Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-04-24
PARISH In DANGER
Tensas in Louisiana Threatened
with lnundation.
HARDsORABBLE LEvEE wEAKEHs.

II Il Gives Way the Whole Fifth District
Wul BE Overlooked - E:i<ss Crevasse
Now 5000 Feet Wide. End the Water
Pouring Through sevcntecn Feet Deep
Old Stump Docs DamaSc-Rcports from
the Memphis and Natchez Districts.
vicksburg. Miss. April 24.-The
alarming condition of Hardscrabble
leveee as reported from Natchez last
night occasions much anxiety for the
front OF Tensas parish, which Is alone
exempt from overflow by the Biggs Gre
complete the inundation Of the Fifth
Louisiana levee district, except East
Carroll parish, whose levees are also
very soft. and a small portion Of Madi-
son. Its foundation is supposed to be
defective, as frequently happens Above
this point all precaution is being taken,
but the levees are undergoing q regu-
lar seige by the river. and the result can
only be considered doubtful, with the
chances favoring their protectors. I'm
til decline sets in at Helena and
checks the flow through the crevasses
1t Is useless to speculate on the future.
The planters are waiting YEARLY
enough, and so are the railroads and
other business interests.
Size of the Biggs Crevasse.
The Yazoo river at Yazoo City con-
tinues to rise one-tenth in twenty-four
hours and has reached thirty-one feet
and two-tenths. the highest water ever
known at that point. The water is COM
Ing out of the Yazoo river with an UNI
usually rapid current. which has left the
Old course Of the Yazoo river and is COM
ing down the course Of the proposed ca
nal and enters Lake Centennial, oppo-
site the National cemetery, on the west
FORK OF the lake, and is reaching the
Mississippi through the west pass, strik-
Ing the bar at Delta point with great
force. and seems to be cutting a chan
mel across lar. Some predict 1t will
seriously injure the Delta incline Of the
Crescent route. The Biggs crevasse was
closely estimated by parties sent there
for that purpose. and it was found to be
5000 feet wide with the volume of water
going through there at a depth of seven
teen feet. The full depth Of the levee
was seventeen feet. This will give an
Idea OF the immense sheet Of water
pouring into the country back Of the
break.
Damage Done by an Old stump,
Lake Providence, La, April 24.-w.
b. Shields. of Ben Lomond, Miss, re-
PORTS that an eddy on the upper end of
the Promised Land break has washed
around an old stump that stood in the
levec about 500 fet above the break, and
that 1t has very nearly eaten I'D half of
the levee. He thinks that by today the
levee will be entirely gone and then the
break will he about 1000 feet wide. Our
line Of levees Is all right at this writing.
The river feh 'one-tenth in the last twen-
ty-four hours and stands forty-three
feet on the gauge.
Situation Rather Critical just Here.
Natchez. Miss, April 4.-The river Is
here, but many people are
becoming gloomy again over the threat
ening outlook for rain and wind, The
levees are being soaked and are now
seeping. A hard rain would play
havoc with them. A hard rain or wind
storm at Vida!ia would be more disas-
trous than anywhere in this section. A
slight wind last evening sent water
splashing over the levee in front of
that city. Many refugees continue to
arrive at Natchez. The backwater from
Biggs and Reeds crevasses continues to
fill the low lands and swamps with
water. The headwater from the break
has not yet arrived. The Black and
Tensas rivers are rapidly rising from
this break and are covering the country
Of that section