The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-04-02
THE WATERS RECEDING.
Flood Situation in the Mississippi
Delta Greatly Improved.
THE RIVER FORTY MILES WIDE.
nollcr Sent from memphis to the st.

Rclicf Sent from Memphis to the st.
Francis River Country, Where tho
Destitution Is Fearful Ten Thou
sand Men Have Fought the Floods.
Memphis, April 2--The flood situa-
Hon in the Mississippi delta above
Greenyille is decidedly improved. The
half dozen crevasses on the Arkansas
and Mississippi shores, between Helena
and Greenyille, have drawn an i'm
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 de-
cline from a point below Helena to the
Wayside Creyasse. 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
~ channel of the main river from the
t..odth of the st. Francis to q point
south of Helena. The worst at Helena
will be over by Sunday. The damage
to the farming country in the delta
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
400 miles of track inundated. Opposite
Perthshire. the upper crevasse, mile
of track has been completely washed
Awey
4 Probably 20 railroad stations and
Bmall towns are flooded, among them
being Gunntson. Rosedale, PeIthshire,
Tsrrsne, Phalia, Riverton, Dahomy,
btrom, Benoit, Beulah, Wayside, Long
wood Refugee, saltwater, Deeson
and Australia. But the danger is now
TO the south of Greenville, and the
levees from Wayside to 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 Crawleys Ridge
the river Is now 40 miles wide. A line
east and west on the water across
tRosedale would probably be 50 miles
hopR. 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-tenth
= at Memphis is shown by the official
bulletin from the office of the weather
bureau. AT Cairo an encouraging fall
10 shown, while Paducah reports fall
OF en-tenths Of a foot. At Vicks-
burg the river is stationary. Shreves-
port and other points below Vicksburg
report continued rise. The Louisville
and Nashville and the Louisville, Chat
tanooga and st. Louis railways re-
sumed traffic connection with Nash
willie last night after cessation of two
weeks, due to the high water in the
tennessee river
The local relief committee yesterday
afternoon sent steamboat carrying
supplies to the St Francis river coun-
try 1t is said that the destitution in
4he territory to be covered is fearful.
but news of 1t did not reach Memphis
until yesterday.
A Greenville, Miss, dispatch says:
Ghe levee board has ceased work, be-
Hsyng the danger to the Ievees in this
kicinity past. The campaign in the
lovse district has cost $120,000. There
have been 100000 sacks and 100000
geet of lumber used and 10000 men em-
bloyed on the work.