The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-03-17
FLOODEDl

FLOODEDl
| Some Accounts Of the Widespread Dev.
astation Caused by the Overflow Of the
| Nississippl -Disheartening Coudl.
ton Of Many Sections Of Country.
A Riverton (lliss.) special of the 4th sis
Helena, 5th, to the Chicago Tribune, says:
From the scene Of desolation wire you, to-
night, the best and latest report can gather
| of the true situation. Riverton Is q small
place Of four or five business houses, and
about twenty residences. Rosedaie is two
miles above, and IL about the same size. The
latter place is the county-town Of Bolivar
County, Miss, and the home of the Hon. MIR.
Montgomery. The break occurred ABOUT five
o'clock Tuesday morning, and'the crevasse Is
now 200 yards long and growing all the time.
The alarm was given by DR.. Dulaney, VINO
rowed ten miles in . rough boat to arouse Tho
people. When the current struck the town y
was impossible to pull boat through, and the
people took shelter upon the housetops and
upon floating pieces Of fences, sides OF build
ings, etc. IS
1t was about an hour before Rosedale was
flooded, and the people there had time to save
some Of their clothing and the most valuable
OF their light personal property. As soon a.
possible the ladies and children were removed
to the wharf-boat at Terene, where tenn
porary shelter was fQNnd, the men staying by
their property and homes, seeing all they
possessed swept away by the torrent Of angry
waters. The colored people Jared the worst,
and many were lost in the immediate vicinity
Of Riverton.
Il is q gloomy subject to think of-what
must become Of the people who are thus
thrown out of homes and property, and it is
even more dark to think Of what can be done to
get the levees in shape when the food goes
down. The people are unable to repair the
damage, and unless the levees be put in good
order it is waste of time, and there is no
seed to plant an acre. The time is short, and
something must be done soon if this country
is going to produce . pound OF cotton or
support any of its $1,000 people. Is the case
one of such importance and need that the
General Government would be justified in
doing the work! The wisest political heads
think it must be done by Government aid.
Sure it is, something must be done, and done
soon if this country is to take care OF herself
for several years to come.
LITTLE Rock, Ark, March 6.
Telegrams and letters which reached the
city to-day add another dark page to the story
of suffering and death caused by the floods.
Mrs. Julia johnson, who owns plantation
near Lakeport, Chicot County, writes Gov
ernor Churchill as follows: ''Water all around
my houses and desoiation everywhere. have
forty tenants, all of whom are destitute and
suffering. Major R. j. Adams and Captain L
C. Calhoun, whose plantations lie four miles
from me, are completely overfowed-not .
dry spot in hundreds of acres, and three hum
dred people in want. The situation is appal-
ling" The parties named lose about S, 600
each Major NJ. A. Trice, Of Wellborn, Ar
kansas County, is also heavy loser. He re-
ports the country lying between De Witt and
Prairie County q vast sheet of water, and
hundreds Of people without shelter or food.
John l.. Schroeder, postmaster at Gaines
Landing, Chicot County, says that the over
flow is fearful, and the restitution
and suffering, especially among the
colored people, very great. The loss
of property will reach $4,000. John
Sanford, Charles C. Carter and John Maher
report restitution increasing in railroad town.
ships, Chicot County, and appeal for immedi-
the Governor from Mariana that large dee
point and require food. Governor Churchill
ordered supplies sent from Memphis. James
II. Robertson. Of Fayette, Mo-, writes that he
has passed over portion of the over1owed
districts, and that no pen can describe the
scene of desolation. He says the people Of
the eastern portion of Ashley, Desha and
Chicot Counties have abandoned their homes
and fled to Gum Ridge. All the bottom lands
are inundated, houses swept away, stock
drowned, business men ruined, and the coun-
try devastated. A numter OF PEOPLE have
been drowned The damage in the sections
named is estimated at million dollars.
GREENvILLE, Miss, March 6.
Greenville is secure from any possible over
How, though the low points were at one time
threatened. Refugees from the Overfowed
plantations are congregating here. and our re-
sources to feed and shelter them will be Sc
verely taxed. So far the relief agents have
not communicated with our local authorities.
Our Board Of Supervisors have asked that
some OF the Government rations be sent here.
The need is immediate. The Sheriff of Boli-
var County has lodged his prisoners in the
jail here. He reports very few plantations in
his county with even strip of Land above the
water. Consequently, the loss of stock there
will be almost total. The levees were thronged
With negroes and stock, whose condition is
most deplOrable. As its extent becomes
known, this calamity begins to appal A tax
sufficient to rebuild the levees above would
be almost insupportable. But that is
only an item. The laborers have lost
their stock and moyables, and are in
panic-stricken and demoralized condition.
Could transportation be secured, there would
be an exodus from here to the hills. The
dependency of planters and merchants is
deepening At first this blow was regarded
rs disaster involving losses and hard times.
Now 1t Is assuming graver and greater proper
tions. The most thoughtful, as well as the
most sanguine, look upon it as disaster
greater than has ever before befallen the bot
tom country. It will almost DESTROY the feei-