By General Hancock to Newspa-
per Reporter.

MEMPHIS, March 4.-Ihe MlSs1S-
sippi at this point at l clock this
morning had declined an inch since
6 o'clock a. m. yesterday, when it
35 feet 1 inch on the guage.
Twenty>eight miles of the Memphis
and Little Rock Railroad across the
river are under water Chief Engi-
neer Fleming, with a large force of
aborers, is at work saving the track
from washing away. A large nuns
ber of people are still coming from
Arkansas to the Memphis side, be-
iAg forced by the backwater to
leave their homes.
HELENA, ARK, March 4.-The river
here, within "a hours ending at mid
night yesterday, rose nearly two
inches, and the overflow of this city
is fully as much predicted by old
river men, and that we shall have
more than foot higher water. This
seems probable, when it is known
that the St. Francis River is rising
very rapidly, and the volume of water
thrown upon us from that source of
immense, and enough to cause rise
in the Mississippi here ten days after
the decline sets in at Memphis.
The White River at Clarendon is
still booming at the rate of FIVE
inches day.
Everything has been made ready
here for the distribution of Federal
rations for this district.
New YORK, March "A reporter
of the World called yesterday upon
General Hancock, who has recently
returned from an extended Southern
trip. Said the General: 81 think
there is a matter connected with the
Southern people which should, at the
present juncture, have attention
called to it. The people of the
| North do not realize what the tele-
grams which they read about the
floods really mean. From what 1
saw, [ believe the Southern people,
for over a hundred square miles, are
literally drowned out. Fences and
cattle are gone; houses have been
swept away, or are uninhabitable
railroads destroyed, plantations
ruined, and the country desolated.
Nothing like it has been seen for
many years. The distress in the
flooded regions is beyond the power
of words to describe. Recol-
lect that what I saw and
have told you was seen at the
time when the food wa-not at its
worst. The first thing to be done is
to extend the necessary aid to these
people. We must face the problem
of feeding, sheltering and clothing
these people until such time as they
can raise food and shelter for thems
selves. The Southern people will
do what they can, but the Northern
and Western people must also come
to the rescueA Even if it were right
to throw the burden of such an un-
parallelled and widespread calamity
upon the Southerners alone, they
have had the means of charity
swept away with the means of ivell>
hood. We must help and help at
once. 1t is better to send money to
Memphis, Mobile, New Orleans and
cities where provisions can be bought
than to wait and send food and
clothing. 1t is possible that more
may have to be paid there
than here for supplies
but [ tell you the people cannot wait
for provisions to reach them from
here. There are thousands of ne>
groes who are homeless and starving,
and they must be fed And what is
more, we have got to feed them
There is enough food in the South
that can be bought to keep them
going until we can send more from
the North. 1t should be sent b,
rail. Steamers are too slow. Those
people must eat, and they have moth
ing. Relief committees should be
formed in every city to receive anc
forward supplies. Money should be
sent at once to relieve the most press
ing wants. Arrangements should
be made with the railroads to for
ward supplies at once, on through
freight trains, 80 carry nothing else
and to be put through in the short
est possible time
In regard to the measures fol
future prevention of overfows, th,
general said:
A bill should be introduced il
Congress for survey of the Missis-
, slppl Missouri and Ohio Rivers, az
: well as their principle tributaries,
such as the Arkansas and White
The survey being made, the plan o.
e the ievees should be devised, which
would be sufficiently strong to pro-
tect the country. Whether th,
Government, States or parishes buile
them, they should be constructed q,
the same general plan. If th,
Southern States cannot afford !,
: build the levees, the government
: should help the protection of th
vast bodies of land now overfowe,
in the South and West in my opinio,
of national importance and should b
SO regarded by Congress. Blu
| whether the government builds O
helps to build the levees, it certainl
can afford to, and should caus
surveys to be made at once.
New ORLEANS, March 1.-Capt
Sinuat, OF the Red River packet
Jesse K. Bell, who has just returned