The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-18
Fl GOD PERILs FRIGHTFUL.
ors,NDs OF PEOPLE BELOW
rue LEVEL OF THE RIVER.

nj q
~ water Within "a Foot of the
n Tan Yearly All Along the Line.
-,,uious of Dollars Worth of Prop
-, and Thousands of Head of
,,,s stock In Jeopardy as Well as
+he inhabitants.
o-ou orleans, La, April 17.-Your CORE
.1o,3ent has just landed in the Crescent
NV after an eventful trip from Memphis
,.t+bsr debarking at Greenville, Miss,
-.1slspa, Ark. and other critical points, in
r7,r TO observe the effects of the great
a,a from every standpoint. For a hun
Id miles above and seventy-five below
h - orleans, on either side of the Mis-
. ersdppi river, are beautiful and pictures
. a~s sugar and rice plantations. The hand
acme cottages of the wealthy planters,
,rs fresh looking white-washed negro
81 cabins, the wen-built sugar and rice
# 1,ouses constitute an endless village and
IN endless vista of enhancing beauty that
81 seemed to pursue us in untiring tide as
ne aoated down the big stream on the
,~itv of st. Louis, the queen of the Anchor
line.
We were alarmed to look over behind
the levees for one hundred miles and con-
template the impending danger of this
. Jnagnihcent alluvial valley with It's swarm
uf active humanity. The levees average
/ about twelve to fifteen feet high, and in
many places the water is within a foot of
the top. 1t is marvellous that the planters
and people can remain at home apparent
Il ~ unconcerned with the river water four
who has witnessed the awful sights, heard
the sound of mighty waters rushing in its
devastating course through the crevasees
and across the farms and over all the
country, no pen picture is needed to awake
the anxiety. dread and deepest sympathy.
THE horrors of Johnstown were forcibly
recalled as we realized the gravity of the
Gtuation of these people, who live under
the levees, and whose life and all are in
jeopardy for it must be conceded that one
OF the greatest disasters possible may
occur; thousands of human lives placed in
peril and millions of dollars Of property
destroyed. The giant stream, after four
years of sleep, wakes up, bent ON devasta-
ton and the volume of water that is
pressing upon the leVees all along the line
from Vicksburg to the Gulf overtops all
records The time is at hand for action,
and the people of Louisiana and New Or
leans are aroused, anxious and alert, and
standing up gallantly to the fight. Man
never commended for supremacy over
more splendid domain-with lands so fer
tile that human ingenuity is overtaxed
to harvest their productiveness. The
water is hourly creeping up, the Ievees
becoming saturated and sloughing off at
many places, and the present stream be-
ing daily increased by the rising waters.
Meantime, the levees are guarded by ex-
4 eefN ,r4rra
mission itself is on the ground, as well as
the engineers of the various states, all
provided with forces, boats and appliances
for maintaing the levees at all hazards.
What can be more pitiable, or appeal
more strongly to humanity than to see
human beings, in peril utterly unable to
save themselves from dire calamity? The
mute appeal of cattle and horses and all
the living things that help to make up
farmers home; the waters rising still
higher, till these mute companions go down
in the turbid waters; then the houses,
TO the roofs of which men, women and
children have climbed, and are clinging,
swaying and lifted bodily from their
foundations by the rushing and rising
waters-f1oating homes crashing against
trees-and then the end of all that was
just now a happy home and prosperous
life Such scenes will be witnessed over a
vast extent of country if the great Louis
Jana Ievees break before the floods now
sweeping down the mighty Mississippi.
The water is flowing over the levee here
IN New Orleans at several places along
the river front, and the city is at work
placing sand-bags at the threatened
points. Every man in the city Is conscious
that the crest of the river is from two to
four feet above his head. If the Carrollton
levee, at the head of Eagle street should
break. and danger is now apprehended,
because of two large cracks discovered
tic md rrFI,a Ia nj
hands was promptly sent to strengthen
the weak points, New Orleans would stand
in four feet of water.
An attempt was made last night to cut
the levee at Davis crevasse opposite and
above New Orleans, by four men who
crossed to the other side in a skiff. They
were fired at by the guards, and made
hasty retreat down the river in their boat.
There is much excited discussion on the
streets. and there are ten thousand men
here who are willing TO risk their lives In
the effort to cut the levees above New
orleans on the other side, to relieve the
city from it's impending danger. This
seems the only safe plan out of the di-
lemma, and it is predicted to occur to-
night. possibly, by a force of desperate
men who will arm themselves for war,
and overpower the guards in the darkness
of the night.
l heard prominent merchant say to-day
that he would not be surprised to wake
up any morning and have to sail from his
residence to the store in a skiff, and then
20 find his store plundered and robbed by
the rabble of the last pound Of meat, SUI
gar. coffee, etc, in stock; for, said he, the
question Of rations would be the first thing
10 consider in a flooded city"
To-day starvation confronts 100000 peo-
pie in the delta, where, upon the high
places and levees that are still above the
waves, are gathered negroes, mules
horses, cows, calves. pigs and dogs. Here
an these living creatures eat, sleep and
nave their being. the whole being placed
almost upon the plane Of social equality.
The Mississippi delta. with its
millions OF acres of the richest land in the
world, embraces an area about 80 miles
IN length and 275 in breadth with a pop
ulation of over 100000 many of whom are
farm laborers, who depend for the daily
hread or rations Issued weekly by the
Planters and local merchants. There can
ue no eXaggeration Of the flood situation
IN the great delta and in portions of Ar
Kansas; and the vast extent OF human
tluerlEg and dostftutfOn and logs ~ nrOp-