The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-30
And Another mt Perthshire. Forty
Eight Miles North. That May Add
Greatly to the Disaster.
10000 LAB0RERS At WORK
BETWEEN MEMPHIS AND vICKsBURG
STRENGTHENING THE LEVEEs.
Farmhouses and Live stock swept
Away by the Torrent That Is Rush-
ing Through the Breaks.

MEMPHIS. Tenn. March 29.-The flood
situation in the vicinity of Greenville, Miss,
is alarming. The reported break at Way
side, nine miles south of that city, is fully
confirmed and the latest reports are to the
effect that the water is pouring through
crevasse over six hundred feet in width
with tremendous force. But the most start
ling news reached Memphis at o'clock
this evening. A telegram from Perthshire,
forty-eight miles north of Greenvile. and
Immediately at the head OF the fertile Yazoo
delta states that break has occurred in
the main levee there. Just how serious
this break is the telegram does not state,
but special trains loaded with laborers and
sacks of sand have been hurriedly dis
patched TO the scene. If the break at Perth
shire assumes anything like the proportions
OF the crevasse at Wayside, the destruction
will be enormous. The waters will sweep
over the rich farm lands of Bolivar, Wash
ington. Sharkey, Issaquena, Warren, va
zoo and Sunfiower counties in Mssis-
sippi and the loss tc stock and property
will be appalling Ten thousand men line
the levees between Memphis and viclxspurg
watching and working with d desperation
almost pitiable. The warning sent out by
the Weather Bureau from Washington last
night Is having its effect. Many of the in
habitants of the delta have corralled their
animals on high strips of land and moved
their families out Of dangers reach.
The Commercial-Appears Greenville
(Miss) special says: The solid line of the
Mississippi levees has been broken at last.
At l o'clock last night the levee at Deer
field ten miles below Greenvillle sue
cumbed TO the pressure of the waters of the
tba lar,
one and one hundred yards OF the vast
embankinent gave way in a trice and the
torrent Of waters rushed upon the country.
Soon the section between the river and the
embankment of the Riverside division of the
Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railway was
sea OF water. Hogs and cattle We're
drowned, while the people, mostly colered.
rushed to the levees above and below the
break and huduled together until they were
rescued. No loss of human life has been
reported. Deerfield is near Wayside, a sta
tion on the Yazoo * Mississippi Valley Rail-
way. and nearly all of the splendid country
around west of Deer creek, south of Ar
cola to the Yazoo river will be flooded.
Thousands of acres of the most fertile lands
in the delta, already planted in or
ready to be planted in cotton, will suffer
from the waters pouring through this crew
asse. The backwater will reach nearly TO
Greenyille.
The situation Immediately above and be-
low Greenvilie is materially improved to-
day. The weak places have received close
attention. Lawyers, business men, clerks,
merchants and all have worked side by
side with the negro laborers wheeling
dirt to strengthen the embankment. The
line of levee is in good condition for miles
above the city and the people of Greenville
feel confident once more that the town it
self will escape the flood. The weak places
in the Arkansas levee at Possum Fork and
a few other points are reported under con-
troll tonight The levee at Riverton. on
the Mississippi side near Rosedale, reported
weak this morning. Is now considered safe.
Thirteen carloads of sacks reached Green
Vile last night for use on the levees in
this section, thousands of these bags being
sent to the places needed by steamers to-
day. The river at Greenville shows a de-
cline of nearly inch to-day, due to the
crevasse at Deerheld, while at Lake Port
opposite Deerfield, on the Arkansas side,
the fall was four inches.
The crevasse near Perthshire will also re
lieve the pressure in this territory and the
engineers feel that further break will
occur, but already great damage TO much
OF the back country has been done. The
two breaks already recorded will likely stop
every car wheel in the delta during the
next few days, while a vast area of farming
lands in the Yazoo Mississippi delta will
be submerged for weeks to come. The loss
of cattle and hogs will be heavy, while the
Generalization of labor will prove con-
siderable item to the planters.
The situation at Memphis is about the
same as on yesterday The river continues
to fall slowly, the gauge tonight register
ing 36.2 feet.
A dispatch from Gunnison, Miss. says
that a break in the leyee is moRentarily
expected at Sunnyside, but it is thought
this catastrophe can be averted if 40 men
and material could be had at once. Ac-
ccordingly one hundred white men were dis
patched a special train from this city
TO the scene The negroes at Camp Congo
were offered 81 day and all expenses TO
lend helping hand. but with one exception
the offer was refused. There is much in
dignation among the citizens at this action
of the negro refugees.