Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-03-16
THE RAGING MISSISSIPPI.
a sheet Of Water from Helena to Mem
phis, Dotted with Skin-IoadS of Ne

! gross. VI W.
HELENA, Ark, March GA steamer re.
ports only few spots Of ground visible be.
tween here and Memphis, Scores of the
best farms are abandoned In many places
cattle are standing in the water Overlooking
platforms, and almos, every gin house is
filled with colorcd people,
At Iorburs landing eighteen negroes are
IN boats moorcd to a tree ON flooded bank,
waiting for steamboat to take them away.
mere Is SAID to be not foot of dry land
In forty miles SklT.loads of colorcd pcoplc
ana household goods are seen at various
points seeking for ground.
AT Sterling the COlDrcd people and horses
and cattle are Unfortunately hrldlcd in
Inc upper story oi the only store there.
Most OF the fences aud houses along the
bank are still intact.
~ stat Landing the dwellings are full Of
cattle and the gin houses full of negroes.
| inc prospects are in favor of big rise he.
low here. The bridge and ttestlc over Cas-
sados lake on the Iron Mountain road is
aiioat This will cut Helena oil from rail
road communication.
| People Dead Of starvation.
HELENA, Ark, March GA number Of
lives have been lost by the floods at uppcr
81. Francis, and it is believed that tn. peo.
| pie on the sunkcn lands not heard from rc.
Gently have died of starvation.
The river has been stationary since ycstcr-
day and decline is confidently cxnec,rd
here Sunday. The work on the lcveo con.
tinues.
Reports from Austin, Clarksdalc Friars
folnt state that not a single house in those
places named escaped the dclugc.
MEArnIs, Tenn, March 0.-Thc river
here has declined two inches.
HELENA, Ark, March 0.-The river is
falling tonight. Several hundreds of negroes
south OF here are reported ont of provisions.
large number of cattle, horses and mules
| are standing in the overflow from knee 10
waist deep, hopclcssly Inland med in the Il,
Francis swamps. Trains over the Iron
olounlain railroad are abandoned east Of For
rest City owing to The track being submerged
Just below Helena.
What the Relief Committee FINDS
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, March 1.-The com.
mittee which has been relieving the distress
along the Ohio river reports great suffering
and sickness at nearly all the river towns
AT New Franklin, Ind, there are 80 des,i-
tutc and 10 sick, with two deaths from
pneumonia At Union,own, Ky, there are
80 destitute. At Shawncctown. 100 utterly
destitute and 1915 sick 81 have died from
| pneumonia, catarrhal fever and dys,utcrv
The latter disease is almost epidemic. Al
Caseyvllc, Ill.,, 4j are sick, mostly with
typhoid fever and there has been Que death.
Rose Clare, H., had Lccn entirely covered
with water. The committee found a ramily
OF ten persons sick in an old saw mil New
lAber'y, ILL.,, had been entirely submerged
anu sickness to an alarming est NJ prevailed.
The mississippi Floods.
HELENA, ARK, March lis vcral house.
IL miles below here were upset bv the floods
ant four children were drowned. St. Fran.
els swamp contains hundreds of horses.
mules ana cattle standing up to their throat
IN water. a legislative committee are cX.
aiming the condition Of the people in the
overlooked district aud will report in favor
OF giving State aid.
Notes Along the Kivcr.
HELENA, Ark, March 12.-Thc river has
now declined three inches Two ncrtocs from
| , 'no" piui'u'lo1 were caught III an eddy
last night and drowned.
MEMPHIS, Tenn, March IL Tic water
has fallen nine inches since the decline Sc.
in. 1t will fall more rapidly as soon tn
river gets within its banks
Tom Brown and Aaron Smith. negroes.
were drowned last week back of Austin.
MISS, by the capszng OF their dugont, aud
two men were drowned Friday near Marion,
by similar accident.
AUSTRALIA, March ia break occurred
IN the level below here Saturday night, the
water running through IA space five hundred
yards wide aud five feet deep. 1t will over
flow large portion Of the country buck OF
| Concurdu