The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-19
THE BIGGs LEvEE BREAK.
1t Has Resulted I'm Great Damage I'm
Madison Parish, Louisiana.

VICKSBURG, Miss, April 1s.-At p. m.
the river was SIS, a fall of three-tenths in
the past twenty-four hours and a total OK
six-tenths since the crevasse at Biggs lev.
ee at 10 o'clock Friday night. The stua-
ton in Madison parish, louisiana, Is grow
ing hourly worse. The flood OF water go
ing through the Biggs break in the ievee Is
fast covering the lowlands and is flooding
Bay Vidal and the greater part OF the land
in the southern portion OF the parish. The
water has reached Tallulah, some eighteen
miles west of Delta. The water has risen
seven feet In the bayou at Tallulah and was
rising foot hour at noon to-day Delta
is about depopulated, only enough persons
remaining to look after the houses. Many
of them have two or three feet of water in
them. The backwater is fast covering lands
north of Delta and at Young's Poirt much
land is already covered. At Omega the
floods are coming fast Relief boats are
running to Davis island and KeIlogg's Sec
ton. Planters in the north part OF Madi-
son are placing their stock i'm reach OF
boats on the river front or at stations on
the line of the Vicksburg * Shreveport
Railroad, so they can be moved in the event
Of another break in the upper portion OF
the parish which is now severely threat
ened. Milliken's Bend and Duckport levees
Reports from Madison parish state that
the water began rising in Brushby bayou
at Tallulah at o'clock this morning ana
up to about d. m. IL had risen seven 10
eight feet. About three miles below Tailu-
lah the water is getting over the levees
and is overfiowing everything two miles
below. 1t will not be upon the higher lands
until tomorrow, as there ls several feet
of bank left in the bayou. Richland. La.
ter going all over everything, overfiowing
the Kings and Kels places. also the villages
of Trinidad % and AshMood' eight miles below %
distance below Richland and communica-
ton was cut off from there up TO noon to-
day. The water is beginning to back Up
Lake l. on the line of the Vicksburg &-
Shreveport road. Work is still going on at
the Milliken's Bend levees and they are re-
ported in good shape there. The people at
Tallulah are building up the old levee on
Bushy bayou as far south as SEWERS, about
eight miles south, In an endsSvor 10 no,d
getting their stock together, however, SO
as TO move promptly.
Mr.. Stubbs, of the Vicksburg & Shreve-
port Railroad, says an effort Will be made
to handle passengers and mail service from
Delta to some point on the line west. where
communication. The road was transferring
here under the most adverse conditions be-
fore the break at Biggs, which soon made
that impossible. as the track was flooded
TO the depth Of several feet In less than
twelve hours.
1t is now estimated not less than eight
thousand persons will want relief in this
county for the next thirty days at least.
Lieutenant Crowley, OF the United States
army, reached here from Washington by
the noon train, having been detailed TO
duty here to purchase and distribute re-
lief. He has gone actively 10 work and
will purchase meal meat and molasses for
distribution through the gentlemen named
by the Governor.
John NJ Coulton. one of the leading plan
ters of IssaGuena county, is in the city and
makes the following statement: II have
Just returned from lssaquena county. The
Ctafaf ind ira a Ia fInxkr
will break all former records as To duration
and destruction of property in the line Of
plantation improvements and loss of cat
tie, leaving little prospect OF planting q
crop I'm 1897