The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-04-20
DEATH AND pEsoLATIoN

Reigns In the Valley of the Tombigbee
River In Mississippi-Appalling Loss OF
Life Reported Flood in Years.
JACKSON, Miss, April 13.-The lowest
estimate placed on the loss of life in the
flooded district is $50, all Of whom are
nerroes. Most of the damage is in the
vicinity OF Columbus, which is on the
bank OF the Tombigbee, q small but nav
igable river which rises in the mount
aims of northeast Mississippi and flows
south, slSirting the eastern border OF the
state and emptying into Mobile bay
More than three thousand families in
the counties of Lowndes, Monroe and
Noxubee are homeless and suffering for
the necessaries of life, which are being
supplied by private subscriptions A
similar overflow occurred in 1874, but
the waters are now higher than then
and suffering is bound to follow unless
congressheeds the appeal for assistance.
NASHVILLE, Tenn, April l4.--Reports
from the flooded districts say the con-
lition OF affairs is worse than ever. So
lar eighty-Seven bodies have been rccov-
cred and as many more are known TO
have been drowned. The Coosa river is
now eleven feet above tow water and
, rising rapidly. The Tombigbee river is
rising an inch every hour AMI the Ten
aes7ae river Is beginning to boom. II Is
within th-ec feet OF s,lc lsTses and IL
they break hun l:cds Of f..a!,.;s VII 5o
rendered homeless. No tr.ils are run
ming on the Alabama Southern or
Georgia Pacific railroads west OF Colnm-
bus Beyond Columbus the track is two
! feet under water. The flood has spread
: ;duo s,u.utcr. Greene and PickcnS coun-
{ ties in Alabama. 1t is estim lted that
forty negro families have perished IN
these counties. Rain is now fallingand
the indications are that the food will
! exceed the overflow OF the Mississippi
three ycarsAgo. Carpenters are BALD
ing boats by the dozen in anticipation
of an overflow.
It will be several days yet before the
Tombigbee river gets inside its banks.
In many places it was upward of ten
miles wide. Mounds that have never
before been overhowed were under six
and eight feet of water. Houses in
numbers were swept away. The water
is falling in the Big Black river. All
the work put on crops viii b. lost. In
the overhowed districts many farmers
had almost finished planting both corn
and cotton.
MEMPHIS, April 14.-Saturday night
hundreds OF negro families in the bot
toms went to bed feeling secure, but be-
fore morning they were aroused by a
rush of waters. Those near the uplands
got away to place Of safety by day
light, but those in the lower bottoms
found escape cut off and they c!ambercd
to the tops of their rickety huts in hope
that in few hours the waters would
subside. The rain poured down in tor
rents all of Sunday and the water
bound prisoners saw that their only
hope of escape was by boats that they
thought their landlords wolld send to
bring them to dry land. The land
: owners, however, did not appreciate the
| dire necessity of the poor wretches until
| many houses had been swept away and
their occupants drowned.
The cattle took to the high places and
! tor sustenance began 10 deyour the
, branches Of trees Chickens few 70 the
/, trea IONS and rrnain,d there Ion three
} davs until welk from starvuti1n. they
! feiI into the water.
I, The eight feet rise of Wedncsl W will
a be iner.a ,el within ths aevt ~ 'iolrs