The Forrest City times., 1897-04-09
The Raging Waters.

the water situation, Ill local way,
during the present week. other than
slight fall that set in at Palestine and
Haynes Sunday night; and the same
condition prevailed at Madison Tues
day. The water had risen TO 30 inches
on a portion Of the track near the
trestle that spans L'Anguiile river, on
the Little Rock & Memphis railroad,
and for short time entered the fire
boxes of the engines. but caused no
perceptible delay. On the Iron Noun
tain railroad south of Haynes the ferry
process has been kept up during the
week.
/ At Madison the situation was get
ting quite embarrassing when the de-
cline set in-too deep to travel by foot,
too shallow to 60 by boat, were the
generally prevailing conditions. The
water on the gauge at that point
reached AIS feet, which was about /
foot of the 's2' mark.
At Wldener the fluid was close to "A
inches in the principal portion of the
village. The Little Rock Il Memphis
railroad east of Blackllsh siding and
Cicella got the hot end of the flood to
a very damaging degree, several miles
of its tracks having washed off the
dump, and is badly tangled and twist
ed and mixed up with brush, under
growth and driftwood. So far, we
know Of no damage done the embank-
ment. AS to loss and suffering in that
portion of the county, only few in
stances have been reported.
In the neighborbood of Rawlinson.
Lula and the Cut OFF considerable in
convenience, some loss of stock, and
need of shelter for some of the resi-
dents have been reported. Mart
Franklin, reputable colored man,
from Rawlinson, came to the city Tues
day, bearing distress call from his To-
cality and the Lula settlement. The
petition was signed by quitea number
OF residents, principally colored, and
stated that they were unusually sub
merged, and were really in need of as
sistance, in the way of supplies for
man and beast. Judge Cowan formed
himself into committee of one and in
a short time had two wagon loads OF
supplies on their mission of mercy and
charity.
Last week communication was sent
from Lula to the Arkansas Board of
Trade, at Little Rock, asking for aid,
and that body ordered the supplies
sent to them through the relief COM
mittee at Memphis, from which point
it reached them by steamer to some
shipping point, as the place is some s
or 10 miles inland
Alfred Ashworth, prominent citi-
zen Of the above mentioned locality,
was IN the city yesterday. He lives on
blackfish bayou, at the mouth of
Frenchman bayou, some two miles
east Of st. Francis river. He named
quite a number IN his neighborhood
who were in needy circumstances, and
stated that he had divided his larder
with them until it had become bur-
| den.
The steamer Ora Lee, of Men,
phs, put off a lot of supplies ut the
Cut Off in care of J. N. Farmer last
Sunday, of which there is some COM
plant as to the manner of its distribu-
ton.
The two ferry boats constructed at
county expense for use at points on
Burnt Cane and Blacklist bayous have
aided in a material way to allay the
suffering of both the people and their
Atock,
In addition to the prevailing distress
ag'oomy forecast confronts the farm
ers Of the valley. The water is going
off very slowly. having fallen only
about 81 feet at Cairo, while for the
same period in 80 it had gone down 10
feet. The possibility OF a June rise,
which usually starts from the snow
and ice fields at this season. is not an
improbability. and 1t is feared will
reach the basin before the present
flood has time to drain out.
THE TINES water table gives the
stages of water ut all points up to this
morning. The river at Madison has
fallen 2-l0ths Of foot in the past "a
hours. and stood Ala on the gauge this
morning.
At Palestine $40 fall was reported.
The decline has been over feet at
Helena. and will fall two more feet be.
fore the rise from Cairo reaches that
point, giving the city 5 feet margin.