Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-03-06

Reports From the Overlooked Dis
tricts.
MEMPHIS, March 4.-The Mississippi at
this point at l o'clock this morning had
declined an inch since o'clock a. m. yes
terdaY, when it marked thirty-fve
feet one inch on the gauge. Twenty
eight miles of the Memphis and Little
Rock Railroad across the river are
under water. Chief Engineer Fleming, with
a large force Of lsborers, is at work saving
the track from washing away. A large
number Of people are still coming from the
Arkansas to the Memphis side, being forced
by the bsck-water to leave their homes.
HELENA, ARK, March The river here
within the twenty -four hours ending at mid
night yesterday rose nearly two inches, and
the overflow in this city is fully as
much. 1t is predicted that we
shall have more than foot
higher water by old river men, and this
seems probable, when 1t is known that the
st. Francis river is rising very rapidly, and
the volume Of water thrown upon US from
that source is immense, and enough to cause
a rise in 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 a day.
Everything has been made ready here for
the distribution of the Federal rations for
this district.
NEW ORLEANS, March 4-Captain Rich
srd Sinnott, of the river packet Jesse K.
Bell, who has Just returned from trip, on
being interviewed said: 81 found great dis
tress prevailing on Red river. All of the
lowlsnds below Alex andria are overfl0wed.
Above Alexandria, the lOwlands In WinD,
Grant and Natchitoches parishes are all
covered with water. The Clapp
place, above Bayon Rapids, aud
al the lOwlands from Colfax
up to Montgomery, are inundated. Alex
andria is not yet Overfowed, and little dam
age has been done between that point and
COlfax so far. The planters of Bayou Bo-
cufe showed sufficient enterprise to put
their men to work on the levees, and have
built quite strong bank around AK
andria, rendering It safe from The in
roads of the water. The water is
now coming down the Mississippi very
rapidly, and it is of this more than that of
Red river that the people are afraid. Water
is flowing through the crevasses on the
Tennessee aud Black rivers, and is backing
up into Red river very rapidly. There Is no
telling what damage may vet result. TIE
people are undergoing terrible hardships
Many of them are emigrants who settled IN
the productive loWlands along the river, i'm
proven tue country cOhslueT4Oly, anu were
building 1t up. Some of them had
only made one or two crops, and wer- Just
beginning to get their places in full running
order, when the water came and swept their
crops and everything else away. Those who
could do so ran their stock uD to the hills,
but most of them are ruined entirely. and
are on the verge of starvation. l helped
them all could, and think it is the duty
OF the government and all citizens to assist
fbnaa Vuhnea houa fol
them by the merciless food"
LITTLE Rock, March A special to the
Gazette from Arkansas City via Tripp Sta
tiOn, at noon to-day, says 1.-THE water has
fallen In all fifteen inches, caused by the
weakening Of the levee on the Mississippi
opposite and above at Riverton, Watch,
Clay, Bsggett and Williams bayous, and
other points. All of Bolivar county, Mis-
sissippi, Is under water, and
cluding GreenVille. There is much
suffering and want on both sides. Families
are huddled together ia such houses as they
think are the safest. The expected aid
from the government will reach this people
in good time, aud many hearts are made
happy by the approach of bread and meat.
Ia this city the water has receded from
many houses, which are being washed out
to-day and made ready to receive their in
habitants from the garrets. No further loss
OF life has occurred. The people are more
cheerful, as there are signs of relief aud re-
turning business. The oil mill continues
at work, and is not at all in
jured. Railroad men have begun to
repair their track preparatory to the re-
sumption of the running of trains. A great
number of skiffs and other boats ply to and
from Tripp station, four miles away, to
carry freight and passengers. The Journal
office is above water, aud the paper will
heuceforward be issued regularly. The
habitable portion of the town
is filed with people anxiously looking up
the river for the expected government ra-
tiOns. The flood comes so early as to give
hope that it will soon recede and furnish
opportunity to begin raising a crop, but
far beyond the usual time"
NEW YORK, March A reporter of the
World called yesterday upon General Hat
cock, 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 kilograms which they
read about the foods really mean. From
what l saw l believe the Southern people |
for over hundreds Of square miles are liter
ally drowned out. Fences and cattle |
are gone. Houses have been swept |
away or are uDlnnaDlIaOle. hsll-
roads are DESTROYED, plantations |
ruined and the coun ry despolated Nothing |
like it has been seen for many years. The |
distress In the fl )oded regions is beyond the |
power of words to describe. RecOllecl what |
saw and have told you was seen at time |
when the food was at it's worst. |
The first thing to be done is to
extend the necessary aid to these |
people. We must face the problem of feed |
cha1for4pnr nd olnthfnn fhaan manila |
until such time as they can raise food and |
make shelter for themselves. The Southern |
people will do what they can, but the North |
ern and Western people must also come to |
the rescue, even il 1t were right to throw |
the burden OF such an unparalleled and |
wide spread calsmity uOon the Southerners |
alone. They have had the means OF charity |
swept away wi b their means of livelihood |
We must help, and help at once. 1t is bet |
ter 10 send money to Memphis, Mobile, New |
Orleans, and cities where provisions and |
c c'othing may be bought. than to wait to |
send food and clothing. L. is possible that |
more will have to be paid there than here for |
supplies, but 1 tell you the people cannot wait |
for provisions to reach them from here. |
There are thousands Of negroes who are |
homeless and starving, and they must be |
fed, aud 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 by rail, as the steamers are too |
slow.
''These people must eat and they have |
nothing Relief committees should be |
formed in every city to receive and forward |
supplies. Money should be sent at once to |
relieve the most pressing wants Arrange
ments should be made with the railroads to |
forward supplies at first in through freigIt |
trains, to carry nothing else and to be put |
through in the shortest possible time"
In regard to measures for future preven-
ton of oveTf0w General Hancock said:
GA bill should be introduced into Congress
for surveys of the Mississippi. Missouri and |
Ohio rivers, as well as their principal tribu-
taries such as the Arkansas and White. The |
surveys being made, plan for levees should
be devised which would be sufficiently /
strong TO protect the country. Whether /
the government, the States or parishes
build them, they should be con-
structed on the same general plan.
II the Southern States cannot afford TO build /
the levees, the government should help.
Protection of the vast bodies of land now
overhowed in the Southwest is, Ia my opin-
ion, OF national importance and should be
so regarded by Congress. But whether the
builds or helps to build the
leyees, It certainly can afford to and should
cause SURVEYS to be made at once"
WASHINGTON, March 4.-The Secretary
of War has telegrapbed to Lieutenant Gen
eral Sheridan at Chicago to have several
good officers go into the regions devastated
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