The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-05-07
MISSISSIPPI FLOODS
Scenes Of Deoolataon ana Death
Aloog IT, Great ntvse.

Scenes Of Desolatlcn ana Death
Aloog IT, 0seat Rivsc.
lunareas - Uo0es ga usuaoas q
Fertsle Acres LajA - Wasss ~
the Su.1iD9 WatsPs.
CAansing cAan1els.
Did the reader ever travel On . Missis.
s;ppi river steamboat from St Louis
to New Orleans during an overflow?
II %. h AaA sssA- . condition OF waste
and desolation thss sickened the hears
and one dsfes the imagination TO &C.
curately describe. II - . long lima OF
blacknens and despair. with the surfaces
Of the muddy waters covered with hoss-
I ing timbers, wrecked houses. eddies OF
swollen dead animals, with an occasions
al lifeless human being mixed with the
debris. From foothill to Soothiii there
is nothing but . sea OF black water.
There 10 an occasional mound to be
seen, and on these are sometimes to bs
found grouped shivering. trembling an
finals. wild and tame.
I took . skiff one morning at Gold
Dust landing. and was rowed out in thu
black waters four miles toward tho
hills Upon . little promontory of .
half-acre size we saw cattle. hogA
sheep, coons, rabbits. deer and one bears
standing together. trembling with fear
as they watched the fast~rising waters
that must soon envelop them. They
did not brighten at our approach. but
appeared as though glad to SEQ us,
walking far out into the water a. II ap-
peaIing for help. Every man In tho
boat had q gun, but none dared TO uso
it, No one said anything about shoot
ing. each apparently waiting for tho
other to speak. But a. we rowed away
looking for . helpless family reported
TO be in that vicinity. . deputy sheriff
remarked that he thought some men
were humane after all. and nobody dis
puted him.
If the flood that came In 1892. when
its warning had been sent forward moro
than q month in advance, destroyed
growing crops and property 10 the value
Of over Sc 900 900. what must be the sx-
tent Of damage this year. when the
rivers south are already higher than
they were during lsoe? And then the
war department advises that the watera
will continue to rise indefinitely. From
st. Louis to Cairo. all Of that immense
basin that was created by the esrshs
quake so years ago is deep enough ta
swim q steamboat. This section en-
braces remarkably big part OF the
wheat fields of southern Illinois and
Missouri. The submerged farms may
be entirely useless for grain purposes
for the remainder of the year. II takes
growing wheat q long time to recover
from food. however short the period
may be that IL has suffered. So II the
Missouri and Illinois valleys are net In
etantly drained tho fall wheat crop
there IL gone
But It Is south OF Cairo and clear
down to New Orleans whsss the real
damage is now being done. That IL tho
part of the country that lies unprotect
ed, where millions of acres Of fertile
fields and hundreds of homes belong,
ing to the iaboring people are absoiute-
ly at the mercy Of the remorseless We
tiers. The lowlands are 90 much moro
productive than the hill country that
the highlands have almost been aban-
ioned Of late years. the farmers going
TO tho bottoms" 70 raise their produce.
Until Memphis is reached there are No
levees to speak OF. There are few. "a
be sure. but they are ~ chat ir Q storm
when a big food comes. They seem "a
excite the rivers wrath all the more.
Tennessee Is but little Affected even
at the highest stages of the river The
banks ON the left are high and are sup.
ported by rocky hills that creep up ais
most TO the rivers edge. Thus the vol.
umo Of water is thrown with all its ter
riblc force 70 the unprotected sides Of
Arkansas territory. backing up the
small rivers and stresus, causing
them to overflow lakes, thus creating
an inland sea that adds new territory
to It's cruel waste hour by hour untn thu
entire surplus waters of the north hava
gons to Join tho salty waves of tho
southern seas.
And how cruelty coquettish Oils Ms
sissippi river has been, changing towa
sites. creating new channels, robbine
the soil Of one plantation 20 give to an
other. yicksburg is high and dry.
three miles away from the river. wheres
as o few years ago the business part Of
the town sat snugly on It's bspkss
Look at Greenviiie. Ten years ago the
city was two miles further westward
than IL now lies II has been driven bask
gradually until IL 10 retreats much fur.
ther it viii jam itself up sgains, Lake
that sometimes gets mad h<rself. Thus
the poor town In az IL between the devil
and the deep sea- There's Matches. ton
You remainder "Natehez Under fbs
HiiiT' Well. there is no -under the
hill" now. It's q steep declivi.y from
the town 20 the river. Passezgsrs lesv.
ing the steam boats there have 10 climb
up gangplsnks. jus; Is II they were go
ing up d tree. And there Is Msmphis
that. according TO the way thu river -
acting theresbout~ at present, may b
made 20 view the Father Of wszsrss
frcn sfar. No one can tell this yeas
where the main channel Of the Misriss
sippi IL 20 be the ncxf.-ChicagoT imes
Herald
WaSD sd ny.
Wien . vsSp cetehes . Ey y funma
dSt>ly binas on both wings, sonet4n0
. leg On two nd onrAasnually tn h~sA
AF. H9rrngsou eDp Ome o. The waSp1