Birmingham state herald., 1897-03-31
GREENvILLE IS DOOMED.
The Great Levee Water Soaked and Ready to Go-The DeEa Being
 Water Swept

The Great Levee Water Soaked and
 Ready to Go-The DeL.a Being
 Water Swept.
 Jackson, Miss. March 3O.AFrom the great Yazoo, Mississippi delta. comes a vail of distress, and the cry, "The levees have broken" is heard throughout our valley of the Nile. Three fresh breaks have been reported today and throus i which immense volumes of water carry ing destruction to thousands of happy homes and devastating as fertile ter rltory as to be found on the globe. So far no loss of life eNaep. to domestic animals has been reported, but maybe by morning as the great mounds of earth which protect the hourShing cities or Graenville, Rosedale, Stoneville, Arcoha, Friar's Point Rolling Fork and others are water soaked, mushy and liable to give way at any moment.
 The four breaks that have occurred have flooded, or will flood before reaching the YaZoo, perhaps week hence, the counties of Bolivar, Washington, Shar- key, Issaquena, Yazoo and portions of others, in which are comprised the finest cotton farms in the world. In this over flowed district the state has leased eight plantations, upon which, with her good, able-bodfed eonvicts, she was preparing to make another crop of cotton and corn, ViiO hIIeT DelllS III llIle CcHdltlOH
 The greatest concern is for the city of Greenville, which, situated as she is, in the hollow of a crescent, formed by the bend of the river, and surrounded by it on two sides, would be wiped out of ex- istence should break occur in the inn mediate vicinity. The streets of the city are twelve feet below the summit of the levee, so that a break, once formed there would be no way of stopping the Niagara, and every house in the place would be swept from its foundations and the remaining inhab tants hurled into eternity Fearing such a catastrophe, those who could have migrated to the hills, but thousands still remain.
 The breaks that occurred today are both above and below Greenville, fif- teen and twenty-five miles above so that the water will pass to the rear of the city. The streams on the delta all flow from the river and down the opposite side of the valley. The topography of the country is level, but sloping east and away from the river for forty miles in some places, to the YaZoo and 1t is down this stream the overflow water must go to again reach the Mississippi, seventy-five or 100 miles south of where it has left it. Thousands of people, white and black still line the levees and are making a desperate effort to hold what remains. It is life and death struggle and for this reason there is no rest night or day.
 The question has been asked ted ay, does it pay to maintain this great levee system and old river farmers declare it does not that life and business were more certain forty years ago when no one expected anything but an overflow and prepared for it. The federal gov ernment has been most liberal in appro- priations to the levees, the planters of the delta have spent millions more in perfecting the present system. Every bale of cotton produced in this great del- ta pays tax of $1 which creates large sum annually for the levee purposes. There are doubtless many who after this will be convinced that this $1 per bale might be more profitably expended. However, the crisis is on tonight and by morning 1t is proba ble several other breaks will have occurred. The water is reported higher than ever before known from Memphis to Vicksburg.