Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-03-31
MISSISSIPPI RIVER FLOOD sITUA-
TIoN GROWING WORSE.
MANY TOWNS ARE IN DANGER
THREE HUGE cREvAssEs THREaT.
EN- HOMES OF 100000 PEoPEEs
ffssAh Ef.ti
GreenviIIc, Miss, the Center of Flood
Interest Just Now-Thousands of
Head of Live Stock Swept
Awny-River Station
airy at Memphis. -. ,vs

Memphis, Tenn. March 3o-There are
now three breaks in the levee that protect
the Mississippi delta from the waters Of
the river. One Is seven miles below Green
vile, Miss, at Wayside. which is loo feet
wide. One is forty miles north of Green
vfIle at the head of the delta, which is
1000 feet wide and becoming deeper and
longer as the water rushes through it.
The third occurred at an early hour this
morning seven miles north of a point oppo-
site Arkansas City and at last reports a
stream as wide as the Hudson was tear
ing through it and covering the country
for miles in the interior.
The river from the north to south break
Is like a mighty crescent, with Rosedale,
Greenville, Gurnisop- and many other small
towns between the arc and its chord. which
is the Riverside division OF the Yazoo &
Mississippi Valley railroad. This road
strikes the river at the north break, but
from there the river swings to the west,
and above Greenville turns again toward
the east striking the north and south line
of the railroad at WaysIde, the point of
the lower break.
The water from the upper or Berthshire
creyssse has already cut through the rail-
road and is tearing through the plantations
to the south At the middle crevasse, the
floods from the north have already Joined
forces with these waters and together they
are inurdating the country southwark. The
upper waters yill reach the lower cregasse
tonight and the united water from the
three fioodgates will. with hourly in
creasing force and volume. rush over the
country and finally be. thrown back into
the main river at the mouth of the Yazoo,
q few miles north of vicksburg. y.
Back thirty TO fifty miles from the river
run a number of lateral streams which
empty their water into the Yazoo. The
whole territory from the main river east
10 these streams will be, for the most part.
under water within forty-eIght hours. The
region marked for destruction is probably
100 miles long and from twenty to thirty
five miles wide. The country is as fertile
as a Northern garden.
Greenvilie is in great danger. The water
from the middle break will partially flood
that town. If the levee In front of Green
Vile should break. no man can conceive
what the loss to life and property would be.
Railroad communication has already been
cut in places, and before tomorrow night
the Georgia railroad, running east from
Greenvilie. may be flooded.
Probably 1000 people are working with
desperation borrsof despair to save their
homes and property. The whole machinery
OF the state and of the Illinois Central
railroad Is being brought into play. =.
IT lis currently reported Tonight that the
levee In front of Leconfa Circle, Ark, has
broken. IL this should be true, and most
probably 1t is correct, $1,000 acres of fertile
cotton land will be flooded by morning.
The news reached Memphis through a
telegram from Captain NJ. Cheek, of the
. steamer Kate Adams, that at an early hour
this tmornsng. the levee near Stokes,,lan
ing. four miles above Huntington, on the
Mississippi side gave way. The water
from this break viii reach the Yazoo e.
Mississippi Valley tracks at ,Scottrs station.
thirty-one miles south of Rosedaie, and
also at Moore's station on the Huntington
branch. The width of the crevasse could
not be ascertained. but the worst is feared.
as the levee there for miles is considered
rather weak
The river is stationary at Memphis to-
night the gauge indicating 36.2 feet. This
stationary condition. instead of the usual
iaii, is thought to have been brought about
py the rainfalls in the territory which,
drains into the Ssississippi north of Mem
pms. For the same reason, II is predicted
by the local observer of the weather bureau
that there will probably be a slight rise
"a the river at Memphis during the ensu-
ing twenty-four hours. -
Al Helena, rise of but two-tenths of a
1901 IN the twenty-four hours ending to-
cay Is recorded. Al Arkansas City, instead
iemtns OF foot Is indicated
This fail In the river at that point is at
tr.bufeo to the fact that the breaks in the
ArkaEsas levee above Arkansas Cuy have
auoroeo an outlet for big volume Of
water which woul5 otherwise swell the
volume within the river channel proper
ano cause rise instead OF a fall at this
point The river 1t Arkansas CITY Is 81
1eet above danger line. At Greeayille
Miss, similar fail of two-tenths of n
foot is Indicated. The fan here Is attrib-a
Ited TO breaks in the ieyee on fhe Missis-
sippi side above Greenyille.
AT Vfcksburg this morning the gauge
registered 1873 feet. a rise of half a font in
twcnty-four hours. The river at Vicks-
buig has reached a point which is So feet
above danger line. The river is rising
with increasing raHdity both at Vicks.
borE and points ON the lower MisstsSippi
Greenville. Miss. March 30.-Thousaniss
OF bloodhound people /, are caught and
penned in between the three Bolivar coun-
fy levee breaks, and no communication
can be had with them. Refureess com
Ing into the city to-day from the country
this side of the Mound break report many
faIniiies in peril of their lives on the other
4 side of the crevasse, as theresis only seven
miles OF country between them and Stead.s
and 1t is next to impossible for all to es-
cape. fe,sT
This morning a movement tor build n
protection levce was started. i,ut aban-
dored as q useless waste of labor .sas the
water will be here before it could be
completed. - -
Two hundred and fifty-towns and Villages
VIII be under water IN three days. and