Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-03-08

the guests are floated into the main
hall in dugouts The floor of the new
oil mills is about foot under water.
All the prisoners in the jail have been
removed to Monticello until the water
goes down.
THE DEN ADAMS TRIP.
The round trip of the Memphis and
Arkansas City mail packet, Dean Ad
ans, which left here on Monday even
ing and returned at midnight last night,
was an exciting one. She made in all
thirty-fve landings, some of them ex-
tremely dangerous, on account of the
high stage of the water. Sometimes
she tied up to trees, at others to snags
and at others went over the main bank
directly up to the levees. At River
ton she was hailed by skiff, and a
man yelled For Gods sake, lend US
boat We have only two, and can't
get the people out of the houses fast
enough
Lower that yawl in hurry was
| Captain Cheeks answer. In a few
moments the steamers lifeboat foated
in the water and was rowed off to the
rescue Instructions were left as to
where to bring the boat with any per-
sons who might wish to leave, so that
they could be taken up on their return,
and the steamer passed on. Just as
she was pushing off another skiff came
skimming up with couple of old tents
and some new plank, which the owner
was anxious to save, for the same rea-
son that feather beds are carried down
stairs at fires. The property was taken
aboard, and the steamer passed on to
| Glencoe, where q number of men were
comfortably floating on huge log raft.
The mate called to them to send some
one to the relief of the people at Riv-
erton, as they were about to drown
and only had three boats. The reply
was that they were not much better
fixed, and they seemed utterly indiffer-
ent. One old fellow on the raft yelled
to throw him paper, for Gods sake,
as they were famished for news. He
got one, and conference was held
among them as to what should be done
in regard to Riverton, while the boat
passed on her voyage, now no longer a
business trip, but a voyage, so to say,
of mammoth lifeboat
REscUING HUNDREDS
At nearly every landing somebody
was taken aboard-little babies, weak
women and decrepit old men who
were not hardy enough to stand ex-
posure Nobody was refused If
they had money they paid it, but if not
they travelled Free At Eutaw man
came out in skiff and said there were
twenty or thirty women and children
on the levee who wanted to come on
board, and was told to 60 and bring
them At another place lot of people
came aboard in skiff, and begged that
the boat should wait until their bag
gage could be braught from the levee.
1t was done. Numbers of people,
however, saved nothing, and were
glad to save themselves. At a good
many places where there were no
levees the distress did not seem to be
great. The people expected it and
were prepared for it. Their houses
were built away above the ground.
and heads of people, dogs, cats and
chickens could be seen peeping from
the neoks and crannies of the upper
stories. These people did not want to
be moved, as they were well enough
off.
THE LOSS ON CATTLE.
1t is impossible yet to estimate the
damage to stock on account of the
breaks being of so recent date Much
of that back of the high levee was
necessarily lost when they broke. The
people don't seem to care much wheth-
er the cattle are drowned or not. One
large planter said he would be glad if
the last cow in his county would be
drowned, as they were more trouble
than they were worth. Wherever it
can be done cattle and mules are quar-
tered on the levees, and when they are
drowned their hides are saved. The
levees from Friar's Point down are
studded with stock which are being
fed. Few mules and horses have been
lost Sc far by water, though, as feed is
scarce, they will be in poor condition
for work when the water goes down.
Mr. Suddoth, prominent merchant
and planter at Friar's Front, Miss,
vigorously protested against the calls
for relief and said there was no neces-
sity for it. He was feeding his hands
and all his meighbors were doing the
same thing, and were able to do it.
He was afraid of the movement toward
furnishing rations, as it was likely to
to demoralize the darkies. Numbers of
planters in the very worst part of the
overflow are feeding their hands and
do not want any rations issued. Those
planters who own farms stores have
thrown them open to their hands just
as if it was busy season. 1t is to their
interest to do so. Yet relief is wanted
in some localities, and that at once
THE LEvEE SYSTEM
Dozens of leading planters were
talked with in regard to the levee sys-
tenn. They were found to be nightly
mixed Some favored levees, while
others thought it would be better if
they had never existed. 1t is a fact,
however, that the lands now protected
by evecs would never have been i'm
proved at all but for them and would
be uncultivateL, as they are subject to
overflow every year. Other lands
which have no levees and are cultiva-
ted are not subject to OVERT wv except
at extreme high water, and then are
benefited by the rich alluvial deposits
1t is remarked, universally, that if the
amount spent on the levees had been
judiciously directed it would have been
sufficient to hold the water at bay.
The overfowed country embraced in
this report comprises two river dis
tricts, as they are called. The first