Evening star., 1897-03-15
LATE NEWS BY WIRE
Rescuing Homeless Inhabitants Of
the Flood Districts.
BOATS GOING AMONG TEE TREE TOPS
Bad Break in the Levee at Nodene,
Ark.
ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI

MEMPHIS. Tenn, March 15.-The day
dawned dark and gloomy for the homeless
inhabitants of the food stricken districts
in the territory near this point. Rain be-
gan falling shortly after o'clock, and at
ing to the misery and suffering already
caused by the Overlooking of streams
The work of rescuing people and stock
continues. and is being conducted sys-
tematically A citizens relief committee
has been organized. boats chartered and
funds raised. BY these means hundreds of
head of stock ard almost as many men,
women and children have been rescued
from house and tree tops in the overflowed
district and brought to this city by harbor
towboats with barges attached.
The gauge here reads 1868. a rise of one
foot in twenty-four hours, and all indica-
tons point toward a further rise
Brcnk In the Levec.
News came early Of the partial breaking
of the st. Francis levee at Nodene, Ark,
sixty miles above Memphis, at a point
near the south end of the levee
The break was more serious than first
report made it. The water has a fall of
70 feet and rushed upon the people Of the
lowlands behind the levee in almost a solid
wall. 1t is expected that many lives will
he lost. The City of Osceola saved many
people who had been washed out of their
homes by the water which went through
the crevasSe.
Rescued From President Island.
The steamer Hardin this morning
brought to this city one hundred and fifty
negroes and a lot of stock from President
Island, situated about four miles above
this point, who had been driven from their
homes by the high water. The officers
of the steamer report numbers of houses
on the island submerged and stock of all
kinds seeking the higher points.
At Helena, Ark, the water is seven feet
above the danger line. and at Vickshurg
1t is within foot of 1t.
W nile the Ohio river is falling at Wheel
ing and Louisville, there was rising dur
ing the last twentyfour hours of four
tentns of an inch at Cairo. and rainfall in
the watershed tributary to the Chatta-
nooga basin has been Two inches. Re
ports from Alabama state that the floods
there are unprecedented.
The Cumberland Rising.
NASHVILLE. Tenn. March 15.-Although
there was no rain yesterday, the Cumber-
land river has been steadily rising, and will
continue to rise. Last night II feet was
reached, the danger limit being 40 feet,
and merchants along portions of the river
iioHt are REMOVING SOOQS. Cellars in pOr-
uons of the city have been flooded and
many citizens have been forced to abandon
their homes.
The Cumberland river reached ~ feet on
the gauge here today. Forty feet is the
danger line. Lowlands about the city are
Submerged, ard many cellars of business
houses are filed with water. Families in
the threatened districts are moving out.
and merchants are taking their goods to
the second floors. Rains and continued
rising are reported from up-river points
ana the water Will certainly reach IL. and
possibly IL feet tomorrow or next dav This
VIII be one of the highest records made
since the weather bureau was established
The Tennessee Falling.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. March l5.-The
tennessee river at this point at noon regis
tered $40 feet, and is falling at the rate of
.' foot per hour. 1t will probably become
stationary tcLight, but owing to heavy
rams, will probably reach ~ feet by We'd
leSday morning