The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-04-01
ALL FORCES OF NATURE.
Arrayed Against the Inhabitants of
the Mississippi Delta
Country.

MEMPHIS. March 3i--A heavy rainfall.
accompanied BY q strong gale from the
West ia adding 10 the terror OF the food
situation. One hundred and fifty miles
below Memphis. In the Mississippi delta.
there are about four breaks. and each Is
letting In a stream as large as the Ohio
river at Cincinnati or the Hudson at Al
pany. and this tremendous outflow has
caused a fall OF only one-tenth at Ntcks-
burg. Immediately below the last break
The rain and wind will probably cause
more breaks.
The river Il now IKE an inland sea. and
THE afternoon a telegram from a point
below RoseGale. Miss. announced that
great waves were pounding against the
levee. and at frequent Intervals the water
tors Itself loose from the main channel
and dashed over the embankment- This
bslny true, there Will 10 In all probability
more crevasses before morning
All the forces % nature are against the
people The rainfall increases and the
wind intensiaes the danger. On the Ar
kansa, side the levee from Helena 20
Arkansas City - as fun OF holes as the
outer wall ~ q fertilization after a siege.
There Is a break at westcver. which oc-
CURED at 7 early hour this morning. A
thousand men were at work on the ievees
when tho crash came. For moment
thin thread % water began 10 trickle from
perisnced levse men saw the danger and
cried cut word os warning and the
iaborers Fushef back. tsit IN five minutes
a gap Of Hsty eeet wide and six feet deep
was torn IN the wall % earth. The
break grew until n Is now several hum
drea feet wide. This crevssse Is ten miles
below Helena. and ire water rushing
through IL viii destroy a dozen splendid
plantations and may Nsck I'D 20 Helena
The Iaeouia circle country. a few miles
below westover ia under water. Ts7is
circle 10 surrounded BY ievee- TIE levee
la the rear went 20 pieces az late boar
on Mondsy and tee water rushed il and
spread itself over 8 90 acres Of the most
fertile land IN Arkansas. cut M into plen-
tations giving support 20 no less than -
Tonight Gunuisnr. FcSe-9sie and other
small towns are under water The whole
country ss predicted last night wil BE-
inundated TIE water "a spreading over
the territory from PeEThxhire Mss. % a
point ter miles north % Nick<hurx ard
back ron tas river thirty Or forty miles
Already ths Io>< 81 cattle has been erar-
nous. TIE corn that Was planted ard
growing S. under water. and ira rr~rsra-
tian. fo~ cotton planting we're xren under
way. TIE rlowea esrth will -, sp~p,
insn ERE ynEcc ard thence into TIE Ms
ssss.rpt u s. sify1cult - estimate TIE to&s
tAsckly sseflsd country containing A
area ~ sscut as2 square miles s~stgea
wsta farm houses negro cabins sns small
villages wiIi - soc-s@d. Labor wfn -
>oEa~ 6~gaorsltEe1 sns negroes cNanet =.
secured IN SUFFICIENT numbers - cultivate
tAs properties war TIE water suh<fseu
G~~@nvSIle Miss Is sfii sa,a Wafer "a
"a Eosesaie coming from tne rerrhsafr-
h-e@k wAfle G1rr1s-c- n h@6lv flooded
TS1ts rixAt wff1 TIE wird and rain nay
however, hrfzx tSrfh &c supre-ne rsts~A
trcpse. ere s~szkfnx 81 isz>e s-r-r@ffass-
" n front CO \ .own- Tso~~ 4srecflv -
hind asTe@s s~@ Ee4@ra Er-s-'s peg-t
Tr=@s1sls ard EsTe~rwtile.
Three ST~xssSes reported ~ Lower Va
roo lsTes 1issrs-t. ere Al De@rfe1d -o~eA-
err ss1s - Lake Lee. Sunday ntSA- ora
cpsrS1se Isa-d raEli Mona&y a<r~~-a.a-
arr en-. az Sss9 LGsEainr. C@octs~ Bend
thts sre-rtnx