St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-06
LEVEES MELT AWAY.
Greenville Inundated by a
Bad Break at Catfish
Point.
It's Main Business Streets
Converted into Creeks
by the Flood.
inhabitants of the SunfloWer
Lowlands Slowly Starv-
ing to Death.
For Shelter They Have Moth
ing but the Canopy
of Heaven.

GREENVILLE, Miss, April 5.--The
gevee, which has all along been in great
danger of breaking at Catfish Point,
near the Connolly plantation in Bolivar
county, about twenty miles by land
above Greenvf1le, gave away yesterday
morning, and from the latest reports re-
ceived the crevasse is from LOO to l 800
feet wide and increasing. The levee
there is very sandy. and the wash will
be bad. The water reached Greenville
about 8 o'clock this morning, and up to
this writing has risen one foot in our
streets and is still rising steadily.
Washington avenue. the main business
street, is now one sheet of water from
the corner of Poplar street to the race
track. and water is making its way over
the sidewalks into the stores. The
water is coming up through the floor of
Moore & Archer's drug store. Vormus
Bros, Garrison & Jackson's store, and
Henning'S furniture establishment have
got nearly half q foot of water on the
floor. A great many people had to
Vacate Their Residences
to seek higher quarters on account of
the su dden rise All The bitches aid
other channels leading to the southern
portion Of the town, are being damned
up to preserve the ridge situated be-
tween Washington and Central avenues
from being flooded, as this spot will per-
hapS, ina few days, be the only avail
able piece OF land where the many
horses, mules. cattle, ctc., can be con-
gregated and kept out of the water un
til the flood falls. Parties who
arrived here to-day from Greenwood,
the greater part of their Journey
being made in a Skitf, describe the Situ-
dtion in the Sunfower lowlands as a
terrible sight to be looked upon. At an
astonishing speed, the water is spread
ing over the vast improved and culti-
waited lands and forests of our planters,
many Of whom would have been at the
end of another week or so through with
their planting. Houses of all deScrip-
tions and fences in long sections are
easily carried away by the terrible cur
rents, and every conceivable house
hold object is seen floating
down the Bogue Phaia swamps.
Stock and worldly effects that
can be transported are now being hur-
red TO the front by those who have not
taken precautionary steps. In the
badly needed by the colored people.
The levee there presents to a person
with kindly feelings and sober thoughts
terrible sight, which must grow great
er in the future if substantial aid and
speedy relief does not come. At every
step the colored laborer, his family and
his all, are
Found Almost Destitute,
Arrayed in garments that have seen
their best days, and affords them little
comfort, and no protection from the
bowling winds. For shelter they have
nothing but the canopy of heaven. and
the night dewS i'll pity must weep as
they fall. Ii no assistance comes to
these people many will die from eX-
posure. Food will soon be needed,
and, If not provided, great
quence. The government officers have
done great deal of good in that sec
ton, but as there are other localities
which are now showing signs of ap-
preaching distress their means have to
be divided. Capt. Hder left this morn
ing from Skipwith with two barges to
help Capt. Tolinger get out the people
and stock at Catfish Point. where as
Sistance is badly needed. In the
vicinity of Winterville a great
many cattle are dying from
a disease called hollow horn,
At Mound Landing, seven miles below
Catfish Point, the river fell two feet
to-day, no doubt owing to the large
break which is said to discharge a vol
ume Of water in a vertical way, which
has rarely been witnessed at any break
of It's nature. The Lake Washington
country and its highest points in the
banks of the beautiful lake are also rap
idly disappearing out of sight, a thing
which has not been known since 1854.
The
Outlook is Not Hopeful
FOR the planting of sthe overflowed re-
gion before May. Just as soon as the
water subsidies sufficiently they will
temporarily close the break SO that the
crop may be protected against any fu-
ture rise this season. Returning to 1882
year is nearly month later. This is
discouraging, though the situation has
its hopeful feature, too. Lake Bolivar
crevaSse III 1882 let in perhaps as much
water as all of these we have now ::
RiVertOn near as much as all of them,
while the river had to fall below 81
feet before Lake Bolivar quit feeding
the floods over the fields. OffuttS and
HuntingtOns will cease to be serious
feeders, it is preSumable, at 40, Easton
at 80: but there is a menace and danger
so long as the present height is APP
proXimated. In 1882 there was most
disastrous second food. beginning May
z. The newly-planted crops were
drowned out. Despite the numberless
outlets the river rose to within a
foot and a half of the previous
height and broke the levee, May 26,
ut Clark's ifront. This rise, which was
mainly from the Arkansas river, did
not go off until late in June, and on
many plantations no cotton was raised.
There is this consolation, that if the
levees have gone to pieces in spots, il
took the highest water on record to do
it. The highest point has not yet been
touched at Cairo, but in duration of
flood heightS-the true test-1S90 takes
precedence over all recent years: no
year Of which we have full record but
1882 compares with it. For Illustration.
water passed above forty-six at
Cairo this year, March 3rd, and
will not. it is safe TO saw.
80 below that stage before April Is.
Forty-three days of such stage at
Cairo is unprecedented. In 'S3 it was
reached Feb. 20 and passed below
March 21, or lasted twenty-niAe days.
The average of the Arkansas is about
the same for the two years, but there
was a phenomenal food out of the
White river this year. The condition
of upper rivers is not hopeful. Cairo is
still standing above forty-eight feet and
there is rise out of the Arkansas
which Will probably check the fall here,