New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-14
HIGHEST WATER EYER KN0WN
THE SITUATION ALONG THE MISSIs-
sIPPI STILL CRITICAL
STEADY RISE IN THE RIvER-ALARM AND ANX-
IETY-THE MISSOURI CHANGING ITS

IETY-THE MISSOURI CHANGING ITS
| COURSE AT OMAHA.
vicksburg, Miss, April 13.-To-day the gauge
| was 51.35 rise OF four-tenths in twenty -four
hours. This s the highest water ever known
Information received to-day is most discourag
Ing. The fine plantations of Colonel B. G. Kger
Fl. p Davis and others. and the Brown planta-
tions at Brunswick. are all under water Boats
are wanted everywhere to rescue people and
save live stock. All hope Of saving the levee has
been abandoned The levee from Delta up to
Duckport, distance Of eight miles Is causing
much anxiety. 1t will hold to fifty-two feet on
the gauge here. which will be reached In the
next forty-eight hours The Sunfower and Deer
Creek sections are going under deeper and
deeper
The steamer Lake Palmyra has arrived with
two barges. all loaded with refugees and their
stock from Sunfower River. The people are
mostly the families of planters only few ne
groes being on board. The boat returns TO that
section to-day loaded with supplies. Old plant
ers say the present overflow is the worst they
have ever known, and there is much depression
because it will be impossible to make crop In
this section.
New-Orleans, April 13.-Yesterday was full Of
alarm, but the night came without a single
break in the Louisiana line. The river Is rising
steadily. and weak spots In the evees are de-
veloping with greater rapdity The Pecan
Grove Levee in st. Bernard has been found full
of crawfish holes. and. while 1t may be held this
season, IT will have to be rebuilt A number of
levees across the river have been found defect
I've. but an army Of men and n mass OF material
are holding them Up the stream. the New
orleans side OF the river danger spots have de-
veloped, but prompt work is telling there The
planters along Bayou La Fourche camping
on the banks and marshalling their forces for
protection, and weak levee line has been held
against what seemed certain ruin.
1t Will be several days before the highest water
reaches here, and by the end of the week the
crisis should be passed, but adverse winds on the
Gulf may back the water up and delay the
prayed for relief. The river washed over a num-
Der Of the New-Orleans levees yesterday, but
there is neither great danger damage
Dallas. Tex. April 13.-Assistant General Man
ager John W. Everman of the Texas and Pacific
made the following statement: relative to the
damage done in Louisiana: There has not been
crevasse on the west side of the Mississippi.
and the Texas and Pacific has not been in any
way affected by the flood. We are still running
trains through to NewOrleans on schedule
time. The food has cost the road some money
In repairing and building levees. but we have
suffered no damage. We still hope that the
levees will hold. If the estimate Of the engineers
that they can stand two feet more of water is
correct, we shall probably escape without dam
age"
Omaha. Neb.. April 13-The Missouri River is
changing its channel past Omaha, and in doing
threatens to destroy property 10 the value
Of several million dollars. Last night the river
broke through its banks about mile above
where It left the old channel twenty years ago,
and Is to-day running two broad streams across
what were yesterday fertile market gardens.
These streams run into Florence Lake a relic OF
a former cutoff. From Florence Lake the water
is pouring into Cutoff Lake
The Government gauge records rise In the
river of but nne-tenths of foot in the twenty
four hours ending at noon. Five miles up the
river from the location of the gauge is where
the Missouri has broken its banks In two places.
This discharge Of the flood accounts for the
meagre showing of rise on the Government
gauge. Should the river complete the cutoff 1t
has threatened East Omaha, with extensive
factory plants. including the great Carter white
lead works, will be moved into Iowa, and the
So, 600 900 bridge of the East Omaha Terminal
Company will be left across a slough, while the
thousands of dollars expended by the Govern
ment in protecting the banks Of the river along
tho great bpnd will have been wasted.