The Indianapolis journal., 1897-04-20
TWO MORECREVAS
GLassCOCK LEvEE, - MILES BELOW
NATCHEZ, GIVES WAY.
Reid Embankment. Below vicksburg,
Near the Biggs Break. Also sue
cumbs TO the Flood.
FIRST CREVASSE SERIOUS
MANY FINE PLANTATIONS WILL
PROBABLY BE RUINED.
Refugees still FIocking by Hundreds
to the Cities. and All I'm Des-
titute Circumstances.
STRAIN AT NEW ORLEANS
THE GREAT FLOOD TESTING THE
STRENGTH OF THE LEvEEs.
Refugees Still FIocking by Hundreds
to the Cities. and All I'm Des-
titute Circumstances.
STRAIN AT NEW ORLEANS
THE GREAT FLOOD TESTING THE
STRENGTH OF THE LEvEEs.
Efforts Concentrated at the Carroll
ton Works, which Protect the City
-OutloOk Not Bright.

NATCHEZ Miss, April Ie-The first
break on the Concordia parish front oc-
CURED on Sunday morning last, when the
Gasscock levee gave way. This levee is To-
Gated about twenty-eight miles below Nat
chez and is near the lower end of the
levee system of the parish. 1t is an old
levee and has received no attention since
1851 There was large force of men at
work on it Sunday morning raising and
Strengthening it. They were working their
way to the lower end of it, when sudden
ly the laborers saw the muddy water begin
to bubble up at the lower end and i'm less
time than it takes to tell it the seething
water tore a great hole through IL. After
the break started it was impossible to stop
it and work on the embankment at
once stopped. The water rushed through ar
a great rate and began spreading out in
the low lands adjacent. The catastrophe
was not unexpected and its disastrous ef-
fects were in a measure discounted by
reason of all the stock and other perish
able property having been previously re-
moved. The water from this break will in
undate the lower part OF the parish from
Morville down TO Brabston. covering a
number Of fine plantations. but il was ex-
pected that most of this section would go
under anyhow from the overflow that will
take place in Black river from the Biggs
crevasse below Delta. liz will entail a vast
amount of suffering OF the people OF the
neighborhood and relief will have to be
tended to them. This levee was twelve feet
in height and when the crevasse occurred
the water the front was between ten
and eleven feet high against il and four
feet on the back. while the fall of the water
running through it is from six to seven
faaf ha fc ha oil
crevasse. through which the river has been
running, and the waters OF the two will
minge. Captain Derby, the United States
engineer in charge of this district, and AS
sistant Engineer Hardie went down to the
break to-day. carrying fifty meii with them
for the purpose of trying 10 ''tie" the ends
of the break. Tonight the crevasse Is re-
ported TO be from 500 to 1000 feet wide and
still caving.
The river at Natchez has fallen 2o-i0o in
the past forty-eight hours. but again shows
a rising tendency. This city is fast filliig
up with flood refugees and every effort will
be made TO care for them. Stock of all kinds
continues 10 pour in by the steamboat load.
All the other levees i'm this vicinity are in
good shape and little apprehension is felt
for them.
Another Break Near vicksburg.
VICKSBURG. Miss. April 1.-THE
United States steamer Vidette arrived AT
p. IN. from below, in charge of Capt w. r..
Brown. assistant United States engineer.
under Lieutenant Newcomer. He reports a
break in the Reid levee one mile below the
sawmil and one and a half miles below
the Biggs levee. At u. m. the break was
three hundred feet wide, and not widening
fast. as the water behind the levee from
the Biggs break prevented 1t going through
with any great velocity. Captain Brown
states that the condition is slightly i'm
proved along the upper portion of the line,
and states that only a small force is at
work maintaining and protecting work al
ready done. There has been a fall of two
tenths from Goodrich. in East Carroll par
ish, to this point. The water from the Reid
break joins that from Biggs Ievee and will
only add 10 the volume OF water going out
Mdnight-Major ii. Willard, United
States engineer, has just receiN ed a dis
patch from the master OF the steamer
Florence, ordered last night TO Coon's land
ing, louisiana, to rescue food sufferers.
asking him 10 serid all skiffs obtainable by
first steamer. as people are drowning and
cannot be reached except by skiffs. Coons
Landing Is about thirty-five miles from this
city and is being flooded by Biggs cre-
vase.
A dispatch arrived at midnight from
Ashwood. La. saying the water is rushing
rapidly into the swamps of Tensas parish,
which are inaccessible by steamer. and this
dispatch arouses many apprehensions.
Skiffs cannot be sent tonight.
I.ater-A dispatch from the Valley route
operator at Hays, Miss, referring to the
foregoing. says the calamity at Coons
Landing is que break I'm the levee there
and that another has occurred opposite
Rodney. No details have been received.
Boats cannot be sent before morning