The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1892-04-22

CINE oe9OlAIsON.
rsrFsh,s nsperes sren ehe visedsd kegeoe
o The nouth-AGscting sssass aad rtsaa-
~ Recisnis % Experlencs-Ths bath
list Coaseantly 0rowtng-1 undreds q
Families Caught Like Rats u : trsp ~
the knshlag waters.
MEMrHIs. Tenn. April IA East Mis-
sissippi has been the scene Of one Of the
most appalling floods ever known In
the United States within the last week.
and the world beyond that state knows
little Of the destruction Of property and
the loss of life that the rise in the Tom
bigbee river has entailed. This river
rises in north Alabama and winds Us
way south. touching Columbus and
forming a junction with the Alabama
few miles above Mobile bay
The river having its origin in the
mountains Of North Alabama is fed by
dozen quick rising mountain streams
that for the last seven days have been
filling il until now. above Columbus. i
has assumed the proportions Of an in.
land sea. Near Columbus the loss o.
/ life has been terrible.
! Saturday night hundreds Of negro
! families in the bottoms went 70 bed
| feeling secure. but before morning they
were aroused By a rush Of waters
! Those near the uplands got away 10 q
place Of safety withlittle help, but those
| in the bottoms found escape was cut on
and they clambcred TO the tops Of their
rickety nuts in hope that in a few hours
the waters would subside. The rain
poured down in torrents all Of Sunday
and the water-bound prisoners saw that
their only hope Of escape was by boats
that they thought their landlords you'd
send 10 bring them 10 dry land
The landowners. however. did not
appreciate the dire necessity II the
poor wrctches until many houses had
been swept away and their occupants
drowned.
A letter was received here last night
from one OF the sufferers. and his story,
told in simply negro dialect j. mos;
pathetic. The cattle. SAYS he. took %
the high places. and for sustcnance be-
gan to deyour the branches Of trees.
Chickens few 70 the tree tops and re-
NAMED there for three days until weak
from starvation they fell into the
water. He says that no estimate can
be made Of the number Of lives lost,
but makes rough guess that from sat
urday until Tuesia night 200 negroes
persisted.
Seth Jones' case is like dozens Of 9th
ers. This negro lay in his hut with .
wife and four children Sunday morning
when the water came rushing in upor
them. Jones attempted 70 escape witt
his children. but all avenues were GU
Of He and his family sought the roc
Of the house and watched the wate
making its way up to them As tn
current grew swifter the house begai
TO tremble and in few moments tn
> logs began TO float away one from tn
Q other. Jones took up one of his cEil
dren-his wife and the other three wer
drowned before his eyes He held q
TO a log and attempting TO place hi
!, child on il she fell and sank into tn
= water. He alone escaped after foatin
= around for several hours.
{ The Mississippi river here Is almot
!. 1t stand within q foot Of the DANCE
h line and within three feet Of the higf
4 est mark. The weakest point is a
; Helena. Ark. but all Is safe there az
n cording to late reports. The levee
: along the river are in good conditio
4 and planters have no very grave feaI
: that this will be such food as that (
1ss2 or 1889.
d On the Arkansas side Of the Missi
!. einni river nj Council point and Peca