Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-03-29
THE FLOODS.
ONE OF THE GREATEST IN THE
COUNTRY IMMINENT.
The People OF the Lower Mississippi
Warned-what n signal-seryice
Officer Says.
IBy telegraph to the DIspatch.l

=, NV OlK, Match 2S.-SerReant Dunn, OF
the Signal Service. in an interview this af-
ternoon says that one of the greatest Ca
laInlties the country has ever known IL
Imminent, and that IL is the duty OF the
press to warn the people OF the lower Mis-
slssippi to prepare for the worst. He
says,
" The food tide lust entering the river
IRON the Mississippi river at 81. Charles
ana az CAIRO from the upper waters or the
ONO Will be greatly augmented to-day by
increased rainfall and high winds, and
there IS every probability that all the dis
trlcts bordering upon the lower Mississippi
river VIII experience tho greatest food
ever known.
The river is now up TO its highest water
mark, and the increasing floods from the
tributaries now emptylng into the Mlssis-
sippi will make it impossible tor those
living in the lowlands TO escape If they do
not make haste.
1t wlll DO the greatest calamity that
has ever bofallen that section of the coun-
try.
The greatest damage viii be below
| Memphis. The storm will DO Just like a
/ great pitcher Of water poured on the coun-
| try already flooded. Although several I'M
| mense creyasses have been formed In the
| leyees below Nicksburg, from 200 TO l,5OO
feet wide and 20 TO % feet deep, carrying
!
second. the height of the river at Ficks-
| burg and CARO- has remained almost sta
tlonarY az the top food limit.
| This shows that the channel Of the rlver
below is all choked up with alluvium and
| d6J-,S from the first food. and that this IS
acting as a dam, which viii eventually
work havoc with all the levees.
when the wave-crest from this new
storm comes down the river things are
| bound 20 lie carried away md the entire
! surrounding country covered.
This will probably arrive at Cairo IN
two or three days. hut 1t NAV be three
weeks before it reaches New Orleans. New
Orleans will bo visited without doubt by
one of the most disastrous floods ever
known, and | would not give five cents for
my life IN that city when the wave crest
strikes II.
81 do not say this to frighten people.
but am simply stating facts that will be
verified. | have been stationed at Cairo,
| New Orleans. aud Cincinnati during the
time of great foods, and know what they
are.
"Some Of the strongest levees on the
river" he continued. those at Helena,
Ark. have been swept away completely IN
| the last two DAYS. To-day 10 IS showing
all through the Northwest, Lake regions,
Northern Mississippi Valley, and in New
| England. and raining to the south. the
storm covering every state west of the
Rockies.
General Greedy on the Flood.
tBy telegraph 70 tbs Dsps,ch.l
SIGNA1 OFFICE. WASHINGTON, March o.
General A. ". Greedy. chief signal officer,
! rciterate his opinion that the food in the
Lower Mississippi Valley will continue un-
dimisbed ten days or moro. As early as
March 18th the Chief Signal Officer ex-
pressed his opinion that the people of the
Lower Mississippi Valley should prepare
for unprecedented food conditions. and
that all stock and movable property should
bee moved above the highest food point
ever experienced. General Greedy sent to
the House of Representatives a week since
his official opinion that the flood cOndl-
tions would be aggravated rather than di-
minishrd within the next two weeks, and
that loss Of life might be expected unless
prompt measures of warning on the part
Of the local authorities Was taken in tho
exposed districts. These opinions of the
Chief Signal Officer have already been
verified, az the food conditions have been
aggravated and some loss of life already
occurred. Tie rainfall OF Thursday must
raise the Mississippi slightly from Cairo
southwark unless the creYasses increase in
|