The San Francisco call., 1897-04-16
But Eleven Persons Per-
ish Before Relief Is
in Sight.
Hundreds of UnfOrtunateS in
the Flooded Sections in
Great Danger.
Additional Breaks in Southern
Levees Reported and the Misery
Increases Hourly.

YICKSBURG, MISS, April 15.-Refugees
from Davis Island late tonight report
eleven lives lost there-four on the Hur-
ricane place and seven on Colonel Tovell's
Palmyra place.
There are four Government boats on
duty in this locality. A meeting was
held tonight in the Board of Trade rooms
to provide for the relief OF refugees now in
the city, the number being increased by
arrivals OIL every steamer. Captain Nc
Martin of the United States army, who
was detailed by the Secretary of War to
investigate conditions, stated he had
teIegraphed a report to Secretary Alger,
but would supplement it by wire stating
there are now in the city 1900 or 1000 desti-
tute persons, and the mum ber is increasing
daily. The Mayor was instructed to wire
Governor McLaurin and the Secretary OF
War for tents for 1000.
At P. NJ. the river here reached 52:1
feet-a rise of four-tenths of an inch In
twenty-iour hours. Levee street is al
ready partly submerged. The relief-boat
Meigs arrived from Davis Island this
morning with $50 passengers rescued from
the island They state the flood situation
below here is terrible. The Meigs could
not make g landing except at Davis
Island, where hundreds of haIf-starved
and frightened negroes were picked up.
Thousands OF head OF cattle and all homes
on the island have been swept away. The
captain of the Meigs said several hundred
people were huddled in large ginhouse
on the island awaiting boats. The Meigs
could not rescue them, being too crowded.
NEW ORLEANS. La, April Is. = A
crevasse occurred to-day in Bayou La
fourcte, at the levee, mile below III e
Southern Pacifcs Lafourche crossing.
Thers were already two small crevasses
on the Lafourche. bur the last one Is far
more serious, being higher up. 1t will
food the country between Lafourche and
Terre Bonne from Congressman Price s
Acadia plantation to the gulf.
In the Tensas levee district the water
rose to-day half foot and is still rising.
Bigg's 1evee and the levees at Illawarrs
and Milliken's bend are in critical con-
dition. Governor Foster telegraphed Sen.
ators Caffery and McEnery to see Secre-
tsry Alger and obtain permission to use
all of the expended balance for the Mis-
sissippi River Improvements for levees,
The money to be paid from the river ap-
preparation for 1898.
OMAHA. NEBR., April 15.-The food
situation is worse tonight in Omaha,
although the river has risen only three
inches during the day. The cutoff lake
has risen threet feet and high wind has
driven the water over the dykes on all
sides. frightening out those who remained
in their homes in spite of the water sur
rounding them the past three days. To-
night the river shows eighteen feet, dan.
ger line for the city.
WASHINGTON. d. c., April 15-This
special bulletin was issued by the Weather
bureau to-day:
The crest of the food is still above vicks-
burg, where the river rose 4 of a foot during
the past twenty-four hours.
At Vicksb burg the water is now 8 and at New
Orleans 6 OF a foot above the high water of any
previous flooo. II no extensive break occurs
10 the northwsrd the river al New Orleans
viii reach the 19-foot stage by April 20. and il
IS imperative tn al provisions be made to meet
the still higher stage The danger to threat.
ened districts in Louisiana are daily and
hourly increasing, and warnings previously
issued by the bureau to remove persons and
property from regions flooded in former years
are repeated and emphasized, as but a few
days remain in whicn 10 take advantage OF
them. Heavy rains occurred during the pas
twenty-four hours in the basins of the Cum
berland, Tennessee and Ohio fivers and in the
Lower Mississippi Valley. The Missouri has
passed the danger line at Kansas City. The
Mississippi has risen slightly at Memphis and
from Vicksburg to the mouth. The river has
now been above the danger line forty-six days
at Cairo, thirty-seyen at Memphis, thirty-one
at Vicksburg and twenty at New Orleans