The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-04-02
THE WATERS RECEDING.
Flood Situation in the Mississippi
Delta Greatly Improved,
THE RIVER FORTY MILES WIDE,

Relief Sent from Memphis to the st.
Francis River Country, Where the
Destitutfon Is Fearful Ten Thou-
sand Men Have Fought the Floods.
Memphis, April 2.-The flood situa
ton in the Mississippi delta above
Greenville is decidedly improved. The
half dozen crevasses on the Arkansas
and Mississippi shores, between Helena
and Greenville, have drawn an inn
mense volume of water out of the main
channel which is spreading over the
lowlands but not rapidly enough to cut
off the escape of the inhabitants of the
low counties. The river shows a de-
cline from a point below Helena to the
Wayside crevasse. The decline above
Greenville in many places is as great
as ten inches.
Helena, Ark, is not, however, out of
danger for the water from the st.
Francis basin in Arkansas Is swelling
the channel of the main river from the
mouth of the st. Francis to point
south of Helena. The worst at Helena
win be over by Sunday. The damage
to the farming country in the delta
cannot be estimated. Five counties
will be for the most part under water
for 40 days and the main line and
branch lines of the Yazoo and Missis-
sippi Valley road will have more than
100 miles of track inundated Opposite
Perthshire, the upper crevasse, a mile
of track has been completely washed
away.
Probably 20 railroad stations and
small towns are flooded, among them
being Gunnison, Rosedale, Perthshire,
Terrene Phalia, Riverton, Dahomy,
Strom, Benoit, Beulah, Wayside, Long
wood Refugee, Swiftwater, Deeson
and Australia. But the danger Is now
to the south of Greenville, and the
levees from Wayside 60 the mouth OF
the river will begin to feel the pressure
of the movement of water back into
the channel from the delta, the White
river country and the st. Francis basin.
From Memphis to Crawley's Ridge
the river is now 40 miles wide. A line
/ east and west on the water across
! Rosedale would probably be so miles
| long. All of this water must pass out
! between two walls of levees in many
places but a few miles distant from
each other. Another rise of one-tentl
I at Memphis is shown by the official
/ bulletin from the office of the weather
bureau At Cairo an encouraging fal
Is shown, while Paducah reports a fal
! Of seven-tenths of a foot. At Vicks-
/ burg the river is stationary. Shreves-
port and other points below Vicksbure
report a continued rise. The Louisville
and Nashville and the Louisville, Chat.
tanooga and st. Louis railways re-
sumed traffic connection with Nash
vile last night after a cessation of two
weeks, due to the high water in the
! Tennessee river.
The local relief committee yesterday
afternoon sent a steamboat carrying
supplies to the st. Francis river coupi
try. 1t is said that the destitution il
the territory TO be covered is fearful
but news Of It did not reach Memphis
until yesterday.
A Greenville, Miss, dispatch says
The levee board has ceased work, be
lieying the danger to the levees in this
vicinity past. The campaign in th
levee district has cost $12O,00O Their
have been 500, 900 sacks and 100000
feet Of lumber used and 10000 men en-
ployed on the work.