The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-04-18
DANGER OF FLOOD.
Greenville in Danger Of Becom.
ing Inundated From the
Catfish Point Break,
Water Spreading With Aston.
ishing Speed Over Cultiva-
tedand Improved Lands.

SSANAA0 444A ANQWJe
GREENvILLE, Miss, Special.-From the
latest reports received the crevasse at Cat.
fish Point levee is from LOO to 1,sOO feet
wide and increasing. The water reached
Greenville early this morning, and Wash.
ington avenue. the main business street, is
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
walks into the stores. A great
many people had to vacate their
residences to seek higher quarters on &C.
count of the sudden rise. All the bitches
ard other channels leading to the southern
high portion of the town are being damned
up tn preserve the ridge situated between
Washington and Central Avenues from
being flooded, as this spot will per.
haps in 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
flood falls. Parties who arrived here o.day
from Greenwood-'he greatl.. part Of
their Journey being made in
skif-dcscribe the situation in the
sunflowcr lowlands as terrible sight TO
be looked upon. At an 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, ut the end ofanother 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
Bogue Phalia swamps. Stock and worldly
effects that can DO transported are now be-
ing hurried to the front by those who have
not taken precautionary steps, In
the neighborhood of Skipwith tents arc
bakly needed by the colored people. The
levec there presents, to a person with kindly
feelings and sober thoughts, terrible
sight, which must grow greater in the
future if substantial aid and speedy relief
do not come. At every step the colored
laborcr, his family and his all,
arc found almost dcstitutc, arrayed in gar
mcnts that have seen their best days and af-
ford them but little comfort and no protcc-
tion from the bowling winds. For shelter
they have nothing but the canopy of heav-
ell. II no assistance comes to these pco-
pie many will die from exposure. Food
will soon be needed. and, 1t not provided,
great suffering will be the consequence. The
government Off GERS have done great deal
Of good in that section, but as there arc
other localities which are now showing
SIGNS OF APPROACHING DISTRESS,
their means have to be divided. Cant.
liider LEFT this morning from Skipwith
with two hargcs to help Capt Tollingcr get
out the people ut Catfish Point. where as
sistancc is badly needed. In tho vicin-
ity Of Wintcrvillc great many cattle are
dying from 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 q volume of water in
such 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, thing which has not been known
since 1854. The outlook is not hopeful for
the planting ofthe overil owed region before
May. Just assoon as the water subsidies snf.
iiciently they will, we suppose, temporarily
close the break SO that the crop may 10
protected against any further rise this sea-
son. Returning to 1882 for comparison, the
high water this year is nearly q month
later. This is discouraging. though
the situation las its hopeful fca-
ture, too. Lake Bolivar crevassc in 1882
let in perhaps as much water as all of these
VIC have now: Riverton near as much as all
OF them. while the river had to fall balow
81 feet before Lake Bolivar
QUIT FEEDING THE FLOODS
over the fields. Offutt's and IIuntington's
will cease to be serious feeders. it is pre-
sumablc, at 40; Easton at 80. but there is a
menace and danger so long as tho present
height is approxin,ated. In 1889 there was
q most disastrous second food be-
ginning May I. The newly planted
crops were drowned out. Despite tho
numberlcss outlets the river rose to within
o foot and half of the previous height and
broke the lcyee May 20 at Clark's front.
This rise, which was mainly from the Ar
kansas river, did not go off until late in
June. and OH many plantations ITO cotton
was raised. There is this consolation,
that if the levccs have gone to pieces
in spots, it took the highest water on record
to do it. The highest point has not been
reached at Cairo. but in the duration OF the
flood heights-the true test-1s90 takes pre-.
cedencc over oil recent years; no year OF
which we have any record but 1882 COM
pares with it. For illustration, water
passed above 40 at Cairo this year March
that stage before April Is. Forty-tl,rcc
days of such stage ut Cairo Is unprccc.
dented. In 1882 it was reached Feb. 20 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
PHENOMENAL 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
Poi Point reached H., Arkansas City tsi Arki
and Graham took several bafges to that
point and brought away about $50 people
and their effects, also q 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
s,Y y f he taken !S AFfsnsss Sos.
Parties who visited the scene Of the
disaster to-day state that tile torrent coming
out of the opening has about spent its
force. Although this is much the largest
break that IaS yct occurred on the
Mississippi side, the territory that
will be atfectel by i. will be
comparatively small. Outside of tho Cat.
fish point peninsula tho water from this
crevasse will reach but little territory that
was not already inundated by the crevasse
ut Mound, Huntington and Offutts. but the
destruction Of property in this little penin-
sula is dreadful. The planters
WHO OWNED THE PLANTATIONS
around Catfish Point are almost ruined.
It is estimated that over 100 houses have
hay, corn or planting seed left. The plant.
crs will be so badly crippled that they will
meet with considerable difficulty in
making a crop even If the
water recedcs in time. The flood has LETT
almost nothing. The whole bend was filled
with water as high as that in the river with
in a few hours after the break occurred.
To-day the back water broke, through
the levee at Eutaw Landing in the lower
end of the bend. and It is now run.
ming back into the river. While colored
man with three women in skiR were fee
ing from the approaching flood in tho
Boguc country on the Georgia Pacific