The record-union., 1897-03-30
4 Biz Break in the LsYee a Few Miles
South Of GreenVilIe, Miss.
Water Pouring Through the Crevasse
With Tremendous Force.

Many Counties-The Situation at
Helena, Arkansas, the Most Criti-
cal in the History of the City.
MEMPHIS (Tenn.), March 29.-The
river situation in the vicinity of Green
vile, Miss, is alarming The reported
break at Wayside, nine miles south of
that city, is fully confirmed, and the
latest reports are to the effect that
the water is pouring through a crevasse
900 yards in width with tremendous
force
But the most startling news reached
Memphis at q o'clock this evening 4
telegram from Perthshire, forty-eight
miles north of Greenville, ait the head
OF the feutile YazOo delta, states that
break has occurred in the main
levee there. just how serious this
break is the telegram does not state,
but several trains loaded with sacks
of sand have been hurriedly dispatched
to the scene. If the break at Perth
shire assumes anything Like the seri-
BUSINESS of the crevasse at Wayside the
L
ters Will sweep over the rich farm
lands of Washington, Sharkey, Issa-
Quena, Warren, Yazoo and Sunfower
Counties. in Mississippi, and the loss
TO stock and property will be appalling.
Ten thousand men line the levees be
tween Memphis and Vicksburg. watch
ing and working with a desperation
most pitiable. The warnings sent out
by the Weather Bureau from Wash
ington last night are having their eff
feet. Many of the inhabitants of the
delta have corraled their animals on
high strips of land, and moved their
families out of dangers reach.
The situation at Memphis is about
the same as yesterday. The river con-
tinues to fall slowly. the gauge tonight
registering 362 feet.
A dispatch from Gunnison, Miss. says
thata break in the levee is momentarily
expected at Sunnyside, but it was
Thought this catastrophe could be
averted if 100 men and material could
be had at once. Accordingly 100 white
men We're dispatched on a special train
from this city to the scene. The ne
groes at Camp Congo We're offered 81
per day and all expenses to lend
helping hand, but with one exception
the offer was refused. There is much
indignation among the citizens at this
action of the negro refugees
CRITICAL SITUATION AT HELENA.
HELENA (Ark.), March 9.-To-day
has been the most critical day in the
history of the city. The river has been
steadily rising, and stands to- might at
500 feet. All might long the wind blew
and the waves beat on the levee. and
weary hands piled sacks of dirt where
breaches were showing 1t was a gal
liant fight and it left everybody ex-
hausted. This morning the Mayor is
sued a proclamation reciting the des-
perate conditions surrounding the city,
and requesting that stores be closed
and all able-bodied men be sent to the
front The proclamation met with a
hearty response, and in a few minutes
several hundred fresh men with spades
in their hands We're taking the places
of the tired men who had labored all
night.
Tonight the wind has abated some
what, but watching and working still
goes on.
arrived at 10 o'clock this morning with
ninety-seven refugees from Knowlton
Captain Nealy of the Titan reports an
other break about 300 yards above
Wood Cottage Landing, which is q
mile and a half above Knowlton 1t
occurred Saturday evening, and was
over 800 feet wide when the Titan
passed down to Knowlton. This break
puts ell the country from Knowlton to
Lasconia under water, and as that sec
tiOn is more thickly settled than the
Modoc-ave venue front the loss and suf-
fering will be greater.
The levee at Knowlton is also in dan
ger, and Captain Nealy adheres to his
opinion that it will go to pieces from
there to Lasconia, and also that the
Lasconia circle levees will crumble to
pieces.
BREAK NEAR GREENVILLE
GREENVILLE (Miss), March %
A crevasse occurred last night at Lake
Lee, seven miles south of Greenville,
on the Mississippi side, through which
an immense volume of water is pour
ing into the Black and Steele Bayou
country.
lie OptIllIlS - ~ leel Wlue. lnIpSS
it can be stopped, which is highly i'm
probable, all the country west of Deere
Creek and the most prosperous part of
the Delta will be overf1owed south of
Yazoo River. This break relieved the
pressure somewhat ait Greenville front.
A later dispatch dated from Green
Vile at 4 p. m. says the break at Lake
Lee is now 600 feet wide, and widening.
All hope of closing the crevasse has
been abandoned. The levee along the
Greenville front is still holding. and a
superhuman effort is being made to
keep it intact. The weather conditions
are unfavorabe. the rain now coming
down in torrents.
RIVER RISING RAPIDLY.
ST. PAUL (Minn.), March 29.-The
rivers of Minnesota are rising very
rapidly following a day of heavy
thawing. The Mississippi at this point
has passed the ten-foct mark and is
still rising steadily. Water is flowing
in from the Minnesota in a torrent.
A telephone message from South
Park. five miles south, says an ice
gorge ltwenty feet high has formed
there. AS the prediction is for warmer
weather, lit is believed the gorge will
break without doing any serious dam
age.