The herald., 1897-04-02
Gives Some Relief to the
Towns Above
LOSS OF LIFE is NOT FEARED
FLOODS THREATEN TO LEAVE
LITTLE ELSE
Below Greenville Twenty Towns Are
Under Water--The Rivers in Ne
braska on the Rampage
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
MEMPHIS, Tenn, April 1.-The fioo9
situation in the Mississippi delta above
Greenville is decidedly better tonight,
as to the threatened loss of life ana
further destruction of levees. The half
dozen crevasses on the Arkansas ana
Mississippi shores between Helena ana
Greenville have drawn an immense vol
ume of water out of the main channel
which is spreading over the lowlands
but not with that degree of rapidity that
cuts off escape by the inhabitants Of
the low countries. The river shows q
decline from a point below Helena to
the Wayside crevasse. The decline
above Greenville in many places is as
great as ten inches. However, Helena,
Ark, is not out of danger, for the wa
ters from the ST. Francis basin In Ar
kansas are still swelling the channelof
the main river from the mouth Of the
81. Francis to point south of Helena.
as no break occurs until Weetover II
reached, ten miles below that city. The
worst at Helena will be over by Sunday.
The damage to the farming country
in the delta cannot be exaggerated. Five
counties will be- for the most part, un-
der water for thirty days and the main
line and branch lines of the Yazoo and
Mississippi Valley road will have more
than 100 miles of track inundated.
Opposite Perthshire, at the upper
crevasse, mile of track has been COM
pletely washed away. Probably twen-
ty railroad stations and small towns are
flooded tonight among them being Gum
nison, Rosedale, Perthshire, Terry. Rivs
erton, Dshomey, Etorm, Benoit, Beulah.
Wayside. Longwood, Refuge, Swift
water and Australia. The greatest
danger now is to the south of Greenville.
as the 1evees from Wayside tothe mouth
of the river must begin to feel the pres
sure of the movement of water back into
the channel from the delta. through
White river country and the St. Francip
basin. From Memphis to Crawley'e
Ridge the river is now forty miles wide.
A line east and west on the water across
Rosedale would probably be fifty mi1es
long. All of this water must pass out
between two walls of the levee, in many
places but few miles distant one from
the other. Another rise of one-tenth OF
foot in the river at Memphis is shown
by the official bulletin from the weat tfer
bureau. The gauge tonight registers
1854 feet.
AT Cairo an encouraging fall In the
river is shown, while Paducah reports
a fall of seven-tenths of a foot At
Vicksburg the river is stationary.
Shreveport and other points below
Vicksburg report a continued rise. The
Louisville and Nashville and the Louis
vile, Chattanooga and St. Louis rail-
roads resumed direct traffic com1nunica-
tion with Nashville tonight after ceo-
sation of two weeks, due to the high
water of the Tennessee river.
The local relief committee this after
noon sent a steamboat to the st. Francis
river country to bring out water-bouno
people and carry supplies and food 70
man and beast. 1t is said that the desti-
tuition in the territory to be covered 10
fearful, but the news Of it did not reach
Memphis until today.
NEBRASKA FLOODS.
OMAHA, Neb., April IA special q
the Bee from Mitchell. S. D.. says: Over
1900 feet of the Milwaukee roads track
two miles east of here, was washed out
this morning, leaving the bridge intact.
but in danger Of being carried away.
The Jim river has risen fully three feet
since yesterday afternoon. and IL fully
a mile in width at places. Water 10 nov
1s inches lower than 1t was In 1881.
The Omaha road is in equally as bad
a fix, as 200 feet of the approach on the
west side and 100 on the east are doomeG
and will go out with the flood tonight
The river is expected to rise higher t.
morrow, when the big flood goes down
from the north. Several farm houses ~
the Jim river bottoms are now nearly
covered with water. Fully two and 81
half inches OF water fell yesterday and
last night.
A special to the Bee from Sioux FallD
says: The Big Sioux river II higher
than ever known and is still rieinG.
Lake Campeska, In which the river hoe
its source. has risen Ave feet and 10 stiu
rising. At Castlewood the valley ana
lowlands are flooded At Brookings the
same condition exists. At Egan the Wa
ter is rising rapidly. doing much dam-
age At Sioux Falls business along the
river has been suspended. The water =
gradually rising and will soon put out
The fires in the Bell electric lighting
plant and the pumping station. The
bottoms above the city are broad sea
and much fear is expressed. asthe fioe1
from the north is still to come. ramsgo
0 bridges in Minnehaha county alone - Z
FAR is $4,000
special from Yankton says the jim
EVER is still rising there. but no great
damage has been done. Railroad men
are anxiously watching the bridges
several of which seem doomed a. heavy 4
rains have fallen in the last ~ hours and
the flood water will be greatly increase(.
At Huron the Jim river Is reported = {
be above record high water Of slxtqer
years aRp. None Of this dood ~
f6achs8 Xanhttn yestefday.