The record-union., 1897-04-01
Four More Breaks Reported in the
Mississippi River.
Each Letting in a Stream Upon the
Lands Adjoining as Large as the
Ohio and Hudson RiverS-ThOu-
sands Upon Thousands of Acres of
Fertile Land in Mississippi and
Arkansas Under Water.

MEMPHIS CTenn), March 31.-A
heavy rainfall, accompanied by
strong gale from the west, is adding to
the terror of the flood situation. one
hundred and fifty miles below Memphis,
in the Mississippi delta, there are four
breaks. and each is letting in stream
as large as the Ohio River at Cincin-
natl or the Hudson at Albany, and this
tremendous outflow has caused fall
of only one-tenth at VicksburS, 1mme-
diately below the last break. The rain
and wind will probably cause more
breaks.
The river is now like an inland sea,
and this afternoon telegram from d
point below Rosedale, Miss, announced
that great waves were pounding against
the levee, and that at frequent inter-
walls the water tore itself loose from the
main channel and dashed over the en-
bankment. This being true, there Wall
be in all probability more crevasses be-
fore morning.
All the forces of nature are against
the people, The rainfall increases, ana
the wind intensifies the danger. On
the Arkansas side the levee near Hell
ena and Arkansas City rs as full OF
holes as the outer wall of a fortif1ca-
tion after a siege. There is break
at Westover, which occurred at an
early hour this morning. A thousand
men were at work on the levees when
the crash came. For moment a tmn
thread of water began to tr1ckle from
the inner wall of the embankment Tx
perienced levee men saw the danger
and cried out a word o. warning, anu
the laborers rushed back, but IN nVe
minutes a gap of fifty feet wide ana SIX
feet deep was torn in the wall OF the
earth. The break grew until now sew
eral hundred feet wide.
This crevasse is ten miles below
Helena, and the water rushing through
it will destroy a dozen splendid planta-
tions, and may back up to Helena
The Laconia Circle country, few
miles below Westover, is under water
This circle is surrounded by levee
The levee in the rear went to pieces at
a late hour on Monday, and the water
rushed in and spread itself over 3o,ooO
acres of the most fertile land in Ar
kansas. cut up into plantations, CIV
ing support to no less than o.ooo peo-
pie.
Tonight Gunnison, Rosedale ana
other small towns are under water Inc
whole country as predicted last nlght,
will be inundated. The water Is
spreading over the territory from
Perthshire Miss, to point ten miles
north of Vicksburg, and back from the
river thirty or forty miles. Already
the loss of cattle has been enormous.
The corn that was planted and growing
is under water, and the preparations
for cotton planting were we'll under
way. The ploughed earth Will be
swept into the YaZoo, and thence into
the Mississippi.
1t is difficult to estimate the loss. A
thickly settled country containing an
area of about 1000 square miles, set
tied with farm houses, negro cabins
and small villages. will be flooded. La
Dor will become demorahzed, and ne
groes cannot be secured in sufficient
numbers to cultivate the properties
when the water subsidies. The Yazoo
and Mississippi Valley Railroad will
have 100 miles of track under water
before the food is over.
The loss of human life so far has been
small. Not a half dozen people have
been drowned in the delta, and proba-
bly, a dozen on the Arkansas side south
of Helena. The upper floods, which
have prevailed in the st. Francis Basin
for two weeks, claimed probably no
more than fifty victims, all colored.
NEW ORLEANS SAFE.
NEW ORLEANS, March 31.-In the
vicinity of this city the levees are in
good condition. A small break reported
opposite Port Chalmette has been
closed. The crevasse reported in the
levee at Bayou Thibodeaux will do lit
tie damage, as the water will flow into
the lake. The river at Lake Provi-
dence on Monday marked a. 40 on the
gauge. 212 feet higher than ever known
before Yesterday the water began to
recede. The fall was causd by a
crevasse on the Mississippi side of the
river.