The herald., 1897-04-26
A STORMY
SABBATH
Raises Rivers in Flooded
Regions
BACK WATER FROM BIcGS
SPREADING OVER FARM LAND
AT vIDALIA
Iowa Reports Heavy Damage to Rail
roads and Traffic Is Blocked.
Destruction by Cloudbursts
Associated Press Special wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. April 25.-This has
been a rainy and threatening Sabbath
in the lower delta country and the Lou
isiana levees are being taxed to their ut
most. At Natchez. the river guage shows
rise during the last twenty-four hours
Of one-tenth Of foot. Showers have
prevailed in this section all day and to-
night the downpour is repeated. The
levees are soft and mushy and with
continued precipitation it is feared the
embankments will give way.
A telegram from Clayton. La. received
tonight states that the Tensas river has
risen over one foot since last night ana
this swift stream Is full Of heavy drifts.
The backwater from the Biggs crevasse
is showing itself near Vidalia and 1t Will
inundate many acres Of rich land In that
section.
At Greenville the river fell two-tenths
of foot in twenty-four hours. Light
showers prevailed there all day and the
weather tonight is warm and unsettled.
At Memphis fall of one-tenth OF b
| foot is recorded. The river at Cairo is
| falling at an increased rate. The big
stream has dropped nine-tenths OF a
| foot since last night and the gauge now
reads 42.7 or 2.7 feet above the danger
| line.
Rain is falling at Cairo tonight and
the weather is somewhat cooler.
COSTLY FIGHT
NEW ORLEANS. La. April 25.-The
river Is still nineteen feet above the low
water mark and tho fine stretch of
weather has enabled the levee forces to
hold tho banke in spite Of the terrific
strain. The weather has been providen-
.s~i s--- 49, --A-~->~---k-~a-Ass -s17s.>,-r-
| tainty.
The fight is costly one. as can be
judged from the fact that last weeks
work on the Carrollton levee, about one
fifth Of the city system. cost $4,000. A
number of weak spots have been added
to the list, but the levee boards have
gone promptly to work in all cases. and
danger has been bridged over.
Captain Derby of the United States
engineers, has already begun arrange
ments to rebuild the levees where defec-
tive. and the levee board across the river
has turned over three levees to the gov
ernment supervisor.
TRAFFIC BLOCKED
OTTUMWA, Iowa. April 25..The river
broke over the levees last night and
flooded the bottoms, carrying several
houses down stream. Today in some
places the water is above the first story
of the houses.
The Burlington main track is i'm
passable, and hundreds of men are at
work attempting to prevent damage to
the other line. The situation is critical
but 1t is not believed that the Burling-
ton will keep the main line open. The
Wabash and Milwaukee tracks are gone
here for distance of 200 feet, and the
other roads are tied up. The Rock Is
land has miles of track under water.
No attempt is being made to run trains.
The river is still rising slowly tonight.
A NINE-FOOT RISE
MARYVILLE. Mo-, April 25.-One
Hundred and Two river rose nearly nine
feet last night and is now nearly q
mile and a half wide, flooding a large
number of farms. Traffic through by
the Burlington and Wabash roads is
suspended. three miles of the Burling-
tons track and about a mile OF the Wa
bash track being washed out near here. |
THE KAW RISING
TOPEKA. Kas., April 25-The Kaw
river at this point is at the highest stage |
tonight that has been reached in eight |
years. and Is still rising at the rate of |
two inches an hour. Two bridges at this |
point are in imminent danger. The I'm
ion Pacific and Rock Island railroads |
report several washouts north and west
Of here, but repairs have been made
during the day, and traffic is again NOV
ing.
WIND AND RAIN
DALLAS, Tex, April 25-A special to
the News from Eufaula, I. T., says: A
series OF cloudbursts, heavy wind and
rain stormv occurred in and around
all of last night. and extended
over, about 100 square miles Of territory.
The rain fell In torrents, and was the
for fifty years. Farm houses,
fences and crops. were washed away to
an extent amounting to q calamity
The North Canadian railway bridge Is
so badly damaged that no trains can
cross 1t. and 1t cannot be repaired for
twenty-four hours. The southbound
passenger train had scarcely passed 1t
1t 9:45 last night. when the south end i
gave way. Many trains are tied up at
this point. and there Is series of wash
,uts for twenty miles that are impas-
Iable for the present. The damage to
,rops is beyond estimate Nearly every
ic.e OF ground for many miles in all d.
'ections will have to be replanted, and II
many farms are entirely under water.
Several covered wagons fioated down
he South Canadian river this morning,
by small houses and l.
household furniture. All ferryboate are
Washed away. and communication cut
q. 80 far no news Of loss Of lifs has
,een resolved. Much property was de-
|ereyot a Halgule " the wind ana |