New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-03-05
TILE MISSISSIPPI FLOODS.
THE OUTLOOK IN THE LOWER VALLEY.
VOLUMES or WATER POURING THROUGH CHE
VAssEs-DANGER TO THE YAZoo DELTA
my IELFGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l

VOLUMES or WATER POURING THROUGH CHh
vAssEs-DANGER TO THE YAzoo DELTA
iBr TELEGRAPH TO THE TBTBUNE.l
VICKsBURG, March 4.-Captain w. IL. Mai
shall United States engineer In charge Oh 'no 800.
ment works in this district who has just returned iro
nonts above where he has inspecting and strength
enno the leyees states that the Iawarra leyee Is no"
safe. 49,, nh
The situation at skipwith Is critical inc
old eyee there which acts cononty with the ne" one
in resisting the water has been damaged by the haeS
using its crown as roadway and the water uashes oEei
ot several points The residents OF the vicinity could Dy
n concerted effort prevent the crevasses IL the SKIP
with evee breaks the food will cover most OF lssaqea
County and parts OF sharkey and warren inc IeFoo
known as jenkins, running to Easton, hfteeh hl'es oo
Arkansas CITY, is now in danger, and though having
An eight-foot crown, It will probably break ny inc
caving caused by wave-wash, unless prompt anu
vigorous efforts are made to strengthen it, The ugheS
evee at Moett's Landing, Bolivar County, MISS" mas
already given way, the crevasse beng 4oo ieet "u
The water from this break flows into Bogue Pha lenoo
into sunnower River which Captain Marshal tmnAs "ii
for the present be capable Of conveying most OF II on
This levee did not break in 1882, ana was reguou DC
perfectly safe.
The greatest OF all dangers threatening the fazoo ue
Is at Lake Bolivar levee, which is the gateway
to the entire low land area OF MISSISSIPPI Al,
though this great levee is not considered
in Immediate danger Chief Engineer Helm, OF
SON Yet 1t ia by SAFE as 1t has been leaking
badly The worst leak reported to have been checked
by sacks of dirt Should this levee break would open
creyasse through which volume OF water almost eqnai
IN the river itself would rush into Lake Bolivar, thence
into Deer Creek and sunower River Immediately hood
tnr Bolivar Washington Issaquena and sarkey Conn
ties aud back would then raise the IalOO, iah
hatehe and other streams till the entire neIta Wou W
| submerged as badly I'm 1882, II not "oIse,
| as the water coming across from tns
mouth OF the st. Francis through the unIeVeeu
banks opposite and below the Mississippi Hde Is no"
equal to that OF 1882, while the Mississippi IT
seif will SOON 1t 10 thought be as high at bolivar levee
as IL was that year In fact the YaZO0 the ony OUT
let for all this basin o. 100000 acres IL already over
ia banks from Anthonys Ferry to Its mouth elgnteen
miles Captan Marshall fears that the highest waterm
and below Vicksburg will not occur till about harcn 20
when the Yazoo Will be emptyng its largest volume INTO
W. sno Ntt, 20 tporo enconraene even IL the
river above should fail considerably on the
there is Postum Fork through which an immense Voue
ia flowing. Part OF II IA coming Dack hto ne
river from Arkansas City; yet there is creVasse Two
miles wilde at Panther Forest another even wider at
| Matthew's Bend and still another through Mnlssesy
Chute into Chco Lake. These three creyaSses pear tho
same relation to the Arkansas front that Bolivar anu %
erton leyees do to the Mississippi 'front.' and tnus Tue
| II the river below vcksburg should rise,
| as is intmated, the water at Biggss lev ee
ust below Delta, La. (Which to-day Is estimates a.
$4,000 gallons per second) and that gong through lu
Scrabble will ioln the flood now coming down bayou
Macon, and causes widespread destruction III tls
that Hard Times and Remp's eyee Will also succumD
and increase the.inundaton Engineer CopPee mas
ceeded in stopping the Bggs crevasse from iurIner
widening, but that was all that he could do.