Evening journal., 1897-04-27
MISSISSIPPI FLOODS.
of Desolation and Death
Along the Great River.
Hundreds of Homes and Millions OF
Fertile Acres Laid In Wnste by
the surgtng Waters
Changing Channels.

New Orleans during an overflow? /
+ so, he has seen n condition of waste |
and desolation that sickened the heart !
and one defes the Imagination 10 ac-
ourately describe. 1t is a long line of
blacl<ness and despair, with the surface
of the muddy waters covered with tloat-
ing tim mbers, wrecked houses, eddies of
swollen dead animals, with an OCCASION
al lifeless human being mixed with the
debris. From foothill TO foothill there
is nothing but sea of black water
There is an occasional mound TO be
seen, and on these are sometimes 20 be
found grouped shivering, trembling an
imals, wild and tame.
] took a slziff one morning at Gold
Dust landing, and was rowed out in the
black waters four miles toward the
hills. Upon a little promontory of
half-acre size we saw cattle, hogs,
sheep, coons, rabbits, deer and one bear,
standing together, trembling with fear
as they watched the fast-rising waters
that must soon envelop them. They
did not frighten at our approach, but
appeared as though glad to see us,
walking far out into the water as if APP
pealing for help. Every man in the
boat had a gun, but none dared to use
it. No one said anything about shoot
ing. each apparently waiting for the
other to speak. But as we rowed away
looking for helpless family reported
TO be in that vicinity, a deputy sheriff
remarked that he thought some men
were humane after all, and nobody dis
puted him.
If the flood that came in 1892, when
its warning had been sent forward more
than month in advance, destroyed
growing crops and property TO the value
OF over $4,000, 600, what must be the eX-
tent of damage this year, when the
rivers south are already higher than
they were during 1922 And then the
war department advises that the waters
will continue to rise indefinitely. From
st. Louis to Cairo. all of that immense
basin that was created by the earth
quake so years ago is deep enough to
swim steamboat. This section en-
braces a remarkably big part of the
wheat fields of southern Illinois and
Missouri. The submerged farms may
be entirely useless for grain purposes
for the remainder Of the year. Ittalles
growing wheat a long time to recover
from flood, however short the period
may be that it has suffered. So If the
Missouri and Illinois valleys are not in
stantly drained the fall wheat crop
there is gone.
But it is south of Cairo and clear
down to New Orleans where the real
damage is now being done. That is the
part of the country that lies unprotect-
ed, where millions of acres of fertile
fields and hundreds of homes belong
ing to the laboring people are absolute
ly at the mercy of the remorseless wa
ters. The lowlands are so much more
productive than the hill country that
the highlands have almost been aban-
doned of late years, the farmers going
TO the "bottoms" to raise their produce
Until Memphis is reached there are nc
levees TO speak of. There are few, tC
be sure, but they are as chaif in a storm
when a big flood comes. They seem tC
excite the rivers wrath all the more
Tennessee is but little affected ever
at the highest stages of the river. Th'
banks on the left are high and are sup
ported by rocky hills that creep up al
most TO the rivers edge. Thus the vol
ume of water is thrown with all its ter
rible force to the unprotected sides o
Arkansas territory, backing up tn
small rivers and streams, causing
them to overflow lakes. thus creating
] an inland sea that adds new territOr,
TO it's cruel waste hour by hour until tn
entire surplus waters of the north hav
gone to Join the salty waves of tn
southern seas.
% And how cruelty coquettish this Mis-
sissippi river has been. changing tow
a sites, creating new channels, robbin
the soil of one plantation TO give to an
= other. Vicksburg is high and dry
. three miles away from the river, where
as a few years ago the business part @
the town sat snugly on its banks
Look at Greenville. Ten years ago tn
/ city was two miles further westwar
than it now lies. 1t has been driven bae
gradually until If II retreats much fun
ther it will jam itself up against a lax
that sometimes gets mad herself. Thu
the poor town is as if between the dev
and me deep sea- There's Natchez, to'
You remember 'Natchez Under th
HIP" Well, there is no under th
! hilr' now. It's steep declivity froi
5 The town to the river. Passengers lea
; ing the steamboats, there have to elm
4. up gangplanks, just as if they were g,
k. ing up a tree. And there is Memphi
that. according to the way the river
ID acting thereabouts at present, may
s. made 10 view the Father of Waters
from afar. No one can tell this ye,
s. where the main channel of the Missi
sippi is TO be the next.-Chieago Time
q Herald.
s.
re Equal 20 the Occasion.