Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-04-01
BREAKS ITS BOUNDS
MISSISSIPPI POURING THROUGH
A DOZEN CREVASSES.
The Great Yazoo Delta Region, with
q Population of 100000, Will in
All Probability BE Inundated-No
Loss Of Life Is Reported.
Thousands are Homeless.

uOC0 situation Culm1nate0 today In uI-
told disaster to the great Yazoo delta
region. BY 9 o'clock this morning three
additional breaks were reported. One
at Steads Landing. Boliver county.
near Australia and thirty miles north
Of Rosedale. occurred at p. m. yes
terday. At 8 o'clock this morning the
levee at Mound Landing. just fifteen
miles above this city. gave way and at
8 a. m. news was 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 at
Mound and Stops Landings are now
over 200 yards wide. while the break
below here on Lake Lee is about 600
yards wide. These four crevasses 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 il only seven miles
OF country between them and Steads,
It IL next to impossible for all to escape.
This morning a move to build q protec.
ton tevee was started, but abandoned
as a useless waste Of labor. as the wa
ter will be here before 1t 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 filled 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
ANoA ~ PICSCASC eSAG. A. ID lHpOSSkOlC
to estimate the amount Of destruction
in dollars and cents.
Every town and village along the
Yazoo and 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
this entire valley will be one waste Of
water from the banks OF the Missis-
sippi eastward to the Yazoo river. 1t
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 the
waters OF the river. One Is seven miles
below Greenville. Miss, at wayside,
which Is 1000 feet wide; one forty miles
north Of Greenville. at the head Of the
delta, which 10 1000 feet wide and be-
coming deeper and wider as the water
rushes through It The third occurred
at an early hour this morning seven
miles north Of point opposite Arkan-
sas City. and at last reports q stream
as wide az the Hudson vas tearing
miles In the interior. The riv-
er from the north to the south
break - like q mighty crescent,
with Rosedale, Greenville, Gunnison
and many other small towns between
the Arc and its chord. which Is the
Riverside division OF the Yazoo and
Mississippi railroad. The water from
the upper, or Perthshire crevasse, has
already cut through the railroad and is
tearing through the plantations to the
south. At the middle crevasse the
floods from the north have also Joined
forces with this water. and togethe,
they are inundating the country south.
ward. The upper waters will reach the
lower crevasse tonight. and the united
water from three flood gates will. with
hourly increasing force and volume
rush over the country and finally bt
thrown back into the main river at the
mouth of the Yazoo, q few miles nortt
Of Vicksburg.
Back thirty or fifty miles from tho
river runs q number Of lateral streams
which empty their waters into the
Yazoo. The whole territory from the
main river east to these streams will b.
for the most part under water in forty
eight hours. The region marked fol
OeBlTuCtlOu IL pIOO0Uly q UlAlc'
long. and from twenty to thirty NV,
miles wide. The country Is as fertile q!
q northern garden.
Greenville Is in great danger. The
water from the middle break will par
TALLY flood that town. II the levee II
front Of Greenville should break M
man can conceive what the loss to lift
and property would be. Railroad com
munication has already been cut in twt
places.
The river Is stationary ut Memphi!
tonight. It il predicted by the loca
weather bureau that there will proba
bly, be q slight rise in the river at Mem
phls during the ensuing twenty-foul
hours.
At Helena rise OF but two-tenths O
q foot ID recorded.
At Arkansas City a fall Of two-tenth
OF q foot 10 Indicated.
At Greenville, Miss. similar fall Il
indicated.
The river IL rising with increasin!
rapidity at vicksburg and points d
the lower Mississippi.
South Dakota has produced $5O,9o3,
GET Of gold and $1.O51 ,S24 Of silver.
In China.