The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-03-20
A Deiuge of Waters.

A Deiuge of Waters
The effects of the great rainstorm thai
swept over the lower Mississippi Valley
on Monday and Tuesday of last weel
are now seen III the turbulent river
Not since the spring of 1888 has there
been such Il volume OF water pennel
within the threatening banks of the big
river.
For the first time in the history Of
New Orleans the Mississippi river has
overiiowed the levees in front and flooded
several sections of the city. The water
reached seventeen feet above low water
mark, being nine inches higher than the
famous flood OF 1871. 1t is probable
that the whole rear of the city will &C
under water, as the draining machines
cannot handle the output for the river
In the garden district several of the
streets are flooded.
A special from Arkansas City says
1.-The break in the levee is now fully 200
feet wide and the waters of the hi issis
ippi are pouring in a resistless flood over
the Chlcot country, and down on East
Carol parrish, La Arkansas City, is UNI
der water and hemmed in by rushing
waters. Hundreds of thousands off dol
lars worth of property have already been
destroyed, and the work of destruction is
increasing every hour. -
The Iron Mountain and Texas and st.
Louis Railways are both cut off from
entering the city on account Of the tracks
being submerged, but no reports Of sui.
fering or damage has reached here as
yet
a dispatch from Simpson, H., says:
"Ail steamers from Carbondale to Pa
ducah are miles and miles ont OF their
banks. -Four trains are water bound
here and cannot turn a wheel. The Ohio
below here is on q wild tear DiSpat-
ches from Nincennes. Ind, from Poplar
Bluff, Mo-, Burlington, Iowa. and other
points, show IL similar state of affairs
From the headwateis Of White River
comes the almost incredible statement of
an 1S-foot rise i'll 81 hours, and q reliable
telegram from Fort Smith, on the Arllan-
sas, reports a rise OF II feet in "a hours
This means that thousands of acres of
the richest farming land in the world is
under water aud hundreds of homes
have been abandoned, while stock has
persisted by the droves.
Since 1865 louisiana, Mississippi and
Arkansas have spent 100000 G0 in keep
ing up the levees There has been no
break of any consequence since 1874 ex-
cept in 1878 and 70, and the planters
have enjoyed comparative immunity
from losses since 1874. Meantime the
parish authorities, on whom devolve the
principal care and charge, have been
very busy in strengthening the defenees.
The general government has expended
nearly two million and threeuuarters in
this period on these levees. The theory
of the government aid is the clearing
out OF the rivers channel and mot the
protection of the planters. The latter
have therefore borne the principal part
OF the cost. Altogether it is said the
state OF Louisiana has expended $50, 000
900 upon the levees.
A dispatch from Vicksburg dated the
18th, gives further particulars OF the
disaster caused by high water 1t says
The break in the Raleigh levee, in
front of DR.. Wvlie's. which occurred at
O'Clock last evening, is now 400 feet
wide. The residents of Louisiana, in
Madison and Tensas parish. were notified
by telegraph and to warn them of the
results. The Break is about IS miles
above, on the Louisiana side, and about
the parish line OF Madison and East Car
roll. Later kilograms stateS that the
volume OF water going south from the
break is 400 feet wide and an average
depth of feet
The last report was, that the water
was three feet deep at Fairview and the
operator there could give no further in
says he is alone there and
afraid to go to bed for fear the water
might catch him. 1t lacks one foot Of
being in the store. In three hours it has
raised, quarter Of q mile from the
break, three feet. He says no attempt
has been made to close the break. In a
few minutes after the break occurred
Secretary Snyder had started for the
break with the steamer Charleston and
barges with sacks, and night came on
and the operator could not say if the
Charleston had arrived or not The tel
egraph line has gone down with the
break, and all indications are that it is 4
bad one. "A great many people are pre-
pairing to- move their live stock out,
while Others say they are going TO stay
and light the flood Nearly all the PEG
pie in this section are hard at work
making boats and levees and preparing
for high water. Tlfiu crt- 5rs--r " iii man
date the entire bottom country as far
down as Delta, La. - "A