The Forrest City times., 1897-03-19
The Raging Waters.

- given in our last issue to prepare for the worst, is rapidly materialzing.
 Last Monday the water at Memphis reached the highest point that it has touched during the memory of the old est inhabitant of the Bluff City and certainly the highest since the flood line before the earthquake of 1911, A feet above low water beng the flood line in those days, but modern history places the highest point reached, in the year 1890, when the flood climbed to 35.6 on the guage.
 Heavy rains and snows have fallen throughout the valley, north and south during the past week, which has served to keep the water at Cairo at a darger- ous height. In the proper column will be found the latest reports from all points by which this section is affected
 As far as advices concerning the con dition of the levees are at hand, only one break has occurred in the St. Fran cis system.
 The facilities for keeping in close touch with the levee line is very broken and in order to get dispatches through. it is often necessary to send them many miles to some telegraph office, or the river in care of passing steamers, and this service to be performed by skiffs and dug-outs.
 Monday afternoon about 800 feet of the old state levee gave way at Lanier landing, three miles above Nodena in Mississippi county, and the water con tinues to pass through and finds it's way to the upper portion of St. Francis river. When this break occurred it was enormously reported in the Com. mereial-Appeal and from other sources that there were two, if not three, breaks in the levee.
 The reports had breaks at Nodena Buffers and Lanier, when, in fact onl, one occurred at Lanier's landing, where ooeaNA OPCfotCo O olOlCs
 The water entering at that point will pass into Carson's lake. thence down the TyroDza river and Frenchman's bayou south to St. Francis river, above the Iron Mountain railroad, crossing some five miles above Wittsbnrg. In seeking it's level portion of the water will flow north.
 Latest reports state that the levee is in good condition from Point Pleas ant to Smiths bayou. few miles above Osceola. Between the latter points and at Lanier's the weakest points occur.
 At Elmot, six miles above Osceola the levee is in danger of giving away The St. Francis Levee board has sent barges of sand bags to the weak places and are doing all in their power to pre-. vent breaks.
 Much suffering is reported along the river front from Osceola to a point be. low Presidents island, some ten miles below Memphis. A local relief board has been organized in Memphis and steamers have been chartered to rescue people and stock from the terrors of the flood. Many hundreds of people principally colored, and a large lot of animals, have been landed in Memphis and are being temporarily cared for by the relief committee.
 Just how long this state of affairs will continue depends solely upon the amount of precipitation which serves to keep the stage at flood line. So fal no inconvenience of a serious nature has befallen the territory embracing St. Francis county. The waters that have escaped the channel of the Missis. sippi river is finding it's way down through the low lands, bayous and sloughs, and up to this date no cause for suffering has existed, though the lowlands are being covered rapidly.
 The break in the levee below Caroth. ersville, Mo-, caused by miscreants cutting it, will serve to fill up the sunk land country and may not effect this portion of the country to any apprecia- ble degree. Heroic efforts are being exerted all along the levee line to keeI it intact. The levee so far has proven to be success, for without its aid most of the valley land of the St. Fran. cs would now be under water. The present water will be tester by which the levee board may turn to profitable account through the channel of expert. ence.
 AS regards St. Francis county, all her tillable lands are yet from three to fif- teen feet above the present stage of water. Should the worst happen, by the flood reaching the 1890 mark. the neighborhood of Widener would be the greatest sufferer, as many acres of promising potatoes are planted in that community, all of which would prove a total loss.