Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1882-03-22

bridges and roads, to say nothing OF buildings
and other property, has been enormous and be.
yond computation. The food has been little
loss disastrous In many sections than the war.
The greatest suffering on account OF the
flood Is found between Memphis and vicks-
burg. The section OF river country In Ken
tucky and TENNESSEE Is ovelfiJwed, aud the In :.
hsbuanls arc living on rations contributed by
the Government, aud by benevolent societies.
As far south as the Mississippi line, tho bluffs,
or highlands, as general thing, are not further
back than mile or two, and oftentimes shove
the main channel Of the river. Alter passing
Memphis. on the way south, the face Of the
country changes, and only patches Of high land
are to DO seen. There is not an inch OF bluff
on the west side of the Mississippi, from q
point above Cairo TO the gulf Excepting ct
the town Of Helena, there il low, flat land
on either side Of the river, extending back
from twenty to seventy-lge and one hundred
miles. This immense country is under water,
and almost isolated from the rest OF the world,
aud but for the forests ii would bc simply
great lake. The Arkansas has been boillng
like mountain torrent, washing away railroad
tracks, Telegraph Lines, aud cutting o
swath OF d, struction through the State from
one remote corner 70 the other. The sufferiugs
OF tho population OF the Mississippi and Arkail-
sss inundated districts have not been exagge-
lated nor adequately described they have only
been guessed at Thousands OF families living
few miles back from the river in little settle
ments for twenty, thirty forty and even fifty
mics IN the interior, have been cut on fioan
succor for the reason that they have no means
OF letting the world know their SITUATION,
and because tho who are safe can not
reach them with provisions. The loss OF life
II already known 10 have been large, and tho
lowest estimate places the number ut 100. The
Gov,rnment relef boats cannot reach the
place, where the suffering Is greatest. They
can only ton h at few OF tue landings.
i 1hous ,nds OF human beings are left like drown
ing rats 10 perish. The picture is not over
drawn. The victims deferred fleeing to tho
Ii .hlands until II was too lrte, trusting that
every inch Of rise IN the inland sea woEsd mark
ilosd ~ fhs cruel wAtsr kept creeping up
and ufS ind cicroaching ufon territory INT
bad been considered ssfe, AMI snalty cutting
of means OF escape AMI surrUuaaing them with
dead waste OF back water. lie ground,
saturated to its iull limit held the water lie
cemSn' floor. 1t can only get out the way 1t
came-by flowing back again into the Missis-
sippi.
Capt. Corville, of the steamer Dick Jones, has
Just arrived from St Francis aud the sunk
lands, and tells ntale OF voc ainoet incredible.
There Is very little communication between
those points and Helena, and thus far no aid
has reached tho people from without. The peo.
pie oi these districts arc chiefly white. Tney
cultivate good grade Of cotton and we're well
OF. Now they arc drifting about on rats with
no subsistence whtteyer, actually starving, and
even devouiing dead beasts that have been
floating in the water for several days. Az
their carcasses pass them, they are eagerly
sought after and devoured. The bodies OF the
dead ANNALS have large slices clt from
tnem where the starving have been butchering
them. For 80 miles thtre il not Wis
ible q spot Of lan1, except four Indian
mounds, which rise SO high that their tops are
ont OF water. The T,ronga is tributary to tho
st. Francis, and is settled by families from Ken
tucky and other Southern States. Above this
small tributary is Little nver and Buffalo island,
where here and there settlements are 10 be
found. Thtsr, OF course, are like tho
others. They cry pteously for help and food,
but 1t is heart-rending to see strong men 80
give wsy under their affections. They have
literally nothing OF their former homes left,
and they are now roaming about in the water,
exposed to the fury Of the wind and weather,
and with no food. The rations sent from here
a ew days since to their relief cid not reach 30
far, SO many hundreds between hero and there
meeting and looking for the supplies, and they
were wholly insufficient to fiji the demand.
When supplies reach them they will have to be
placed on the tops OF the Indian mounds, 90
these are the only possible landings.