Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1897-04-09
BREAKS ITS BOUNDS
MISSISSIPPI POURING THROUGH
A DOZEN CREvASSES.
The Great Yazoo Delta Region. with
q Population of 100000. Will i'm
All Probability BE Inundated-No
Loss of Life Is Reported.
Thousands are Homeless.

Thousands are Homeless.
Greenville, Miss, March 30.-The
flood situation eliminated today in I'M
told disaster to the great Yazoo delta
region. BY 9 o'clock this morning three
additional breaks were reported. One
at Stead's Landing, Boliver county,
near Australia and thirty miles north
Of Rosedale. occurred at 4 p. m. yes
terday. At 3 o'clock this morning the
levee at Mound Landing. Just fifteen
miles above this city. gave way and at
8 a. m. news "a received OF a third
break at Stopp's Landing. seven miles
north Of the Mound break.
The break at Stead's' Landing is now
1000 feet wide and the last breaks ut
Mound and Stopp's Landings r now
over 200 yards wide. while the break
below here on Lake Lee Is about 600
yards wide. These four are
hourly pouring their torrents into the
bottom formed by the Yazoo river hills
on the east and the Mississippi river
bank on the west.
Thousands of food bound people are
caught and penned in between the three
Bolivar county breaks and no commu-
nication can be had with them. Refu-
gees coming into the city today from
the country this side Of the Mound
break report many families in peril of
their lives on The other side OF the
crevasse, as there is only seven miles
OF country between them and Steads.
It II next to Impossible for all to escape.
This morning a move to build a protec.
ton 1evee was started. but abandoned
as a useless waste OF labor, as the wa
ter will be here before it could be COM
pleted. Two hundred and fifty towns
and villages will be under water in
three days and thousands upon thou
sands OF families will be homeless.
No losses of human life are yet re-
ported, but hairbreadth escapes from
the destructive torrents are numerous,
and the suffering Of the afflicted people
is great. Every lake and stream is out
Of its banks and literally filed with
bodies of drowned animals. Many thou
sands of horses. mules and cattle arc
being swept away. Homes and prop
erty are gladly abandoned in the mad
rush to preserve life. 1t is impossible
to estimate the amount Of destruction
in dollars and cent
Every town nj village along the
Yazoo ana Mississippi valley railroad
Is full OF homeless refugees and half
naked men. women and children are
grouped in squads along the levees in
the vicinity Of the breaks.
In the next two days, two-thirds OF
water from the banks OF the Missis-
sippi. eastward to the Yazoo river. II
is @ thickly populated region and has
fully 100000 inhabitants.
Memphis, Tenn, March 30.-There are
now three breaks in the levee that sep
arates the Mississippi delta from thu
waters of the river. One Is seven miles
below Greenville. Miss, at Wayside
which is 1900 feet wide; one forty miles
north Of Greenvllle. at the head of the
delta, which is 1000 feet wide and be.
coming deeper and wider as the waite,
rushes through 1t. The third occurred
at an early hour this morning sever
mics north of a point opposite Arkan.
sas City. and at last reports a stream
as wide as the Hudson vas tearing
through it and covering the country fol
miles in he interior. The riv.
break is like a mighty crescent
with Rosedale. Greenvilie. Gunnisol
and many other small towns between
h Arc and it's chord. which is tn,
Riverside division of the Yazoo an,
Mississippi railroad. The water from
the upper, or Perthshire ha.
already cut through the railroad and il
south. AT the middle crevasse TIL
floods from the north have also toine.
forces with this water. and tosethe
they are inundating the country south
ward. The ~ waters will reach tn
lower crevass tonight, aud the unitet
water from three flood gates will. witt
hourly increasing force and Volume
rush over the country and finally b,
thrown back into the main river at tn
mouth of the YaZoo. a few miles nortl
Of V%icksburg.
Back thirty or fifty miles from TIL
river runs a number OF lateral stream
which empty their waters into tt
YaZoo. The whole territory from TIL
main river asst to these streams will, b
Ior TIE tlOSI part uNQeF water III forty
eight hours. The region marked TO
destruction is probably a hundred mile
long. and from twenty to thirty-fiv
miles wide. The country is as fertile q
a northern garden.
Greenville is in great danger. TIL
water from the middle break will par
TALLY flood that town. If the levee II
front of Greenville should break n
man can conceive what the lose to lf
and property would be. Railroad com
munication has already been cut IN tvs,
places.
The river is stationary ut Memphi
tonight. It is predicted by the loca
weather bureau that there will proba
bly, be a slight rise in the river at Mem
phis during the ensuing twenty-fou
hours.
At Helena a rise of but two-tenths o
q foot is recorded.
At Arkansas City a fall Of two-tenth
Of a foot Is indicated.
At Greenville. Miss, a similar fall I
indicated.
The river is rising With in ireasin
rapidtty at Vicksburg and points D
the lower Mississippi.
South Dakota has produced S50.023
G27 Of gold and S1,O51.S24 of silver.