St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-14
Appalling Death List Result
ing From the Floods in
Mississippi.
Two Hundred and Fifty Ne
gpoes Drowned in the
Rush Of Water.
A Vast Section Of Country Is
Practically Laid Waste and
Depopulated.
Seven Men Blown to Atoms in
a Tremendous Powder
Explosion.


est estimate placed OIL The loss OF life IN
the flooded district Is go, all OF whom
are negroes.
MEMPHIS, April 10 East Mississippi
has been the scene OF one OF tie most
appaliI foods in the United states
withln the last week. aud the world be-
yond that state knows little Of the
destruction OF property and the loss
of life that the rise in the TomblGbee
river has entalled. This river rises III
North Alabama and winds its way
south, touching Columbus, and forming
a junction with the Alabama few
miles above Mobile bay. The river Is
fed by dozen quickrising mountain
streams that for the last seven days
have been filling it, until now above Co
mmbus ii has assumed the proportions
Of an inland sed
Near Columbus the loss Of life has
been terrible. Saturday night hundreds
of negro families in the bottoms went
to bed feeling secure, but before morn
ing they were aroused by rush OF wa
tiers. Those near the uplands got away
TO places of safety by daylight, but
those in the lower bottoms found
Escape Was Cat or
and they clambered to the tops Of their
rickety nuts in hopes that IN lew
hours the waters would subsde. The
rain poured down in torrents all Of Sun
day, and the water bound prisoners saw
that their only hope OF escape was
boats that they thought their landlords
would send 10 bring them TO dry land.
The land owners, how ever. did not
appreciate the dire necessity OF the
poor wrctches until many houses had
been swept away and their occupants
drowned. a letter was received here
tonight from Que of the sufferers, and
his story, told in simple negro dialect,
is most pathetic. He says that no estl-
mate can be made of the number OF
lives lost, but makes Il rough guess that
from Saturday till Tuesday night 200
negroes have perished.
A negro named Seth Jones lay in his
hut with a wife and four children Sun
day morning when the water came ruSn-
ing in upon them. Jones attempted 10
escape with lis children, but all ave-
nues were cut Off. He and his family
sought the roof of the house and
watched the water eat its way
ND TO them. AS the current
grew swifter the boUse began
to tremble, and In few moments the
logs began to float away one from the
other. Jones grabbed one of his chill
dren. while his wife and the other three
were drowned before his eyes. lie held
onto a log, and, in attempting to place
his child on it, she fell and sank into the
water. He alone escaped, after floating
around for several hours.
Appalling DesOIation.
ABERDEEN, Miss, April Is. - The
water in the TOmbigbee river is subSid-
ing. leaving a black, desolate waste.
Late reports which have reached here
indicate that the loss by flood will be
greater than at first estimated. From
the most reliable information to be
obtained from the flooded district
1t is known that the number
of lives lost will reach 80. while all
yestige of household property has been
swept away by the raging torrent. Re
lief parties have been sent out, and
more than 1870 bodies have already been
recovered. Thousands of people are
rendered homeless, and the suf-
fering is intense. A relief party
today rescued family OF nine
persons who had been adrlft on raft
for six days without a mOuthful of food.
They were insane from hunger, and
went wild over the sight of food. One
of the party. lad of fourteen years, had
become a gibbering idiot aud deyoured
raw beef like wild beast. A col0red
woman and her infant were found float
ing on a mattress. They had been
without food for three days, and the
babe is so emaciated that it Will die.
Her family of eight children were all
drowned.
The loss of property is so great. that 1t
cannot be accurately estimated at pres
emit Thousands of head of cattle have
persisted, and the swamps are strewn
with carcasSes. The country in the
flooded district is fiat and devoid OF
hills, thus giving no refuge except tree
tops to the panic stricken negroes when
the water came rushing down upon
them. 1t will he several deys before
anything like a correct estimate of the
damage can be obtained.