The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-04-15
THE SOUTHERN FLOODS.
Tue Swollen Rivers Probably Now
Under Control,
A SAD DROWNING ACCIDENT

A Negro, with His wife and Five
Children, Lose Their Lives I'm an
Effort to save Valuable Bull-Tho
Flooded Missouri.
Memphis, April 1h.-The river CON
tinues to slowly rise at Vlcksburg and
all points south, and the situation
along the Louisiana system of levees
is acute The waters are being hurled
outward with tremendous force, and
several thousand men are working day
and night in the effort to hold the en-
bankments intact. Reports from the
overhowed Mississippi delta are not
encouraging. The expected fall in the
waters has not occurred. Many plant
ers express the fear that the flood viii
not recede until June-too late to plant
this years crop.
Much suffering still exists in the Sum
flower and Boguephalia country. where
hundreds of negroes have deserted
their cabins and are huddied on the
high grounds Many cabins are SUBJ
merged to their very roofs, while sey-
eral have been swept from their foun~
dations and carried away by the cur
rent
A distressing accident occurred ten
miles west of Helena, Ark. Sylvester
Sanders, a negro tenant on the Joel
Higgins farm, left with his wife and
five children for high ground. He took
into his hatboat large bull which he
valued highly. When within a mile of
the hills the bull which was almost
famished, attempted to eat the small
limbs of the willow trees through
which the boat was being laboriously
passed. The animals action tipped the
boat and frightened the inmates, who
made frantic efforts to right it. In the
excitement the animal kicked the side
of the boat to pieces and the entire
family was drowned. Near Greenville
two negroes were drowned in an at
Word reached Yicksburg yesterday
that many negroes were in imminent
peril at Davis Island, where the break
in a private levee occurred on Tues
day and assistance was asked for
Two relief steamers were Immediately
dispatched to the island.
Dispatches from Omaha, Neb., say:
There Is less danger of the threatens
ed cutoff by the Missouri river, and
unless there is an unlocked for rise oI
a wind from the north It is not pos.
sible that much more damage will be
done. The hastily built dyke that
stemmed the torrent from Florence
lake on Tuesday was greatly strength
ened yesterday, and has almost stopped
the flow at the most threatening point
The water has spread out over a wider
stretch of territory, and surrounds g
few more houses, but the changing
of the channel of the Missouri has beer
averted for the present at least.
The workmen employed along the
! levee struck yesterday for double pay
| They were getting Is cents an hour
and demanded 80. Their demands wer,
refused, and they quit work. Other
men were easily secured.
On the Iowa side Of the river soutl
of Council Bluffs the water has inun
dated farms for a distance of thre,
or four miles back from the stream
The water came UP in the night, anC
the farmers report many hogs, cattl
and horses drowned. These reports ar
coming in from every point along th
river as far south as st. Joseph. Th
flood is the worst since the one in 1881
and is doing immense damage to prop
erty along the river edge. The floot
| seems to have reached it's height, an'
win probably fall from now on.