The Iola register., 1890-04-04
PERCHED IN TREES.
The People Of the Flooded Regions
In q Predicament.
Immense Extent OF the Crevasses-A Tel.
egrapher's Difliculty-A Planter Who
Fears the Effect OF Issuing
Rations.

Rations.
ST. LOUIS, March 31.-Mr. J. Hogan.
of the Memphis Commercial, arrived
yesterday direct from along the flooded
districts Of the Mississippi river, having
just completed thorough tour and in
vestigation Of the devastated districts.
He says the situation is alarming, and
in his opinion the food has not reached
the highest notch.
In the Laconia circle, which is stu
ated in Desha County, Ark, and COM
prises about 20, 600 acres, the scene is
heartrending one. This strip of country
Is now inundated to depth of from five
to twenty feet, and the inhabitants,
numbering between 1900 and 5000
men, women and children-are perched
in trees, house tops and barns and hay
stacks.
Starvation is telling on the stock that
has not already perished, while the
human victims are in not less deplor-
able condition.
From Helena the entire Mississippi
delta reaching from Vicksburg west to
Shreveport and down to New Orleans
seemed doomed to destruction. Mr..
Hogan reports that all the people in the
wide district threatened who realized
the true situation are fleeing for their
lives.
| MISSISSIPPI TOWNS SURROUNDED.
VICKsBURG, Miss, March 31.-Latest
tidings from the Mississippi levees are
that there has been no change except
that the water is steadily advancing
southwark from Skipwith crevasse and
the towns of Mayersville, Filters and
Hayes are being surrounded and must
go under in short time.
The steamer Evergreen is in from a
second trip to Steers bayou going as
far as the drift would admit and explor-
ing the adjacent plantation in skiffs.
Her officers report that they found no
suffering, that cattle and other stock
had been removed and the people were
safe. The Evergreen will leave again
for Steels bayou to-day. The bayou is
rising fast.
News has just reached here that the
bank is caving rapidly in front of Bed
ford levee, Madison Parish, the caving
being now within seventy-five feet of
the levee. Work began there yesterday
and the new levee may be finished be-
fore the old one goes into the river.
The levee inspectors elsewhere in Lou
isiana report no change.
Trains have been abandoned between
Greenville and Rolling Fork and in fact
! all trains on the river side division, ex-
cept from Greenville to Hampton, twen-
| ty-eight miles. and between Coahama
and Benoit, sixty-five miles: This
leaves Greenville without communica-
tion with the outside world except by
river.
The situation on the Mississippi VAL
ley railroads main line between Yazoo
and Katzenmeyer is very serious and
six inches more of water will send the
Vicksburg, Shreveport & Pacific rail-
road under between Tallulah and Lake
One. The water is rising slowly, but it
is very unlikely the road can run trains
more than a week longer and additional
crevasses may stop operations at any
time.
A dispatch from Tallulah says the
farmers east of there are planting while
west of there the farms are all under
water.
A PLANTEH'S TIMELY WARNING.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, March 31.-The
following has been received by the
Times from John p. Richardson, the
largest planter of cotton in the South:
Il find in the papers no break in the
levee at Friar's Point. Chief Engineer
Dabney wires that there is no break in
his district and none expected. His
levees are in fine shape. A large force
is strengthening and raising every
suspicious place. To great extent
the newspapers here have been too
sensational. I am sure the plant
ers can and will provide for their
labor. Their grounds are useless with
out labor. Wait until the planters call
for aid. At the moment of an unexpected
break there is confusion. / fear the
newspapers will cause the laborers to
do as they did in 1SS2-wait for Govern
ment rations and refuse to work. Plant
ing is further behind now than / ever
knew it. The planters will call for aid
when it is necessary, and then their
calls should be responded to promptly
and privately. The breaks in the levee
are bad and causing good deal of the
country to be be covered with water but
let the planters not appeal for aid, 9TH
erwise labor will be demoralized and
leave the planters in as bad shape as if
their lands were covered with water"
THE CREvAsSES.
GREENvILLE, Miss, March 3l.-The
river in front of the town is falling and
the back water at the rear is rising.
The break at Easton's is now 1,SO0
feet wide and that at Huntington's
about 1000 yards below the one of three
days ago, and the water in the town is
now rising at the rate of one and a half
inches per hour. The leyees in that
neighborhood are reported in bad condi-
ton.
A gentleman from Huntington last
evening says that the railroad depot is
now surrounded by water to the depth
of two or three feet. He saw the tele-
graph operator there lying on the table
while sending message. All the rail-
roads had to abandon their trains. All
mail and express matter is now re-
ceived by skiff from Somerville
Clippings.
Near Hope, Ind, recently a horse