The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-03-18
BREAK N IH[ L[I[[.
WATERS RUSHING INTO THE
ARKANSAS LOWLANDS
ABOVE MEMPHIS.
MEMPHIS FILLED WITH REFUGEES
LIVE STOCK DESTROYED IN TIRE
MENDOUS QUANTITIES-THE
RIVER STILL RISING.
AN ALARMING Weather BUREAU BULLETIN
Floods Will Not Reach the Maximum
Till April-Two Small Boys Cling
ing to Barbed Wire Fence
Rescued-Loss of Life
E! Will Be Great.
AN ALARMING Weather BUREAU BULLETIN

Memphis, March 15.-The river at
Memphis has broken all records, the
gauge tonight registering 1874, showing
the greatest height ever recorded in any
rise.
News of the first serious break in the
levee system reached this city today.
On Saturday night, about hundred
yards from the old state levee, the part
of the levee over which the st. Francis
levee board has supervision, gave way
at the Butler plantation, four miles be-
low Medina, Ark, and five miles above
Memphis. The river is raging through
the crevasse at terrific rate, having the
tremendous fall of fifteen feet to give it
force and send it to deal death and de-
struction in the lowlands of Mississippi
county, Ark.
There is no doubt that the crevasse at
Buffers will grow larger. and it may af-
feet to a very small degree the stage of
the water here but this has not been the
case up to the time of the present writing.
There will be no attempt to stop the
break, as the st. Francis leyee board has
no boats or workmen on the scene and
the people are busted about saving their
lives and that of their livestock. The
will surely occur from it. Indeed the
most sanguine of those who know of the
conditions there do not dare to hope that
all the people in the lOwlands escaped
from the food when it came upon them
Saturday night.
The levee which gave way is in front
of Mississippi county and it is thought
the water will almost, if not entirely,
cover this county. In the Mississippi
fr 1nul n,,Ie thn xt-ill IN
depth of from to Is feet. The people
who thought they were protected by the
levee which partly gave way, are totally
unprepared for an overflow and will
hardly give thought to their stock, so
great will be their effort to escape with
their lives. They have no boats, although
the water has in time gone by reached a
depth of ten feet on their farms.
The steamer City of Osceola passed
down bound for this city short, time
after the break occurred. Those on board
heard cries for help, and the boat slowed
up. When the humping of her engines
ceased the cries were easily snd plainly
heard Capt. Cooper ordered yawl low
cred and manned. The yawl put off in
the direction of the cries and soon came
to two little boys, one II and the other
10 years of age. They were hanging to
the upper wire of barbed wire fence,
and the rushing torrent was seemingly
trying its utmost to dislodge them. The
lads lives were saved and they were
taken on board the City of Osceola.
The water which goes through the
break at Buffers will find its way into
the st. Francis basin and finally into the
st. Francis river. 1t will follow this
stream to Helena and come out there
into the Mississippi again.
Thus it will be seen that the Mississippi
1evees here will not be relieved by the
break above. This will have a terrible
strain on them when the crest of high
water reaches them. For miles and
miles to the west of Memphis not a home
is habitated. Where the current is not
strong it is not difficult for the people
to escape with most of their household
effects, and the surface of the water in
every direction is dotted with RATS.
At Marion, Ark, all day yesterday and
today the. available steamers fit for duty
have been employed rescuing the flood
victims. and some of the sight that have
been met are truly pathetic. Down on
the levee are stored great stacks of goods