The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-04-03
THU FLOOD SUFFERERS.
The Situation in the South Becomes
More Acute,
A FURTHER RISE PROBABLE.

Many Villages Have Been Cut or From
Communication with the Outside
world for Several nays-Floods In the
Northwest win Cause Great Damage.
Memphis, April S.-The flood situation
has once more become acute from a
point above Austin Miss. as far down
as the first break at Perthshire, Miss.
and a crevasse in this line of levees
would not be surprising. The pressure
on the levee is brought about by the
waters Of the St. Francis basin, which
are here congested between the levees
In front of Helena.
The waters are now so high In the ST.
Francis basin that the current rushes
from the west and cuts along the east
shore for miles, and near Austin the
situation is most grave. Boats have
been requested to run on slow bells,
and laborers are constantly strength
ening the embanlSments. A crevasse
at Austin would inundate a strip Of
fertile country in Tunica and Coahoma
counties 20 miles wide and 60 miles
long Reports from Helena, Ark, show
that the river there is still slowly rls-
ing.
Thousands Of people have been work
ing day and night. The Missouri Pa
clhc and Cotton Belt railroads have
rushed trainload after trainload Of
sacked sand into the city, and still
stand ready to help. The Illinois Cen
tral, Missouri Pacific and Cotton Bet
railroads have devoted all their great
force to the work without charge.
Greenville is on an island, and Rose
dale, Miss. is in water from five to ten
feet deep. The funds Of a bank in
Rosedale have been moved to the Sec
ond story. Thousands of head of cattle
are standing on the levee, and many
refugees sleep there, with no covering
to protect them
Back of Rosedale and throughout the
lower and middle delta country every
thing is under water. In many villages
no communication with the outside
world has been had for several days.
The threatened rise at Cairo is now
certainty. The Mississippi above Cairo
and the Cumberland and Tennessee
rivers will send a great flood into the
already filled st. Francis basin, and
from Cairo to Memphis 1t is feared
that the deluge will mark a high water
figure that will be without precedent.
At Memphis the river is steadily fall
Of One-tenth Of a foot since Thursday.
The calls for assistance from numerous
points along the river are becoming
more and more frequent.
dispatch just received from Green
vile says; While the town Is still on
an island and the water threatens to
flood the greater part of it, there is
enough dry land left to accommodate
everybody. Late Thursday night al
though work was pushed along the
protection levee with great vigor, the
prospect that this bulwark against the
flood would be completed in time to be
effective We're very slim. By morning
the embankment had been thrown up
sufficiently high to protect more than
half the city, and work is still pro-
crossing,
The situation at East st. Louis is
more threatening The water has al
ready made its way about 20 feet in on
the banks, and the predicted rise will
move it up to the railroad tracks, from
which point it will easily find it's way
over the island, as the country slopes
downward from that point.