The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-20
Man and Beast Swept Away in the
Torrent,
HUNDREDS MADE HOMELESS.
Human Beings and helpless BruteS
All in a Huddle.

.Further Half Inch Rise Means Loss
of Life Unparalleled in the Flood
History of That Sectional Hum
dred Miles of Country Under Ten
Feet of Water-The Levees Pa
troIled by Desperate Men Armed
with Guns-The Floods Now Per-
take of the Nature of n DeIuge.
Memphis, Tenn. March ia further
half-nch rise in the Mississippi means
the devastation of property and probably
loss of life unequalled in the food his
tory OF this section. The rise is threat
ened because rain is still falling.
Seventeen persons are reported drown
ed fifty miles below Caruthersville. Mo.
a stretch of country over 100 miles long
from point seventy miles north of Mem
phis TO a point fifty miles south of the
Tennessee metropolis is submerged in
many places to a depth of ten feet. The
fertile valleys of Tennessee and Arkansas
are completely inundated and many lives
have been lost and stock drowned, fenc-
ing and dwelling swept away, inhabitants
made destitute and homeless, and left to
starve or drown by the remorselessly ris-
ing tide.
Reports from tributary streams show
rains and rapidly rising rivers, floods from
which will soon be emptied into the Mis-
sissippi adding to the danger when hurl-
ed against the already weakened levees.
The levees are patrolled hourly by armed
and desperate men, provided with sand
bags to strengthen weak places or to close
threatened crevices and rifles to shoot
down any miscreant who would venture
10 cut the embankment, and allow the
waters on his plantation to find vent into
the lowiands Of his neighbor.
Inc Hoods now partake of the nature of
deluge. AS far as the eye can see,
nothing but water meets the gaze.
Six hundred people were rescued yester-
cay on the Arkansas side of the river and
aken to Memphis, but there are flood
districts so situated that relief boats can
not reach the stricken ones.
On Island 80, one hundred sufferers and
considerable live stock were rescued by
lne steamer Itasca. Neither man nor
eaSt mad tasted food for over twenty
lour hours. Human beings and helpless
uutes are huddled together awaiting as
hstance all along the Iron Mountain and
Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf tracks.
'"e hundred people were forced to flee
nom the floods in Dyer and Obion coun-
Ties, Tennessee.
Inc latest break in the levee system in
nls district occurred at 7 o'clock this
evening" near Austin, Miss, hundred
able. avn"
"eports from other points in that seq
u'h indicate positive distrust of a great
yea .S' Oh the system on the Mississippi side
I nl o'her breaks are expected to occur at
any moment. '0O"i a.
,. mat money, engineering and labor
,- ,en 40 IS being exerted, but the water
-.sSure Is very great. The break re-
v"eu at Glendale, Miss, last night IL
~ Leported to-day, proved incorrs Il.
|Uush Ts to-night's break is in that vicinity
,boa. bae Caruthersville. Mo-, break occurred
hs, dayhght yesterday morning, and
ou,'n 'eut there was also a break in the
az second, or protection leyee. which
-9u Ihe lower part of the town. The
sss ea'', Dreak was about fifty feet wide. but
ns Low Nv grown to 400 feet and still widen
lgo,,No no lives were lost there, so far as
XVI me conviction at Caruthersville
ul lhe levee was cut, i'm order to re-
Tbo pressure on the Tennessee levees.
t1s steamer City Of Osceola arrived
L~n L'n move this afternoon, and reports the
Ebrao .l oI Ashport and Gold Dust entirely
Ibor' I. seu' Il brought sixty refugees,
Tn" rescued from the water.
o"hing across from Memnbis to-daS
"eH' woman and her infant.