Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-04-19
WATERY TORRENT
Now Devastating Some Rich Par.
ishes of Louisiana.
RUSH OF TIE FLOODS AT D1ees.

vase Intent on Destructton-Whnt q
Correspondents Saw ana Describes-Sec-
ond Niagara Going Through the Break
hearing on lis Bosom the Wrecks oi
Homes-Old Hcgro's Fight.
report says the crevasse at Biggs, four
miles below Delta, La, is nearly a mile
wide and III. -oaring torrent is spread
ing over the iowlaEds CT Madison par
ish with startling rapidity. This is un-
questionably the most destructive break
that has yet occurred and the loss to
property and live stock will be enor-
nous. Madison, Tensas and Concordia
parishes will be inundated, while the
fire farms Of Franklin and Catahoula
parishes are in imminent danger. The
fertile lands of these parishes have been
prepared for this years crop and in
many instances cultivation is we'll uu-
der way.
Gap Will Become a Mile Wide.
Both ends of the levee are crumbIing
off rapidly, and Assistant State Engin-
eer II. B. Thompson is of opinion that it
VIII continue until the gap shall have
become fully a mile wide. The levee
was eighteen feet high. Your CORE
spondent has visited the crevasse and
although it was only twelve hours old
1t gave promise of being the most for
midable Louisiana has ever known. An
immense river not less than 1850 feet
wide and rushing forward like a cata-
TACT was roaring and plunging through
the great gap in the embankment
with such force that nothing seemed to
Withstand its fury. Stout trees were
seen to quiver ard reel in its path and
then go dcw-n and be swept away in the
baclwater ct race hCrce speed
The Rush of the Mad Waters.
When the current narrcws to plunge
through the crevaSse it curls in great
whirlpocls at the edge, causing a de-
precision of from six to eight feet, ard
then, as 1t chafes en- the ragged ends of
the broken levee, it breaks into enor-
nous foaming waves which assert
themselves for half a mile from the in
side CT the levee. Between these foam
ing tenpestoUs borders the waters sweep
forward in shining and almost broken
torrent. not unlike that whcih pours
down the center OF Horseshoe falls at
Niagara.
Wreckage Of Homes Sweeps By,
When walking along the levee on q
trip to the crevasse the wrecks of
houses were visible drifting past in the
opposite direction at a rate Of three or
four miles an hour. In two instances
complete floor was seen drifting along
in this way on the swift current, while
fragments of ROOTS. doors, sections of
fences and other wreckageS were con-
tinually drifting porthward to be los.
in the swamps, or stranded in Jams, of
wreck or rafts that We're rapidly form
ing all alone the line. At one point
from the crevasse a small cabin com.
pletely afioat was seen, but 1t was at a
point where the wing current was set
ting northward at some distance from
the levee, the minor current upon
which 1t was floating being sluggish.
The Old Man Saves His Goods
Taking advantage of this circum-
stance, the old negro proprietor of the
cabin. his two sons and a neighbor had
fastened stout inch rope around one
OF the cabins logs, and as they were
afraid to drive a stake in the leyee for
fear of inducing another crevasse the
boys with their feet braced in the
grassy slope of the levee were striving
to serve as an anchor for the cabin,
while its owner with his boat moored
to the gable. was taking out his very
limited supply of household belongings.
Ing all along the line. AT point a mile
particularly fractions and threaten to
drag the boys into the back-water, but
they gamely declined to turn it loose
until everything had been saved ex-
cept three sacks OF cotton seed