The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-23
THE WESTERN FLOODS.
THE MISSISSIPPI: SPREADING
DEATH AND OBSTRUCTION.

M bcD 1ONs
Appalling News From thu Flooded DIG.
trfcts-The Whole Count Inundated.
Levees Breaking and Whole Sections
Deluged-Armed Men Guarding Levees
to Prevent Their Being Cut-The Death
List Rapidly interchangeable Worst Not
Yet Reached-The Waters Still Rising.
Memphis, March ia further haif
devastation of property and probably
a loss Of life u~nequalled in the flood
history OF his section. The rise is
threatened because rain is still fall
ing.
Seventeen persons are reported to
be fifty miles below Caruth-
ersville, Mo. a stretch OF country over
120 miles long. from a point 20 miles
north Of Memphis to a point so miles
south Of the Tennessee metropolis, Is
submerged in places to the depth of
ten feet. The fertile valleys of Tennes-.
see and Arkansas are completely in
undated and many live have been lost
and stock drowned, fencing and dwell
ings 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. the
floods from which will soon be emptied
into the Mississippi adding to the dan
ger, when hurled against the already
weakened levees.
The levees are patrolled hourly by
armed and desperate men, provided
with sand bags to strengthen weak
places or to close threatened crevices
and rifles to shoot down any miscreant
who would venture TO cut the en-
bankment and allow the waters
threatening his plantation to find vent
into the lowlands of his neighbors. The
floods now partake of the nature of a
deluge.
AS far as the eye can see, nothing
but water meets the gaze. Six hum
dred people We're rescued yesterday on
the Arkansas side of the river and
taken to Memphis, but there are
flooded districts so situated that re-
lief boats cannot reach the stricken
ones.
On island No. SO 100 sufferers and
considerable live stock were rescued
by the steamer Itasca. Neither man nor
beast had tasted food for over twenty
four hours. Human beings and help
less bruteS are huddled together,
awaiting assistance all along the Iron
Mountain and Kansas City, Fort Scott
and Gulf tracks. Five hundred people
were forced to flee from the floods in
Dyer and Obion counties, Tenn.
Gavin, Ark, March 19.-For many
miles the country is fooded and the
water is up to the Iron Mountain
tracks. Hundreds Of section hands are
striving to keep it back with dirt bags.
AT every station the negroes are gath
cred, waiting to be taken away. Many
get on the trains and are carried with
out pay. The list of fatalities is said to
be long and probably never will be
known. William Cartwright and Will
liam Cox. working on Judge Hodges
farm at Rosebud island, lost their lives
Thursday by the upsetting of a dug
out" Jake Carly was drowned at Ga
vim Thursday night from the same
cause. Amanda Chapman, colored, just
arrived from below, reports the death
of six persons she could not name.
Charles Burnley, also, was drowned
near Gavin. He could not n a
dug out. A mountain of household
goods is piled up at every railroad sta
ton, while negroes beg for help from
every train crew. Houses along the
road are submerged to roofs and cat
tie standing in the fields with only
their heads above water. Many corpses
OF hogs and COWS are washed UP by
the water.
Helena, Ark, March 19.-The river at
noon was within two inches of the
highest water on record here. The sun
shOne today after one of the most pro-
longed and heavy dOwnpours of rain
for many years, and the conditions
are more hopeful. The observer urges
people in the lOwlandS to at nice
to higher grounds. The levees in front
Of the city are having the attention of
the officers of the city and the levees
are being raised and strengthened.
Heavy rains yesterday and last night
have party inundated a portion of the
northern suburbs of the city, but the
water is now fast receding. The levees
a FMOd0c ara still holding and with
the recent recruits to the already large
army Of levee workers, there is a
bright chance Of maintaining the
status quo. The levees on the Missis-
sippi side appear to be in good shape.
Cairo, Ills, March 19.-The river
here rose four tenths of a foot in
twenty-four u and the prospect is
that it will go to the high water mark,
which is 52.2 feet. The citizens have or
ganized to be prepared to meet any
emergency. Until the rise of the heavy
rains are known, predictions as to the
extent of the rise are impossible.
Birds Point is evidently under water,
and the Cotton Belt and the Iron
Mountain trains cannot enter Cairo.
The steamer Mary Morton arrived
from the lower river this morning, re-
porting the 1evees intact from Osceofa
UP. but momentarily fearing a break.
The Morton rescued a large umb of
| people and live stock.
Nashville, Tenn, March 19.-The
| Cumberland river is rising. Rain fell
| all day yesterday and last night and
| continued to come down necessarily
today. There is prospect Of the greatest
| flood on record. The highest recorded
water in the Cumberland river was IN
1883, when it registered 55 feet, 9 feet
| higher than at present. Much damas :
| has already resulted and more will fol-
| low when the flood increases. Large
| sections of east Nashville lave been
under water for several days. The riv-
| er is already climbing to the business
houses OIL Front street. Boat are now
anchored to the sidewalks and the
| prospect is that the first floors of
buildings will be submerged. Dis
/ patches from the southern counties of
Tennessee and from northern Alabama
report tthirty-six hours of rainfall and
terrible Hoods in the region. Great
damage has been don to bridges and
fences. Trains have stopped running
on the Nashville, Florence and the
Sheffield railroad.
| louisville. XIV. March ia dis