Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-03-08
AN INUNDATED COUNTRY.
FEARFUL DAMAGE FROM WIND
AND WATER.

The Situation at Helena, ,Arkansas-Try-
ing to Save the City-PlantatiOns Over
flowed and Farms Submerged-Severe
Loss to the Lumbermen-8Iuch Dam
age in Western Tennessee.
HELENA, ARK, March THE gale last
night and to-day has lashed the river into
fury, and the struggle to save the leyees
has been desperate. A message from Long
Lake Division, four miles south, saws that
without one hundred men the levee can
not be held another hour. A SQUAD of
fifty men has just gone down and more
will quickly follow. The situation is ex-
tremely critical. The leyee protecting
Helena is still intact. Active work upon
it is going forward, but it is in a precari-
Gus condition in many places. The only
hope is in the wind calming.
NEW ORLEANS, March IA special
from Mayersville, Miss, says: s'Protection
levee, in front of Elleslie, has Just given
way @ p. m.), and the water rushed
through the gap in the main levee. Dun
cans quarters are now under water. A
sufficient force is at work stopping the
gap, and not much damage is appre-
hended."
A Vicksburg special SAYS: ssThe news
from all points in this section is unfaYora-
biCs AnC bdSh-NdbCi diAuOSl eDllTGlN sur
rounds Delta, La, ana work viii have to
be suspended"
Capt. w. l.. Marshall, United States
Engineer, has received the following from
L. Nj. jackson, United States Leyee In
spector, at Ellesle, Miss:
"The Protection levee gave way i'm a
storm at 3 O'Clock this morning. The
main levee broke in three places. At a.
N. t he gap at station 55 was 300 feet
wide. At station so it is 20 feet wide and
3 feet deep. / have succeeded in closing
one small break. The others are beyond
control"
The giving away of the levee at Elleslie
will cause serious damage to the lower
portion OF lssaquim county, and will
overflow the plantations of Keep, Dunbar.
Hunt, Magnolia, Mount Laurel, Wilder,
ness, WadetOwn, Harris, Glover Hill and
Duncan Ridge.
The water is going directly into the
streets from the bayou. Captain Marshall
fears the storm of last night has inflicted
serious damage at other points that can
not be reached by telegraph. The river
has risen one and half inches at Vicks-
burg to-day.
MEMPHIS, March THE steamer Jas.
Lee arrived here this afternoon from
Friar's Point, bringing two hundred
negroes from off the submerged farms.
Her officers report all the country be-
tween Memphis and Helena, Ark, under
water, except where strips of the leyee vet
remain. Austin, Miss, is overflowed, and
water to depth of several feet rushes
through the town. The rapid rise in
the Saint Francis river has caused great
loss to the lumbermen, as thousands of
logs are swept away by the swift current
Much suffering exists among the inhabi-
tants of the sunken lands, and their
isolated position makes it almost impossi
bic to afford relief.
A special from Helena, Arkansas, saws:
Ihe'crlsls has been reached here, though
II can be scarcely said to have passed. The
heaVy wind of last night which prevailed
throughout the day seriously threatened
the demolition Of much of our leyee front,
While the new leVee at WiiliamsOn's.
three miles below, has momentarily been
expected to give way. A more hopeful
feeling is manifested this evening. Scarce
ly an inch Of rise is noted during the past
twenty-fOur hours, and only two inches
rise is reported in the Saint Francis
at Madison. The Iron Mountain and
Southern Railroad is putting forth stren-
uOus en0rts to aid our people in fortifying
against the worst. The trains are BRING
ing dirt from the highlands by the dozen
car loads, and everything that is practical
bic is being done to save the city from an
impending calamity, and success is as
sured unless the wind should increase"
a Skipwith, Miss. special saws: EeThe
steamer Parisot in backing out from this
landing Sunday morning, made such
heavy waves that they ran over Protec-
tion levee, filling in between it and the
prong that had been built behind if
on account of the caving of the
bank, which broke with an i'm
mense pressure of water in front
of it. Engineer Jelks was promptly on
hand with large force, and succeeded
i'll closing the break. He had large
force at work yesterday and to-day on the
whole line, which is now considered
secure, unless heavy rains or winds oc-
cur"
ST. LOUIS, March IA dispatch from
Helena, Ark, says: '"The breaking of the
levee near kriar's Point yesterday will be
very disastrous to a large number of
planters aud other people in that section,
and a good deal of land never under
water before will now be OverflOwed.
trlar's Point, Delta and all the towns for
twenty miles back from the river will be
greatly damaged and the planters will
lose much live stock, corn and other sup
plies"
Accounts from Western Tennessee say
that great damage has been done in Lake
ana other counties along the river. Much
STOCK has been lost and many houses,
fences and a good deal of corn and cotton
nave been swept away. Some of the
towns are completely isolated, but no
actual suffering among the people is yet