The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1897-03-30
WIDESPREAD
Is the Damage From Water in the
Mississippi Valley.
Numerous Breaks in the Levees Reported
From Cairo. ILL.,. to Columbus, KY,
a Distance of so Miles. the Riv-
er Is rs Miles Wide.


Of the government signal service that
the Missouri and the. Upper Mississippi
.ivers would rise to the danger point
1as been well verified, and new high
water marks have been made. That
stretch of low land country on both
sides of the Mississippi river from the
mouth of Des Moines to the hills below
Hannibal, Mo-, and Quincy, ILL.,, is
lnder water. At Quincy the record
Sunday night is 1873 feet with a rising
river. This is two feet above the dan
ger line. Great suffering has befallen
The farmers in the bottoms about Pal
nyra and West Quincy on the Mis-
souri, side. This sea of overflow has
ruined every lowland farm from Pal
nyra north 40 miles to La Grange
| Should the rise reach another foot
every railroad in the valley will have
to be abandoned.
Horizons and Wards islands, below
Quincy, are inundated and the set
tiers barely escaped with their lives
| The Indian Grave levee, north of
| Quincy, that protects 10000 acres of
farmed land, was still intact Sunday
night, but a little more water would
sweep it away. At Louisiana, Mo, the
water is spreading over the lowlands.
At Burlington, Ia, the river is five miles
wide and has DESTROYED several mills
on the flats. At Alton. Ill, the rise
Saturday was very rapid. The Missis-
sippi flood was met by the overflow
! from the Missouri and Illinois rivers,
and the current of the latter was about
at a standstill at noon, being held in
check by back-water from the big
river. Rescue boats are busy bringing
families and stock to Quincy from the
| lowlands.
Information received Sunday from
the flooded country south of Cairo, Ill.
is barren of encouragement for imme-
| date relief. The half dozen points
where Saturday there were slight de-
creases in the height of the flood, Sun
day report steady rises. Numerous
breaks in the levees on both
as safety outlets. The rises re-
| ported in the northern tribu-
taries to the great river are be-
ginning to be felt. About all the dam
age that can come from high water has
| already been done, however, and the
outcoming tide will only complete the
| work of destruction. Cairo is we'll en-
trenched on the Illinois peninsula, and
fear there has given place to conf
| dence. Sonth of Cairo, SO miles to Co.
bus, Ky, the river becomes a
| sea % miles wide. Columbus
| proper is on an elevation and only a
| part of the town is flooded. From Co
! lum bus to Hickman, another stretch of
80 miles, the levees have disappeared.
| Hickman is city set upon a hill and
is city of refuge for hundreds of ref
| ugees From Hickman to New Mad
rid, Mo-, there is a great bend in
| the river, over which steamers
travel so miles down stream in
ordinary stages of water and
are then 20 miles north of Hickman.
| Sunday steamers go directly west from
Hickman to reach New Madrid, ignor-
ing the river current and riding on the
turbulent yellow sea across the sites
| of hamlets and plantations. South
from New Madrid to the Arkansas
state line, 90 miles, there is a steadily
swelling tide that has Obliterated
| IL.
to Osceola, in Arkansas, there are occa-
sional stretches of Ievee. protected by
| cross barriers back to the St Francis
! hills, that have withstood the flood.
! The great crevasse of Osceola of
week ago has widened and a stretch of
| water now extends back to the st.
| Francis river and south 100 miles to
the rivers mouth, 20 miles above
Helena. This is the longest unbroken
stretch of overfowed country, and in
several places is 40 miles wide. At
/ Helena the greatest fear is felt.
All this enormous body of water is
north of the town from the hills to
| the river levee. The greatest efforts
are made to keep it intact, and 400
men were working in relays Sunday
to strengthen this two mile barrier.
Armed guards patrol the embankment.
Should this give way nothing would
remain OF levees south 30 miles
| to Arkansas City. Standing upon
the deck of a steamer the street level
OF the town of Friar's Point, opposite
Helena, is seen II feet below the tor
of the levee, with the river rising and
only Is inches below the top. AT
Greenville, Miss, Sunday, Gov. Nc
Laurin took charge of the volunteer
corps of 700 citizens who are strength
ening the levee. At a public meet.
| ing held there Saturday night
every business man in the city
pledged himself to discontinue bust
ness and fight the flood
The most critical points on all the
river lie between Helene, Modoc, La
coma and Arkansas City, for it is in
these latter stretches of levee that the
greatest water fight ever made on the
| Mississippi is now in progress.
MEMPHIS. Tenn, March 29.-At 1:1C
Monday morning n message was re-
ceived that d large break had occurred
in the levee at Wayside, Miss, nine
miles below Greenville. The break is
reported to be bad one, and in a sec.
ton of levee high and regarded as
! measurably safe.