The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-04-17
FLOOD SITUATION.
Report Of Government InspsotlOn ofiesF'
a. 10 Condition OF ARhirS.

Report OF Govern ment inHpsotlOn OnesFa
aS 10 Condition OF AGhirS.
WASHINGTON, D. c., April ls.-see-
retary Alger has received the following
telegram from one OF his inspecting OIL
GERS at Cairo. who has been working In
the Yazoo district:
CAIRO, Ill. April IS.
Gen. r. a. Alger. Secretary OF War
Washington, d. c.
Have completed inspection In tho up
per portion OF my district from Ashport
10 Cairo and find the conditions slightly
improved. The most extensive crevasse
below Caruthersvllle has widened to
1900 feet The engineer boat is on the
scene. The water Is falling at Cairo.
but rising slightly below.
About 1000 refugees from this section
are collected at points on high ground.
l have located them and noted their ap-
proximate number, established relief
stations and communicated the neces-
sary details to Capt Davis, who is for
wardlnE supplies from Memphis. This
poInt Is tho natural centre for general
distribution by small bl-weekly pack
cts that know the landings and are ex-
pected TO provo more satisfactory and
economical than chartered boats. All
the relief stations but two are already
supplied from Memphis with five dnya'
ratioua would recommend that sup
plies from st Louis now here In charge
Of Lieut.. Hcdekon be shipped In his care
ON the packet leaving Cairo for Mem
phIs this evening. WIN save several
hundred dollars per trip thereby. Can
furnish tho distributing officer with de-
tails concerning stations not already
supplied and names OF responsible con-
Another one Of the army inspector tel
eRrnphed from GreenvilIe, Miss., that
the total area subject TO overflow In his
district was about 1000 square miles,
mostly in Phillips county. Arkansas,
and in Coahomn. Quitman, Bolivar,
Sunhower and Washington counties
Mississippi.
He says that Flower Lake crevasse
Is draining OF. but that the overflow
ia inundatlng parts OF QultmRn, Goa
homa and Bolivar counties. The Con-
cordIa break Ia draining into Bogue
Phalla, and tho overflow Is covering
Bolivar and Washington counties. 1t
Is suggested that ten days supply of
rRtions be sent Mt the earliest practl-
cable moment TO supply 1000 destitute
persons and 100 head OF stock In Quit
man county, IN which thirteen town
ships arc inundated; also for 5000 des-
flute and 800 head OF stock In CoAhoma
county, where twelve townships are
flooded: for 5000 destitute and 500 live
stock In Bolivar county, where twenty
nInc townships are inundated. on the
Arkansas side II Ia reported that there
arc 5000 destitute and 400 live stock in
Phillips and Monroe counties requiring
assistance.
Thirty TO forty days Is the estimated
nerlod OF time before laborerH can 70
10 work In the inundated area, hut as
this period Will vary with the locality,
tho Inspector recommends that no sup
pliel be sent for a longer period than
ten days.
after ten days" he says, III the
food does not to some extent suhsidc,
the destititlon will reach its maximum
and bo maintained at that until II be-
comes evident that n crop this year is
nosslblo. in which event the number OF
destitute win rapidly diminish, and
ibcn the presence OF relief supplies IN
thc district will be positive drawback
10 The prosperity OF the district. II, how
ever. Il becomes evident that crop this
wear cauuOt be made, the dostitu;lon
and suffering win increase and evcntu-
ally extend to perhaps onc-hnlt OF the
entire population OF the inundated coun-
Nv. II the food subsidies by the middle
Of NAV, as now seems likely. the destl-
tutIon VIII be by that time relieved.
IA will require a fall OF about six feet
i'm the river before the banks viii be
clean and the inundated territory VIII
drain out and planting can begin