The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-04-08
FROM SOURCE 1O GULF..
THE MISSISSIPPI is ABOVE THE
DANGER LINE ALL ALONG
THE ROUTE.
TRIBUTARIES MUCH SWOLLEN
POURING THEIR SURPLUS INTO THE
FATHER OF WATERS, INsURING
A PROLONGED FLOOD.
BOATING IN GREENV|LLE Streets.
BOATING IN GREENV|uE STREETS.
Great Fenr in Vicinity of VicksDurg
That Disaster Will Happen
When the Waters Return to
the River From Their 'Ex-
curt Through Low Lands.

Memphis, April 2.-The flood situation
has once more become acute from point
a few miles above Austin. Miss. as far
down as the first break at Perthshire,
Miss, and a crevasse in this line of levees
Z would not be surprising. The pressure
Il on the levee is brought almost entirely
ID by the water from the st. Francis basin,
a which is congested between the levees i'll
n front of Helena. There is no levee ON
n the Arkansas shore from Sans SOuci to
u point a little above Helena, a distance
q of little over 40 miles, and it is at Aus
n tin that the levee system on each side be-
A gins that passes down below to New Or
a leans. The current from the st. Francis
4 basin rushes from the west and cuts along
4 the east shore levee for miles. Several
i alarming kilograms have been received
4 from Austin today. and the situation is
4 most alarming Boats have been ordered
4 to run on slow bells. and laborers are
constantly strengthening the embank-
ment. A crevasse at Austin would mum
date a strip of fertile country in Tunca
and Tullohoma counties thirty miles long
and ten miles wide.
Reports from Helena show the water
to be still slowly rising, and it is almost
mira culous that the levee at Helena has
\inot been swept away. Thousands of peo-
ple have been working day and night, and
their energies are seemingly eXhaustless.
The Missouri Pacific and Cotton Belt
Railways have rushed train load after
train load of sacked sand into the be-
leaguered country, and still stand ready
TO help the Helena people. The railways
have rendered great assistance to the
levee boards. The Illinois Central. Mis-
souri, Pacific and Cotton Belt systems
have devoted all their great forces to the
work of saving the country, and that
without charge.
Greenville is on an island, and Rose
dale. Miss. is in water five to ten feet
deen The families in ROsedale have
been moved to the second stories. Ihou'
sands are standing on the levees, and
MANY unfortunates sleep with no cover
ing TO protect them from the water
soaked winds of night. Back OF lose
dale everything is under water. In many
villages no communication with the outer
world has been had for several days.
The threatened rise at Cairo Is now
n certainty. The Mississippi north OIL
Cairo. and the Cumberland and IenneS
see rivers will send a flood OF water intf
the already overlooked st. Francis basin
and from Cairo to Memphis it is feared
the gauge will mark a high water hgure
that is unprecedented. At Memphis to-
night the river is slowly falling, the gauge
reading 1868 feet, a fall of .Ol since ias'
night.
The calls for assistance from points
along the river are becoming more anc
more frequent at the headquarters Oh 'n'
p rol;ef committee. The committee IS II
\ heceipt of information that there are l2ot
Xhite people, principally women ana ehi
y .dren. in great distress near st. Clair
Z landing. about twelve miles up the river
which is some six miles from Mound Oity
These people are located in houses The
lower floors of which are overofiwed, ant
+bov have no food and means OF obtain
inc If Arrangements were made to SEM
supplies at once.