Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-04-22
BATTLING THE FLOOD.
ReroIc Work In the Face OF Discourage
ment-The Most Desperate Situation YG


ment-The Most Desperate Situation Vet
Encountered-Fifty Miles of Levee Ac-
tuaIIy in Danger of Being OEertopped
| by Water-HundredsO of Persons Rescued.
VICKsBURG. Miss. April 17.-The sit
nation along the Louisiana levees
across the river for fifty miles above
and below this city dwarfs every other
feature of the flood problem into tenn
porary insignifcace. The rise shows
no diminution and the 1evees are actu-
ally in danger of being overtopped
/ by the water now pouring out of the
Tazoo basin, in a sheet 25 miles wide,
! for distance of ten miles opposite
this city.
| In Spite of the Evident Danger
and of the repeated warnings of the
weather bureau, very few persons are
removing stock to the high lands,
+ though all are taking other precau-
tons One hundred head of mules
| were brought to this city Friday from
/ Sparta plantation, in Louisiana. ten
miles above here. The belief prevails
| that the levees are weak. and
the fear that they cannot be raised
fast enough to keep ahead of a flood
| that is piling over four inches of water
daily on 4 river already at SO 40 feet
on the gauge.
In spite of those conditions the Ievee
| forces are battling doggedly against
the food night and day. It is the fin
| est example of human energy and con-
| stancy of heart to be seen at this mo-
! ment on the planet.
| The Work OF Relief Is Going On
Systematically. Some of the negro
refugees are finding employment in the
uplands, a few having gone as far as
Kinds county, and here and there a
planters overfowed plantation is heard
of who has removed his people to
| the hills, determined to make cotton
crop there and to plant his home place
in corn when the water falls.
| Capt. NJ. C. Martin, having COM
| pleted his inspection of flood condi-
tons between Greenville and Vicks-
burg, left for Washington last even
ing to report verbally to the secretary
of war. The local efforts to afford re-
lief to the people temporarily exiled
from their homes are being sue
cessfu11y directed, to all appear
| ance, and few would suspect such
a number of them were gathered
here. They are scattered all over the
city,in colonies, so to speak, are in good
condition and not at all depressed by
the situation.
Capt. Charles Fl. Clark, U. S. A, ar
rived yesterday and will remain few
days.
One of Secretary Aiger's Agents Returns to
Washington and Reports.
WASHINGTON, April 17.-Maj Sanger,
of the inspector-generars corps, ar
rived IN Washington yesterday. He is
thu" first of the officers sent out by Sec
rotary Alger to the flooded districts to
return to this city. He explained YER
bally to Secretary Alger just what had
been done by him and under his instruc-
tons to ascertain the condition of the
food sufferers and arrange for their re-
lief.
Major Sanger's district lies in the
Mississippi valley from Memphis down
to Helena.
Chartering a steamer at Memphis,
with the best captain that could be
found, a man who the major said was
of the greatest help and willing to go
anywhere to relieve distress, he took
aboard two weeks supplies of a char
acter suggested by the Memphis COM
Iu1GL0e anu SJdTJ6O OO"A LnC IAFCkS dC-
companied by Col. Rogers. chairman
of the Arkansas levee board. 1t was
found that the Memphis people had
already established stations for the re-
lief of the refugees in many places
throughout the ST. Francis district in
addition to the big camp they had
pitched in West Memphis.
All of these were visited and, in addi-
ton, Maj. Sanger established stations
at other points where they seemed to
be needed.
The relief boat ran up the ST. Fran
els river and up the L'Angille river and
across country over cotton fields and
farms in every direction, where it was
supposed people were to be found in
need of help, acting largely upon ad-
vices of the local relief committees
along the route.
Returning to the main river a visit
was made to tine Flower lake crevasse,
which was found to have extended to a
width of 1.sOo feet. Mai. Sanger says
that in the country overfiowed from
this break some of the richest cotton
land in the south is under water from
two to 25 feet.
More stations were established, ne
groes were sent out in canoes through
out the flooded districts to notify the
people where they might come.
Maj. Sanger says the inhabitants of
the flooded section are bearing their
infiction with extraordinary patience,
clinging closely to their half-sub-
merged cabins and undergoing
hardships in the hope of better
times. He says that if the
waters recede by the goth of May all
will be well with them, and that, with
economy and careful distribution, the
funds already appropriated will be suf-
ficient for the maintenance of the alb
solutely destitute. But if the water
holds up. and it is impossible to make
a crop this summer. the distress that
will result will be terrible.
Bad Break at BigSs.
VIcKsBURe, Miss, April 16.-The
leyee at RirpS Ok miles below Delta