Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-03-30
DISASTROUS BREAKS REPORTED IN
MISSISSIPPI RIVER LEvEEs.
LARGE AREAS ARE INUNDATED
GREAT DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY
FROM THE FLOODS.
superhuman Efforts Being Put Forth
to Hold the LeSee Line Intact
Upper River Rising-Unpre-
cedented Floods in
Texas.

Gunnison Miss. March 29.-The levee
broke at Sledge plantation, near Concodia
landing. three miles north of Gunnison. at
about $3.50 this afternoon. The crevasse
is about 100 feet wide and the levee, being
made of sand, will cave fast. The people
are wild with excitement, and there is no
effort being made to stop the widening of
the crevasse 1t is expected that the ere
vase will cut to width of 500 feet by
morning. There was no uneasiness felt
about this levee, as there was nothing to
indicate q weakness except seep which
did not seem to be dangerous.
Water is pouring through the break at a
terrible velocity, carrying houses, trees. and
everything in its path.
Greenville. Miss. March 29.-At O'Clock
last night, the levee at Deertield, ten miles
below Greenville. succumbed to the pres
sure of the waters of the mighty Missis-
sippi The levee was a large one and 100
yards of the vast embankment gave way
in trice. and the torrent of waters
rushed upon the country. Soon the sec
ton between the river and the embank-
ment of the Riverside division of the
Yazoo & Mississippi Valley railway was a
sea of water. Hogs and cattle were
drowned, while the people, mostly colored,
rushed to the levee above and below the
break and huddled together until they We're
reported.
Deerfield is near Wayside, a station on
the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley railway.
Nearly all of the splendid country west of
Deer Creek, south of Arcola to the Yazoo
river will be flooded. Thousands of acres
of the most fertile lands in the delta, al
ready planted in corn or ready to be plant
ed in cotton, will suffer from the waters
pouring through this crevasse. The back
water will reach nearly to Greenville.
The situation Immediately above and be-
low Greenville is to-day improved. The
weak places and low places in the levee
have received close attention. Lawyers.
business men, clerks, merchants and all
have worked side by side with negro labor
ers. wheeling dirt to elevate and strength
ell the embankment that protected the peo-
pie from devastation. The line OF leVees is
in good condition for miles above the city,
and the people of Greenville feel confident
once more that the town itself will escape
the flood.
| the most critical day in the history of the
city. The river has been steadily rising.
and stands tonight at 500 feet All night
| long the wind blew, and the waves beat on
| the levee. and weary hands piled sacks OF
dit Where breaches d were eft e%srgbodv sa
| fausted. This morning the mayor issued a
proclamation reciting the desperate condi-
that hat Stores be Closed and ali able-bodied
men be sent to the front. The proclamation
met with hearty response SEA- ana In, IN LEY, LEV
spades in their hands. were taxing the
places of the tired men who had labored
all the night.
Tonight the wind has abated somewhat.
but the work of watching and working stu
goes on. The government poat iltan ar
rived at 10 o'clock this morning with nine
ty-seven refugees from knowlton; Captain
Nolty of the Titan: reports another break
about 800 yards a1OKe ile M01d snS Saf a5oVe
K1owlton. 1t occurred Saturday. evening
and was over 500 feet wide when the, Titan
passed down to Knowlton. This break puts
ali the country from Knowlton to Laconia
under water and as that section is more
thickly settled than the Modoc avenue
The Ievee at Knowlton is also in danger
and Captain Notify adheres to his OPINION
that it will go to pieces from there 10 La. La
COMA. and also that the Laconla circle lev
ees will crumble to pieces.
Memphis. Tenn. March ga telegram
from Perthshre forty-eight miles G north h OF OF
| the fertile Yazoo delta. states that break
| has occurred in the main levee there. Just
how serious this break is the telegram does
not state, but several trains loaded with Ia
| borers and sacks of sand have been hur-
riedly dispatched to the scene
| If the break at Pethshire assumes any
| thing like the proportions of the crevasse
| at Wayside, the destruction will be enor-
| nous. The waters will sweep over the r1ch
| farm lands of Bolivar, Washington, Shar-
| key Issaqueena, Warren, fazoo and Sun
| flower counties. in the Mississippi valley,
| and the loss to stock and property Will be
| appalling. Ten thousand men line the
| levees between Memphis and Vicksburg,
| watching and working with desperation
most pitiable. The warming sent out by
| the weather bureau from Washington last
| night is having its effect. Many of the in
| habitants of the Delta have corralled their
| animals on high strips of land and moved
| their families out of dangers reach.
| The situation at Memphis is about the
| same as on yesterday. The river continues
| to fall slowly, the gauge tonight register
| ing 36.2 feet.
| < dispatch from Gunnison, Miss, says
| that break in the levee is momentarily
| expected at Sunnyside, but 1t is thought
this catastrophe can be averted If $50 men
| and material could be had at once. Ac-
| cordingly 100 white men were dispatched
| on a special train from this city to the
| scene. The negroes at Camp Congo were
| offered 81 per day and all expenses to lend
| helping hand, but with one exception the
| offer was refused. There is much indigna-
| ton among the citizens at this action OF
| negro refugees.
New Orleans, March 29.-The city gauge
| is O.S of a foot above the revised danger
| mark but only a few weak spots have de-
veloped in the levees;, and these have been
promptly repaired. The Tenasas board has
| the crevasse in the Mississippi show that
they will have an increased strain upon
Rosedaie. Miss, March 29.-At last two
links in the chain of Mississippi levees have e
| Gfeenville, at midnight. serious break
| occurred inundating many of the finest
farms in the South. Your correspondent
has been reliably informed that large for
| est trees went down before the mighty tor
rem. which poured against them as grain grain
| before the reaper'S blade. But no lives
| we're lost Anticipating this calamity, the
| people had sought places of safety.
| At 4 o'clock to-day another disastrous
break occnrred a few miles west of Perth
| shire, near Gunnison. on the Yazoo Mis-
| sssippf Valley railroad. at the a. X. Ward
| plantation and only short distance south
| of the residence occupied by Superintend-
| ent Berry. The levee there was twelve
feet high and thought to be safe, but, as
| expected. The original break was sixty
| feet wide. and at o'clock it had widened
| to go feet and water was coming through
| il like a cataract. roaring, boiling and TAX
ing trees sixty feet long like shot from a
cannon. I am told by one just from the
| break that many negro cabins were car
| ried away and even the residence of Cap
tain Berry was In imminent danger of
| being washed away before the relentless
| ness of the flood that now threatens death
| and destruction to every barrier that dis
putcs its progress.
II am also reliably informed that there is
much concern felt for the lives of the peo-
pie living east of this break, as the food
will come upon many of them who We're
| warned tonight. The fine plantations OF
/ J. H. Stafford. Mr.. MADDOX and several 9TH
ers will. by morning. be under water. 1t Is
feared that the water will reach and over
flow Gunnison. and within few days will
probably reach this place. but not enough
to create aES alarm. The water from the
crevasse will flow down Bogue Phalia into
the Tallahatchie river and again find its
way into the Mississippi through the Yazoo
| river twelve miles above yicksburg
| The widest excitement prevails through
out the whole threatened district. Business