The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1890-04-12
DANGER OF FLOOD.

GreenV1lle IN Danger OF Bec0m-
ing Inundated From the
Catfish Point Break.
Water Spreading With Aston
ishing Speed Over Cultiva-
~tedandImproVe Lands.
GREESvILLE, Miss, Special.-From the
latest reports received the crevasse at Cat
fish Point levee is from LOO to 1900 feet
wide and increasing. The watt reached
G%reenyille early this morning. and Wash
ington avenue, the main business street, il
now one sheet Of water from the corner Of
Poplar street to the race track, and the
water is making its way over the side
many people had to vacate their
residences to seek higher quarters on ac-
count of the sudden rise. All the bitches
and other channels leading to the southern
high portion Of the town are being damned
up to preserve the ridge situated between
Washington and Central avenues from
being flooded, as this spot will per-
haps in a few days be the only
available piece Of land where the many
horses, mules, cattle, etc., could be congre-
gated and kept out of the water until the
food falls. Parties who arrived here to-day
from 'Greenwood-*he greater part of
their journey being made in q
skiff-describe the situation in the
lowlands as a terrible sight to
be looked upon. At IN astonishing speed,
the water is spreading over the vast inn
proved and cultivated 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 descriptions and fences in
long sections are easily carried away by the
terrible currents, and every conceivable
household object is seen floating down the
Phalia swamps. Stock and worldly
effects that can be transported are now be-
ing hurried to the front by those who have
not taken precautionary steps. In
the neighborhood of Skipwith tents are
bakly needed by the colored people. The
levee there presents, to a person with kindly
feelings and sober thoughts, a terrible
sight, which must grow greater in the
future if substantial aid and speedy relief
do not come. At every step the colored
laborer, his family and his all,
are found almost destitute, arraved in gar
ments that bave seen their best days and af-
ford them but little comfort and no protec-
ton from the bowling winds. For shelter
they have nothing but the canopy of heav-
Ell. IF no assistance comes to these peo-
pie many will die from exposure. Food
will soon be needed, and, it not provided,
great suffering will be the consequence. The
government o Ulcers have done a great deal
of good in that section, but as there are
other localities which are now showing
SIGNS OF APPROACHING DISTRESS,
their means have to be divided. Capt.
Hider left this morning from Skipwith
with two barges to help Capt. Tollinger get
out the people at Catfish Point, where as
is badly needed. In the vicin-
ity of Winterville a great many cattle are
dying from a disease called hollow horn.
At Mound Landing, seven miles below Cat
Fish point, the river fell two feet to-day,
no doubt owing to the large break which
is said to discharge a volume Of water in
such a vertical way, which has rarely been
witnessed at any break of this nature. The
Lake Washington country and its highest
points in the banks Of the beautiful
lake are also rapidly disappearing out of
sight, a thing which has not been known
since 1854. The outlook is not hopeful for
the planting of the overflow region before
May. Just assoon as the water subsidies suf-
fciently they will, we suppose, temporarily
close the break SO that. the crop may be
protected against any further rise this sea-
son. Returning to 1882 for comparison, the
high water. this year is nearly a month
This is discouraging, though
The situation has its hopeful fea-
too. Lake Bolivar crevasse in 1882
let in perhaps as much water as all of these
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. Ofutt's and Huntington's
will cease to be serious feeders, it is pre-
at 40; Easton at SO. but there is a
and danger so long as the present
height is approximated. In 1882 there was
3 most disastrous second flood be-
May L. The newly planted
crops were drowned out. Despite the
numberless outlets the river rose to within
q foot and a half of the previous height and
broke the levee May 26 at Clark's front.
This rise, which was mainly from the Ar
river, did not go off until late in
Tune, and or many plantations no cotton
vas raised. There is this consolation,
hat if the levees have gone to pieces
n spots, it took the highest water on record
o do it. The highest point has not been
at Cairo. butin the duration OF the
iood heights-the true test-1S90 takes pre-
:edence over all recent years; no year of
which we have any record but 1882 COM
,ares with it. For illustration, water
passed above 46 at Cairo this year March
and will not. it is safe to say, 60 below
hat stage before April 10. Forty-three
lays of such q stage at Cairo is unprece-
In 1882 it was reached Feb. 90 and
passed below March q. or lasted twenty
nine days. The average for the Arkansas is
about the same for the two years, but there
was
PHENoAENAL FLOOD
out Of the White river this year. The con-
dition ofupper rivers is not hopeful. Cairo
is still standing above forty-eight feet. and
there is a rise out Of the Arkansas which
will probably check the fall here, As soon
as news Of the break at Catfish
Point reached Arkansas City, Ark,
the government steamers Speed
and Graham took several barges to that
point and brought away about $50 people
and their effects, also 9 lot Of stock, etc.
Capt. Tollinger, ofthe government service,
is on the ground doing everything he can to
save life and property. Those who wish to
come will be taken to Arkansas
City by the governments boats
and quarters provided Tor them.
Parties who visited the scene Of the
disaster to-day state that the torrent coming
out of the opening has about spent its
force. Although this lis much the largest