Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-03-17
THOUSANDS ARE HOMELESS.
Memphis Crowded With Refugees from
the Flooded Districts.
The Situation Continues Critical, as
Breaks in Levees Are Expected
Hourly-One Family of Five Mem
bers Drowned-1he Government
Fleet Assisting in Rescue Work

MEMPHIS. Tenn. March l6.-Neariy q
O0O homeless and half-starved persons res
cued from the overlowed districts Of East
ern Arkansas are being cared for in this
city to-day. The refugees are mostly ne
groes of the lower classes. The citizens
relief committee is practically backed by
unlimited capital. merchants. bankers, and
corporations having subscribed great sums
of money to prosecute the work of rescu-
ing the inhabitants of the territory forty
miles north. and an equal distance south
of Memphis. The entire government fleet
stationed here. through Capt Fitch, en-
sineer i'm charge, has been pressed into
service. Manned by crews familiar with
the Father OF Waters the fleet gives great
assistance 20 other rescue steamers.
The station to-day is critical News Is
expected hourly OF breaks in levees i'm
every direction and when this happens. as
il surely Will. the los. 10 property and
stock will reach into ,h. thousands. The
first loss of life has been reported. a whole
family of five negroes having been
drowned at Marion. Stories Of wholesale
drownngs al Nodena. Ark. are denied
by steamer hands, from the scene.
The gauge to-day reads 1854 feet. Rail-
way trains to and from the west arrived
and depart without reference to schedule.
All tracks. except the Iron Mountain are
submerged. and the Kansas City and Lit
tie Rock roads use the Iron Mountains
roadway. IT is expected by night that
the rescue steamers will land another re-
fugee on the Chickasaw bluffs.
ST. LOUIS. March i5.-Iu Southeastern
Missouri. ON HE Miss sippi river. Birds
Point is almost inundated and to-day the
Belt ana Iron Mountain railways will
probably have 10 abandon their trains into
that place. The water Is over the Cotton
Belt track noa~iy one foot deep at several
points between Birds Point and Smithton,
tho first station south.
Forty thousand acres of land in Miss
issippi county. Mo. are protected by 'e-
voos. which were built since the last Hood
They are holding against the water but
tho Iron Mountain railway embaukmert.
which forms tho southern boundary of this
drainaca district. is not raised TO the
grade Cf the levoes Water has commcuc-
all this territory. Many farmers I'm this
district planted wheat for the first time
this year. feeling safe from floods and
the growing crop. which was hair = foot
high will be destroyed.
At Caruthersv.llc. No, work on the To-
wee is being kept up night and day and i'm
Pemiscot county the levee IS I'm good con-
dtion. Twelve miles below Osceoa Ark.
the levoe broke yesterday and the food Is
doing great damage i'm that section Al
Tyler. 13 miles below Caruthcrsyille there
are ten families on a sawdust nie for
protection, having been driven from their
home. At Cottonwood nine miles below
Caruthersvi,lc the water is I'm nearly au
houses. both business and dwellings. At
Gayoso. six miles above Cauthcrsville
the water is all over the town and from
inches to . feet deep in the houses.
Prisoners had to be moved from the Jail
TO the court house TO escape the water.
Gayoso is the county seat Of Pemiscot
county.