The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-23

Towns Flooded-The Rescuers at Work.
All Tell the Same Story Of Desolation
Everywhere.
Helena, Ark, March 20.-The river
situation here this morning is no bet
ter. In fact, IT looks more serious, and
work is going on night and day raising
the levees from one end OF the city to
the other. The water is coming in the
north suburbs, where it has beer ex-
pected for several days, but it only af-
feet a portion OF the town occupied by
small cabins principally, and no dan
ger to the city proper is apprehend-
ed. The Y. & NJ. V. railroad people
are at work with 100 men on their
tracks which run on the top of tho
levee almost the entire river front.
The Kate Adams brought up a dozen
families this morning from the over
flooded district below, among them c.
w. Alfray, who has been living at Mo-
doc until within a few days ago, when
he moved over to Rescue, only to get
into it worse than ever, the levee
breaking al Rescue last night. He left
this morning at O'Clock and at thu
time the break was 200 feet wide and
growing all the time. Major Dabney is
there with quarter boats and the RALPH
has also gone down and will look af-
ter the rescuing Of the people and
stock
This break will undoubtedly relieve
us here soon, but at the present time
there has been no perceptible change.
The river is rising very slowly Tho
water has gone over the 1evee below
ModOc and is flooding the White river
bottoms The people down there have
all gotten out of the way and no loss
Of life is expected. It was reported this
morning that the levee had broken at
Ok, twelve miles above, but this was.
later, refuted.
Vicksburg, Miss, March 20.-The
weather this morning is very favOra BILE
to the permanency of the levees, being
calm, warm and bright. Tools and ma
terial are being rushed forward on ev-
cry train to the levees in Mississippi
The Valley route reports all the 1evees
intact today. There is no news from
the Lea leveeS. The river rose eight
tenths of a foot here in the past twenty
four hours. This is an abnormal rise
at this stage OF water and it is now
| 44A feet. The Yazoo, now banks full
is largely responsible for this.
St. Louis, Mo-, March 20.-The warn
! ing sent out by the government signal
| service yesterday that the Mississippi
| river and all it's tributaries would con-
| tinue to rise has been fulfilled to thd
| letter The communication with the
| flooded section has become difficult but
| dispatches received from widely sepaA
| rated points show that all have suffer
Of country with an area equal to thai
| of the state of Missouri is now undei
| water and that the worst is not over.
Advices from Cairo, Paducah, Mem.
| phiS and Helena show that the region
| north Of New Madrid, Mo-, west to and
/ II, l. oGk L, ~
| the White and the Arkansas rivers in
! Arkansas, east, in Kentucky and Ten
nessee, the valleys of the Tennessee
| the Cache, the Obion and the YaZOo
| rivers, and south to the Red river, are
under water. The intervening ranges
| of hills and high ground are the only
places Of refuge.
| The dispatches received here tell but
| one story-lives lost, stock drowned
| and a country desolated. AT Cairo, Ills.
| today, the river reached so feet and
| was rising slowly, which is but one foo
| short of the high record OF 1883. Al
| the country south of there to Mem
| phis is submerged. A relief steamer
| from the flats below Birds Point has
| brought in four families. 1t is report
| ed that a fiat boat containing a mum
| Der of people was sunk at island No
| 10. All the cotton fields in the valley
| Of Forked Deer river in Tennessee arr
| under water.
| The Memphis relief association ha:
| five boats at work. These boats go tt
| points that are some twenty mile.
| from streams navigable in ordinary
| stages of water. The unanimous Opin
ion of st. Louis river men is that tht
| conditions must become worse befor'
| there can be permanent relief. The!
say that numerous breaks in the lowe
| levees are really blessings as they ar.
| natural outlets for the deluge that i
| certain to come from the melting snow
| Of the north.
| Princeton, Ind, March 20.-On ac
count Of the rapidly rising waters, peo
pie are deserting the Wabash, the Pa
tOka and the White river bottoms ant
making all possible haste to the hills
Many of the unfortunate have no boat
and are compelled to wade in waite
from one to two feet deep. One poo
fellow waded in water up to his wais
several miles, carrying his wife in hi
arms, who was dying with malaria
| fever.
The general thaw Of the past weel
has started the ice in Logan and Elk
| horn rivers and towns along thei
banks have been threatened witt
floods, but only two of any importanc
| have been seriously damaged. Pende
ON the Logan river, is tonight partl
submerged, and Norfolk the suga
beet factory city of Madison county, i
| in several feet of water. While tn
| Missouri river is very high, the DANCE
| point has not been reached.
! Memphis, Tenn, March 20.-The mos
important development in the foo
situation today is the break that oc
CURED last night at Sans Souci on tn
| Arkansas side about seyenty-fiv
miles north 1t was 200 feet wide. o.
| the same stretch Of levee a section O
ten miles between Elmort and Osceol
| has been abandoned because the waite
was higher than its top. South OF her
! the gravest danger exists at Australia
| on the Mississippi side, where a breal
| is imminent. A break is reported t
| have occurred at Rescue, near Friar
Point. However, 1T is only poke
1evee. On the Arkansas side the 1eve
from Modoc to Avenue in the Helen
district has been abandoned for NOR
important and urgent work at yellow
Banks. At the latter place. the waite
is TWO feet higher than the regula
leNee. but sacks of sands are employe
/ e.