Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-04-24
THE GREAT FLOODS.
The sitnation at Madison Parish Growing
Hourly Worse Delta is Almost De-
populated Reports from Many Places
Tell the Same Story of Advancing Floods
and Recedins Hopes es-Former Crevasscs
Still Widening


populated Reports from Many Places
Tell the Same Story of Advancing Floods
and Kecedins Hopes Former Crevasses
still Widening.
WcKsBuRG, Miss, April 1s.-At p.
m. the river was 81 feet S-10ths, fall
of S-10ths in the past "a hours and a
total OF 6-l0ths since the crevasse at
Biggs 1evee at 10 o'clock Friday night.
The situation in Madison parish, La,
is growing hourly worse. The flood of
water going through the Biggs break
in the ievee is fast covering the low
lands and is flooding Bay Vidal and
the greater part of the land in the
southern portion of the parish.
The water has reached Tallulah,
some eighteen miles west of Delta
The water had risen seven feet in the
bayou at Tallulah and was rising
foot an hour at noon to-day.
Delta is about depopulated, only
enough persons remaining to look after
the houses. Many of them have two
or three feet of water in them. The
backwater is fast covering lands north
of Delta and at Young's Point much
land is already covered. At Omega
the floods are coming fast. Relief
beats are running to Davis island and
kellogg's section.
Planters in the central and north part
of Madison are placing their stock in
reach of boats on the river front or at
stations on the line of the Vicksburg
& Shreveport railroad, SO they can be
moved in the event of another break in
the upper portion of the parish, which
is now severely threatened. Milliken's
Bend and Duckport levees are both
caving.
Reports from Madison parish state
that the water began risingin Bushby
bayou, at Tallulah, at 7 o'clock this
morning, and up to about 2 p, IN. it had
risen seven to eight feet.
About three miles below Tallulah
the water is getting over the levees and
is overflowing everything two miles be-
low. 1t will not be upon the higher
lands until tomorrow as there is sew
eral feet of bank left in the bayou.
Richland, La, was heard from to-
day and reports the water going all
over everything, overtlowing Kings
and Kels places, also the villages Of
Trinidad and Ashwood, eight miles be-
low Richland. The telegraph line is
down some distance below Richland
and communication was shut off from
there up to noon to-day. The water is
beginning to back up Lake One, on the
line of the Vicksburg & Shreveport
roads.
Work is still going on at Millilten's
Bend lcvee, and they are reported in
good shape there. They worked about
seventy men there to day and will work
tomorrow with much larger force.
The people at Talulah are building
up the old levee on Bushry bayou as far
south as Sewers, about eight miles
south, in an endeavor to hold the water
in the bayou. Everybody is getting
their stock together, SO as to move
promptly.
Mr. Stubbs of the Vicksburg &
Shreveport railroad, says an effort
will be made to handle passengers and
mail service from Delta to some point
on the line west, where the trains can
come, thereby keeping up communica-
ton. The road was transferring here
under the most adverse conditions be-
fore the break at Biggs, which soon
made that impossible, as the track was
flooded to the depth of several feet in
less than II hours,
1t is now estimated that not less than
5000 persons will need relief in this
county for the next 30 days at least.
Lieut.. Crowley, of the United States
army, reached here from Washington
by the noon train, having been detailed
to duty here to purchase and distribute
relief. He has gone actively to work
and will purchase meal, meat and mo-
lasses for distribution through the gen
tlemen named by the governor.
John NJ. Chiffon, one of the lea ling
planters of lssaquena county, is in the
city and makes the following state
mcnt:
Il have Just returned from lssaquena
county. The present indications are
that the overflow will break all former
records as to duration and destruction
of prot terty in the line of plantation
improvements and loss of cattle, lcay-
ing little prospect of planting a crop in
1897"