The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-13
FLOOD VICTIMS GIVEN FOOD.
FORAGE ALSO PROVIDED FOR THE
LIVE STOCK.

4 The Governments Work of Mercy
! Under Way All Along the LiOc.
! The Worst of the Rise Believed to
Have Passed-The RntiOns Distri-
buted Consist of Pork, Corn Meal
and MOInsses-MOre DcstitutiOn
Than Supposed i'm Uppe= Arkansas
and Missouri.
! Washington, April 12.-Secretary Alger
thinks the worst of the flood dangers have
passed in the Mississippi valley, and that
with the force the war department now
has in the field, cooperating, as it is with
the local relief committees, there is small
danger that great suffering will be permit
ted to so unchecked and unrelieved.
The question of feeding the live stock
of the people driven from their homes by
! the water has been solved. When it was
first proposed to authorize the officers to
| buy forage for the animals, it was held
that the act of congress could not permit
| that to be done, and the officials were
| about to ask congress to amend the orig
inaI joint resolution when the treasury
authorities decided that the resolution it.
+ self contained the necessary authorization.
This was fortunate, for Capt. Davis, at
Memphis, Saturday night telegraphed that
it seemed absolutely necessary to purchase
forage for the stock in addition to food.
and the permission to do so was at once
given him.
Another decision that may do something
to relieve the government authorities of
undue pressure upon their resources was
also made by Secretary Alger upon the
recommendation of Capt. Davis. This was
to reduce the ratons supplied to the sim
plest proportions while still making sure
that they should be sufficient for actual
needs. The army ration will be discarded
and in its place the hungry will get moth
ing but pork, corn meal and molasses.
Capt Davis report on this subject was
contained in the following telegram to the
war department:
Memphis, April 11.-Conditons as to the
food here the same as Capt. Fitch's tele-
gram of Sth. The water is subsiding
slightly and slowly. The steamer j. II. S.
! Hardin has been hired to take Mai. San
ger on an inspecting tour to st. Francis
river, and carry relief. Have shipped on
requsition of the relief committee 800
pounds of pork, 600 pounds of corn meal,
| go gallons of mOlasses, in charge of Lieut.
| Carnahan, for distribution in that dis
| trict The steamer sailed at o'clock this
| morning. Civilian relief committee is to
be reorganized. Ii is difficult to obtain ac-
| curate information as to the number Of
destitute at any point. In purchasing
supplies we have figured on plantation
ration, consisting daily per person of 7
ounces pork, q 81 ounces corn meal and
one-half pint of molasses Davis"
This was supported by the following tel
egram, which was turned over to the war
department by Representative Catchings
as recipient; Impress on the secretary of
war the advisability of sending only meat
meal, -four corn and oats to flood suffer-
ers here. They are cheaper and go fur
Their than the regular army rations This
! should only be distributed through govern
ment officials. (Signed) w. A. Overman
and w. w. Stone"
The following report of the situation at
| Moorehead, Mimi came from Mai. Sanno
| just before leaving for Grand Forks:
''Moorehead, Mimi, April 11.-Adjutant
| General, Washington Had a conference
with the relief committee, at which George
". Lamp presided, the mayor and city at
torney being present. Seventy-fve fami-
| lies, consisting Of 1926 souls have been
/ flooded and are being cared for by the COM
mittee. These people mostly owned and
| occupied small dwellings in the flooded dis
trict and are now quartered in public
! buildings or among friends. Fifty houses
have floated off some distance, and TWEEN
| ty-hve more are water-soaked to the roof
! The committee estimate it will cost 5000
to replace and repair the dwellings before
they can be made habitable, and would
! prefer that the government assistance
| should be in this direction, provided the
appropriation win admit of It. With the
exception of some fifteen mechanics, all
| the people flooded out are common labor
ers, and it is my understanding the gov
eminent contemplates the issue Of rations
To this end 1 recommend 1880 rations as
being sufficient to carry them through the
| next thirty days. Rations can be pur-
| chased here as reasonable as elsewhere,
| and l am satisfied that George N. Lamp
here would be a proper person to take
charge Of the matter The river is falling
and no further trouble is expected here"
kilograms from other officets on inspec-
ton duty show that there is more desti-
tuition than was supposed in Upper Ar
kansas and Missouri The first of the de-
tailed reports from the inspecting officers
came to Secretary Alger this afternoon
from Lieut.. Whitney, as follows:
Memphis, Tenn, April 1l.-As a result
of personal inspection Of part Of the Mem
! phis-Cairo district, north Of Ashport
| Tenn ninety miles by river, I found
eighteen crevassps in leVees, varying in
width from fifty to 1000 feet and widening
some. The increased damage to levees
will be considerable unless the ends of
] the breaks are heaNlly capped. NO lfesh
crevasses are anticipated now. The food
is completely over the United States levee
at Ashport and south for fifteen miles
except in a few of the highest places
There are crevasses IN this stretch I
have the latest details as 20 the location
OF the breaks. The water at the maxi
mum was three or four feet higher on the
gauge than ever before known 1t has
fallen ten TO twelve inches every twenty
four hours, and is now on a standstill
higher than any previous flood. stock IS
suffering terribly. One-third 10 one
fourth Of the cattle is drowned. and the
remainder will die unless forage Is sup
piled from outside. The resources Of the
district are exhausted. The condition IN
Mississippi county, Arkansas, IS repre-
sentative. Nlne-tenths OF its sos square
miles are covered with water three 20 sew
en- feet deep. About IS per cent. Of this
was under cultivation. Many cabins are
washed away or torn up. Those standing
are filed with people and rescued stock on
raised doors and no RATS. Out Of 10000
! population. GOO are dependent and need
ing. Four lives are reported lost by
| drowning.