The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-03-24
In Imminent Peril.
The Great Father of Waters
Threatens Thousands.

Memphis, March ia further
half foot rise in the Mississippi means
the devastation of property and a loss
of life unequaled in the flood history
of this section The rise is threat
ened because rain is still falling
Seventeen persons are reported
drowoned so mills below Caruthers-
vile, No A stretch Of country over
100 miles long from point 70 miles
north of Memphis to point SO miles
south of the Tennessee metropolis is
submerged in places to depth of 10
feet. The fertile valleys of Ten
nessee and Arkansas are completely
Inundated and many lives have been
lost and stock drowned, fencing and
dwellings, swept away, inhabitants
destitute and homeless and left to
starve or drown by the remorselessly
rising tide Reports from tributary
streams show rains and rapidly rising
rivers, foods from which will. soon
be emptied in the Mississippi, add
ing to the danger when hurled
against the already weakened levees.
The le,ees are patrolled hourly by
armed and desperate men, provided
with sand bags to strengthen weak
places or to close the crevasses and
rifles to shoot down any miscreant
who would venture to Gu. the en-
bankment and allow the waters on
his plantation to find vent into the
lowlands of his reighbor.
The foods now partake of the ma
ture of a deluge AS far as the eye
can see nothing but water meets
the gaze.
Six hundred people were rescued
yesterday on the Arkansas side OF
the river and taken to Memphis, but
there are food districts so situated
that relief boats cannot reach the
stricken ones
On island SO, 100 sufferers and con
siderable live stock were rescued by
the steamer Itasca. Neither man nor
beast had tasted food for over "a hours
Human beings and helpless brutes
are huddled together awaiting assist
ance all along the Iron Mountain and
Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf
tracks Five hundred people were
forced to fee from the foods in Dyer
and Obion counties, Tennessee
The latest break in the levee sys
tenn in this district occurred at I
O'Clock this evening near Austin,
Miss, 100 miles south. Particulars
are not available
Reports from other points in that
section indicate positive distrust Of a
great deal of the system on the Missls.
sippi side and other breaks are ex-
pected to occur at any moment
All tha, money, engineering end
labor can do is being exerted, bat
the water pressure is very great
The break reported at Glendale,
Miss. proved incorrect, though to
nights break ls in that vicinity The
Charlottesville, Mo. break occurred
about daylight yesterday morning,
aud last night there was also q Sec
ond break in the town 8 second. or
protection evee, which flooded the
lower part of the town. The main
break, which was so feet wide, has
ncw grown to 400 feet and still
widening No lives were lost there
80 far as known The conviction at
Charlottesville is that the levee was
cut in order to relieve pressure on
the Tennessee levees
The steamer city of Osceola arrived
from below ahis afternoon and reports
the towns of Ashport and Gold Dust
entirely submerged 1t brought 80
refugees, whom it rescued from the
water There were four additional
cases of drowning across from Mem
phis to day-two men, woman and
her infant.