The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-18
Planters and Others i'm the Endan.
gered Region Fleeing tn Vicks-
burg for safety.
SITUATION AT NEW ORLEANS
CAUSING MUCH UNEAsINEss DESPITE
CHEERFUL REPORTS.
All Steamers Notified to Go slow 10
Prevent SweIl-Scenes at
the Biggs Crevasse.

MEMPHIS, Tenn, April 1.-THE break In
the levee at Biggs. four miles below Delta.
La. which occurred at 10 O'Clock last night.
has widened rapidly and tonight solid
stream OF water is passing through an
opening nearly a mile wide. The roar of
the water as il rushes through the creyasse
can be heard for miles. The town of Delta
is now inundated and the waters are spread-
ing over the low lands and will soon cover
many fine plantations in Madison parish.
All Of the convicts who were at work on
the levee when il broke have been safely
put on board steamer, and so far loss
of life is reported i'm the vicinity of this lat-
est break. The outflow of water at Biggs
will do much TO relieve the levees on the
Mississippi side 1t will also hasten the
passage OF the flood through the Missis-
sippi delta, thus insuring a crop In that
rich valley. There are many weak spots re-
ported in the Louisiana levee and another
break may occur at any time.
A dispatch from Vicksburg says: "All day
long refugees have been fleeing 10 this city
from the country flooded by the break in
the Biggs levee. bringing their stock and
and other property with them. The water
was seventeen feet deep against the levee
when it broke, and men who were on the
cular masses or whirlpools twenty feet
high. A large part of Madison. Tensas,
Catahoula and Concordia parishes will be
overfiowed by it and the resulting distress
will be very great The number of refugees
in the city has been largely increased. ana
they are coming on every boat The water
flooded the vicksburg. Shreveport & Pa-
cific Railroad in a few hours ard trains
west of this place are abandoned i'm conse-
quence. The town of Delta is oyerfiowed
deeply and planters say that the water viii
back up to Miliken's bend, sixteen miles
north. Three white persons, two men ana
a woman, passed twelve hours In the midst
of the furious waters of the crevasse
perched in tree The water reused them
from their beds and they had only time
to seek safety in its boughs when the
mighty food was upon them. They made
known their presence by shouts and pistol
shots during the night and several attempts
to rescue them were made but IL was not
until 10 a m. when an adventurous crew
from the government steamer Eta Ether
idge Mate John Birdwell and Deckhands
Frank Goodrich and Henry Hubbard the
two latter colored, put out i'm yawl and
rescued them. No further disasters have
occurred and the crevasse is thought TO
have relieved the situation of its worst fea-
lures. The river is falling here The leveo
engineers will now endeavor to save the re-
naming levees. task which is very hope
ful at this time.
Throughout the flooded Mississippi delta
to-day the situation is more encouraging.
The backwaters are slowly falling, passing
through the YaZoo into the main channel
north of Nicksburg. AT Helena the river
has fallen nearly five feet since April 4. In
the northern part of that city, which has
been under water for more than three Weeks.
the water has fallen sufficiently to allow
many people TO move back into their
houses The water inside the southern part
of the city is fast disappearing by means
of gigantic pumps. which are kept running
night and day. At Rosedale. Friars Point,
Greenville and other delta points the river
is falling.
AT Memphis fall of one-tenth of foot
is recorded the gauge registering S-l at 4.
At Cairo, Paducah Cincinnati and Louis
VILE the river continues 10 fall large
amount OF supplies were forwarded from
Memphis to-day. The steamer Harbin car
ried provisions and feed up the St Francis
river TO supply the relief stations estab-
lshed there. Lieutenant Carnahan went on
this trip TO superintend the distribution OF
supplies The steamer Rowena Lee left this
afternoon with a cargo OF supplies fo
the relief stations between Menu
phis and Ashport. There will be sew
cral new stations visited by the Rowena
Lee on this trip.