The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1890-04-10
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.

GREENvILLE Miss, Special.-From the
latest reports received the crevasse at Cat
fish Point levee is from 1.700 to 800 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 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 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 to-day
from Greenwood-'he greater part OF
their Journey being made in a
Suntlower lowlands as a terrible sight to
be looked upon. At an astonishing speed
the water is spreading over the vast inn
proved ana CulIlNdtcI IdIltIS dILu IOISStS VI
our planters, many of whom would have
been, at 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 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 person with kindly
feelings and sober thoughts, a terrible
sight which must grow greater i'll 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, arrayed in gar
H!ents that have seen their best days and af-
ford them but Iittie-C0nlf6rs and no protec-
ton from the bowling winds. ForsheSer
they have nothing but the canopy of heav-
en-. If no assistance comes to these peO-
pie many will die from exposure. Food
will soon be needed. and, ii not provided,
great suffering will be the consequence. The
government fficers 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
sistance is badly needed. In the vicin-
ity of Winterville great many cattle are
dying from a disease called hollow horn.
At Mound Landing, seven miles below Cat
Fish~poirtt, the river 7Iell tVo 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 overfOw region before
May. Just as soon as the water subsidies suf-
ficientIy they will, we suppose, temporarily
close the break so that the crop may be
| protected against any flrther rise this sea-
son. Returning to- 1882 for comparison, the
| high water this year is nearly month
| later. This is discouraging though
| the situation has it's hopeful fea-
ture, too. Lake Bolivar crevasse in 1882
let in perhaps as much water as all of these
we 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. Offutts and Huntington's
will cease to be serious feeders, it is pre-
sumable, at 40; Easton at So but there is q
menace and danger so long as the present
height is approXimated. In 1882 there was
most disastrous second flood be-
ginning May Z. The newly planted
crops were drowned out. Despite the
numberless outlets the river rose to within
foot and half of the nrevious height and
broke the levee May 26 at Clark's front
This rise, which was mainly from the Ar.
kansas river, did not go off until late in
June, and on many plantations no cotton
was raised. There is this consolation,
that if the levees 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. butin the duration OF the
flood heights-the true test-199O takes pre-.
cedence over all recent years; no year Of
which we have any record but 1882 com
pares with it. For illustration, water
passed above 46 at Cairo this year March
and will not, it is safe to say, go below
that stage before April Is. Forty-thres
days of such stage at Cairo is unprece
dented. In 1882 it was reached Feb. 20 and
passed below March q, or lasted twenty
nine days. The average for the Arkansas i:
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, anc
there is a rise out of the Arkansas which
will probably check the fall here. AS soor
as news of the break at Catfish
Point reached Arkansas City, Ark
the government steamers Speed
and Graham took several barges to tina
point and brought away about $50 peopl
and their effects, also a lot of stock, etc
Capt. Tollinger, of the government service
is on the ground doing everything he can t,
save life and property. Those who wish t
come will be taken to Arkansa
City by the governments boat
and quarters provided for then,
Parties who visited the scene of th
disaster to-day state that the torrent comin
out of the opening has about spent it
force Although this is much the larges
break that has yet occurred on tn
Mississippi side, the territory ths
will be affected by il will
comparatively small. Outside of the Cat
fish point peninsula the water from thi
creyasse will reach but little territory tina
was not already inundated by the creyass
at Mound, Huntington and Offutt's, but th
destruction Of property in this little PENN
sula is dreadful. The planters
WHO OWNED THE PLANTATIONS
around Catfish Point are almost ruined
1t is estimated that over 100 houses hav
been washed away and there is very littl
hay, corn or planting seed left. The plant
ers will be so badly crippled that they vii
meet with considerable difficulty i
making crop even If tn
water recedes in time. The food has LEI
almost nothing. The whole bend was file
with water as high as that in the river with
in few hours alter the break occurred
: To-day the back water broke throug
the levee at Eutaw Landing in the lowe
end of the bend, and it is now rur