The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-04-16
DANGER is GREATER
Continued from First Page,

fiicting. Below Vicksourg the condition
appeared to differ on each side Of the r-y
er From the army officers in MississiE
pi came a most alarming statement c
the number of people suffering for food
while the inspecting officers in Louisi
ana counseled against too liberal assist
ance as likely to lead 70 bad labor con
ditions. The first messages read as fol
lows:
''vicksburg, Miss, April 15.-Ove
nine-tenths Washington, Issaquena
Sharkey, Sunf1ower and considerable o
Yazoo and Warren counties overfloWed
Estimate sixty thousand people neet
food; stock also suffering severely il
eastern half of this territory where dis
tress is becoming acute. Can only b'
reached by boat up Yazoo and Sunfowe
rivers from Vicksburg. Starts for Wash
ington tomorrow unless otherwise order
| ed
The second telegram came from Nat
! chez and read:
Have just finished inspection of dis
trict from Vicksburg TO Red River Land
ing on the Louisiana side. No present
| conditions Of distress prevail. Much Ia
Dor is here being expended in raising,
strengthening and guarding the levee
! system from Vicksburg to Bougere. Cul-
| tivar-on is inprogress inside the levee and
not only is all labor fully employed but
| assistance is being sought in some cases
from the unemployed on the opposite
side while the increasing height Of the
water is already provided for. Along
much of this line the low places can be
raised as necessary within limits. y
break from weakness from some point
is greatly TO be apprehended. This dam
ger is increasing daily both from in
crease of pressure and from saturation.
In case of creyasse at any point a large
extent OF th:ckly settled country viii
be deeply inundated and stock will have
20 be moved quickly to places of safety,
and conditions of distress will result.
The people have been thoroughly warm
ej and Should be sufficiently on the
alert to avoid loss OF human life and
stock, but Will doubtless need much as
sistance in getting stock in safety to the
hills below Bougere on the Louisiana
side Much Of the cultivated land Is
high enough out Of water to provide for
stock. Houses ares TIL occupied as a
rule in this region and both people and
stock can easily be taken out from the
riverside if continued rise renders it nee
essary. On the Mississippi side, from
Memphis TO the louisiana line, nearly
all the large cotton plantations are pro-
tected only by private levees and the un-
protected small farms are we'll under
water or being rapidly flooded. In most
cases the stock has been removed, as it
has become necessary. Minor losses are
occurring from failure to heed warnings.
Houses are still occupied as a rule or
families collecting in the highest land in
the neghborhood. In nearly ali cases Of
inundated plantations and small farms
the laborers are remaining, although IN
some cases the floors are under water.
They are well provided with boats and in
do danger OF immediate distress. II is
expected to have these people remain in
their homes # possible. The white plan
ters are interested and will provide for
their laborers for a time, while the small
farmers have good supplies or credit for
the present. Conditions which will keep
this labor long unemployed will result in
muchx distress. Assistance from outside
sourcg~is not required. Consensus of
and disinterested opinion is
that no immediate action is required
along this line and that present distribu-
ton of rations would not only demoraliZe
the recipients of assistance, but also the
labor at present employed"
oIa of
Secretary Alger received another tele-
gram from Vicksburg, representing that
the people in the Sunfiower district were
cut off from dry land, and in great need
of food and forage. He Immediately call
ed his bureau officers in consultation,
and then ordered another steamboat to
take on supplies and start for the scene
of distress.
THE RISE AT GREENVILLE.
Greenville, Miss, April 15.-Back wat
er is slowly rising in the portion OF |
Greenville that is under water. The rise |
against the protection levee was one |
inch during Inc last twenty-four hours,
1t was reported today that the leveas at |
Mount Lake, sixteen miles north on the |
side, had broken, but inves- |
t:gati0u showed the report withou. |
At Avon, fifteen miles |
south. the ievee was in a dangerous con- |
dition and a message received here |
stated that it might break at any mo- |
neGt.
MORNING AT NEW ORLEANS.
New Orleans, La, April 15.-The river |
this morning was beating its own record |
right along and was high enough to |
frighten the stoutest hearted, but there |
had not teen a single surrender, nor |
was there a single break in the levee line |
In Louisianaa Bayou Forche was still |
the weakest point while on the river |
proper the Tensas and Fifth levee dis /
trscts were regarded the danger spots. |
Those sections were wrestling with the |
Hood wave, but the banks We're holding. |
81. Joseph. in Tensas. had experienced a
rise Of half foot in two days. II could |
: s,and two feet. but that figure might be |
az midnight, aud then il would |
be difficult TO hold through the night. |
The levees below. all the way 10 New
Orleans and half the way down 10 the
gulf We're being raised and strengthened
AHU "iA oS III oSteS- shape NneH the
crisis comes.
Will The train Of President Spellnan
of the Pontchar-rain board. was answer
ng call FOR help from Hanion City. a
few miles above New Orleans. his coach
was struck by lightning and the plat
form damaged. but no other damage re-
suited.
ONE LOUISIANA BREAK.
Thicodeaux. La. April IA crevassa
occurred at noon today al Leon Babib's,
1ne nile bsl0w La Fouche crossing. and
Il viii inund2te the section between the