Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1890-04-27
LIFE IS SAFE,
BUT THE PROPERTY LOSSES
By the Mississippi Floods Far Up in the
Millions.
THE RESISTLESS TORRENTS
Eat Away the Work of Years---New Or
leans Safe

New ORLEANS, April 2G.-Thc Times
Democrats Bayou Sara special referring
to the great MOrgansee crevaSec, says:
Here the water of the river is only about
foot or less below the crown of the
levee, which. AT the break, was twenty
six feet high, with a base of over 200
/ feet. The break is now some / 800 wide
and it is caving off at the lower end at
the rate of 800 feet in twenty-four hours
/ Cabt. Kingman estimated the discharge
| through this crevaSSe at over $50, 900
cubic feet per second, and as his calcu-
lation was based on a breach little over
1 POO feet wide. il can readily be under
stood how rapidly the discharge is in
creaSing. The average cost of this
/ levee was $40 per running foot, so that
at the present rate of caving, the lower
end is wasting away at the rate OF $4,000
per day.
TO PROTECT TIE LENEE.
Every effort will be used to protect
what remains of MorganSee with as lit
tie delay as possible. The steamer
Ruby, with gang of thirty men, is en-
gagged in securing a supply of willows
and mattresses. The tOwboat Prince
and the tug Tilda arrived of the crev-
aSSe with "A barge load of rock from New
Orleans, with which TO load the mat
treSSes. Capt. Kingman expects to
have the mattress intended TO protect
the levee at the lower end of the
break ready 10 sink tonight.
The greatest difficulty and
danger will attend this work as it is in
the strongest of the tremendous suction
and 10 will be necessary TO run the barge
down close to the break, and then warp
10 ont over the lower side. The mat
treSS will be $50 feet long and placed
against the levee so that as it crumbleS
away the unsupported portion of the
willow branches will lap the foundation
of the broken end and protect it while
the opposite end of the mattress will be
surely anchored TO the sound portion Of
the dixie.
No DANGER To LIFE.
The stories of suffering and danger
from the overlooked district are to say
the least premature. That a financial
calamity has fallen upon a splendid sec
tion of Louisiana is, unfortunately, too
true. but to attempt TO color it with
tragedy is manifcStly absurd. Thus
far some stock has been
drowned and it is impossible to say
how serious the loss of stock may be
i'm the interior. but even now there are
many who will not take the trouble to
have their stock removed though they
are absolutely sure To be ovcrtaken
bv the rising back water within the
next few days. Fortunately the water
from the great MorganSce crevaSSe falls
into am immense uninhabited swamp
less than 100 yards from the base of the
levee.
THE SITUATION EXAGGERATED.
Secretary Hester, of the Cotton EX-
change. received a dispatch from Nor
man Bell, secretary of the Norfolk, Va.
Cotton Exchange, saying: Our mem
berS are very solicitouS about New Or
leans" Mr.. Hester replied: "Nour
dispatch indicates that the situation, as
regards New Orleans, has been abSurdly
exaggerated. There is not now, or is
there likely to be. the slightest danger
to New Orleans from high water in the
Mississippi river. Toquote a statement
Just made by member of the State
Board of Engineers; The city is as
safe as if il were ON high hill.