The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-03-02
Floods in the Mississippi Valley

Brings us nearer truth and God.
Floods in the Mississippi Valley.
Terrible floods have been destroying the
valley of the Mississippi, and the loss of life
and property has been enormous The follow
ing dispatches will give some idea of the ex-
| tent of the watery waste
MEMPHIS, Tenn, Feb 22-The officers of
the steamer City OF Greenvlle confirm the re-
port published concerning the sad condition OF
| ffairs now existing throughout the Mississippi
| Valley. Thousands of men are on constant
guard along the levees, and are using every
possible means to strengthen the power of re-
| sistance and to elevate the crests to prevent
the water from inundating the whole country
The Greenvile brought several thousand sacks
to be used by filling with earth to aid in
strengthening the embellishments. Twenty-Five
hundred sacks were put off at Bolivar Land
ing, where the danger of a break was immi-
nent. Washington, Issaquena, Bolivar, Goa
homa, and Tunica Counties, Miss, in fact the
whole shore line between Memphis and Vicks-
burg on the Mississippi and the whole eastern
| shore of Arkansas are either under water or
threatened with inundation. The inhabitants
of vast area of country are in great distress.
| Many have been forced from their houses, and
are subsisting as best they may on RATS, and
some on knobs or parts of old levees. The de-
struction of live stock is beyond calculation.
| Navigation of the river itself is regarded by
steamboat men as dangerous at its present
stage, on account of the great expanse of wa
ter in many places and the billowy character
of the waves when the surface is swept by
heavy gusts of wind. also because of the great
difficulty OF getting to safe ports. The Gov
eminent lights along the river are maintained
with admirable regularity. These lights prove
of incalculable benefit to steamboat men now,
since all the bank landmarks have disappeared.
| Arkansas Csy is completely submerged. Not
single house IN that city is free from the
presence of the muddy food. The water there
is represented as being eight inches higher
than the flood of 1876 The houses were built
so as to be above the high flood level of that
year, but in all of them there is from seven to
| eight inches of water. Between Cairo and
Memphis the following points of land only are
visible above the surgng flood: The bluffs at
| Columbus, the hills back of Hickman the land
on the Tennessee side opposite Island No. 10,
New Madrid, Point Pleasant, Tiptonville, Full
ton Bluffs, Randolph, Richardson's Islands
Nos. 80 and 36, and Deans Island above the
head of the Centennial cut, off, 40 miles above
| Memphis.
| Passengers who arrived here this afternoon
from the st. Francis River brought intelligence
of sad accident which occurred on Monday
on the Tyronza, a small bayou emptying into
The ST. Francis River, about % miles above
Madison, Ark. The high water had overlooked
the lands belonging to Mr.. Jamison, and
while engaged in removing his wife and six
children to a place of safety on the high lands,
The dug-out which contained them capsized,
and all of the children were drowned. Two
| IF them were grown young ladies, and the
four others were from to IA years old. MIR
Jamisun saved his VIE but could not render
assistance to his drowning children.
citizens meeting is to be held tomorrow
afternoon o take action on the following telr-
|
Mississippi: 1.-The Senators and Representa-
lives of the river districts OF the State have
| Just held meeting, and requested me to com
muncate to you that there is great loss OF pro-
perty and stock caused by the flood. and that
in MANY localities starvation is imminent. An
appropriation will be made tomorrow by the
Legislature. The country overlooked, and
that subject yet to go under, comprise the best
part of our State 1t is believed by the mem
bers representing the Yazoo Delta that their
commercial relations with you justify them in
making known their suffering and distress
and that you will aid them in their efforts for
relief A similar telegram has been forwarded
to the Chambers of Commerce of New-Orleans
and St. Louis"
VIcKsBuRG, MISS, Feb 22.-The Egening
Commercial publishes the following: "From
Col. d. G. Pepper, passenger on the Anchor
Line steamer from Helena this morning, we
learn discouragng particulars concerning the
devastation and widespread ruin caused by
the breaking OF the levees along the river from
Memphis to Greenvile. The latest breaks i'll
|
don, mile and Il half below Yazoo Pass, and
in Coahoma county, at Wards Lake. AT the
opening in the Louis Swamp large volume
of water is going through to the SunhoweI
bottoms. There was a temporary levee at
Trotter's Ridge, which is all gone. The levee
sons place above Hushapukana. From the
latter place down to the break above Mound
Place, in Boliver county, the water is higher
than ever known, and in many places above
the main land is only kept out by small ridges
being thrown up on the outer edges of the
the levees with dirt taken from the inside por
ton of the levees. The levee at Mound Place
gave way on Monday night The specia
weak points are In the Robinsonvlle levee,
short distance below Hushapukana, Lake
Charles; at point just below Concordia, ant
near Bolivar Landing. At all of these points
the water has been running over the levees
but was stopped by the use of sand-bags ant
small ridges of earth thrown up on top of til,
levees. The break at Mound Place will over
flow the Deer Greek section. From the off
GERS of the steamer Kate Dickson, which ar
rived at II o'clock to-day we learn that a tel
egram was received at Hays Landing yester
day stating that the Boliver levee had ais
broken from Greenville down, on the Mssis
sippi side. The levees here are still intac
and it is to be hoped they will be able to stan'
the heavy pressure"
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 22-The effects of the lat
storm are fast disappearing, and the railroad
are rapidly getting into good order again. Al
I the tracks are not yet fully repaired, bu
enough OF them are restored to enable train