The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-04-16
FEEDING THE STARVING.
RUSHING MEASURES FOR RE
LIEF OF FLOOD SUFFERERS.

Thousands in Need of Immediate Assis-
tance-To Provide Forage for Stock-Hs-
tions to the People to be of the Simplest
kind-The Flood Generally sub-iding.
Washington. April 12.-Secretary Al
ger thinks the worst of the flood dan
gers have passed in the Mississippi
valley and that with the force the war
department now has in the field. CO.
operating. as ii is. with the local relief
committees, there is mall danger that
great suffering will be permitted TO go
unchecked and unrelieved.
The question of feeding the live stock
OF the people driven from their homes
by water has been solved. When il
was first proposed to authorize the Of
f1cers to buy forage for the animals. il
was held that the act of congress would
not permit that TO be done and the Of
ficials We're about to ask congress to
amend the original joint resolution
when the treasury authorities deCid-
ed that the resolution itself con-
tanned the necessary authorize
ton. This was fortunate, for Cap
tain Davis, at Memphis Saturday
night, t~elegraphed that it seemed alb
| solutely 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 was also made by Sec
cretary Alger upon the recommended
ton of Captain Davis. This was to re-
duce the ratiOns supplied to the SIM
pleSt proportions, while still making
sure that they should be sufficient for
actual needs. The army ration VIII be
discarded and in it's place the hungry
will get nothing but pork, corn meal
anu mOlasSeS. Captain Davis report on
this subject was contained in the fol-
lowing telegram to the war depart
ment:
memphis, April II, 1897. Conditions
as to food here same as in Captain
Fitch's telegram of Sth. Water sub
siding slightly and slowly. steamer ].
H. Hardin hired to take Major Sanger
on inspecting tour to st. Franc river
and carry relief. Have shipped on re-
QUESTION Of the relief committee, 2,070
pounds of pork, 600 pounds of corn
meal, $50 gallons mOlaSSeS in charge of
Lieutenant Carnahan for destitute in
that district. Steamer sailed at Z
o'clock this morning. Civilian relief
committee is to be organized. 1t is diff
ficult to obtain accurate information as
l ~ lHC Il VI q lily Bolil.
In purchasing supplies we ave figured
or plantation rations consisting daily
per person Of seven ounces pork. q "-7
ounces corn meal and one half pint Of
molasses. DAVIS"
This was supported by the following
telegram 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, flour, corn and oats to flood suf-
ferers here. they are cheaper and go
further than the regular army rations.
This should only be distributed through
government officials.
"W. A. EvERMAN,
w. w. STONE
The following report of the situation
at MOOrhead, Mimi, came from Major
Sanno, just before leaving for Grand
Forks:
"Moorhead, Mimi, April 11.-Adju-
tant general, Washington: Had a con-
ference with the relief committee at
which George N. Lamphere presided,
the mayor and the city attorney be-
ing present. Se~venty-five families, con-
sisting of 325 souls, have been flooded
out and are being cared for by the COM
mittee. These people mostly owned
and occupied small dwellings in the
flooded district and are now quartered
in public buildings or among friends.
Fifty houses have fOated off some dis
tance and twenty-five more are water
soaked to the roof. The committee eS-
Inmates it will cost $1,000 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 APP
preparation will admit of it. With the
exception of some fifteen mechanics,
Ill ~~l1I
laEorers, and it is my understanding
the government relief contemplates the
issue of rations. To this end, I recon-
mend $500 ratiOnS as being sufficient
to carry them through the next thirty
days. Rations can be purchased here
as reasonably as elsewhere and / an
satisfied that George N. Lamphere will
get the proper person to take charge
of the matter. The river is falling and
no further trouble is expected here"
kilograms from other officers on in
spection duty show that there is more
restitution than was supposed in uppeI
Arkansas and Missouri. The first OF
, the detailed reports from the inspection
officers, came to Secretary Alger this
afternoon from Lieutenant Whitney, as
follows:
memphis, April 12.-As a result OF
personal inspection of part Of the Mem
phis-Cairo district north of Ashport
,, Tenn, ninety miles by river, 1 found
eighteen crevasses in levees. varyine
in width from so to 1000 feet and
widening more. The increased damage
to levees will be considerable unless
the ends of the breaks are heavily
= capped. Nc fresh crevasses are an.
l ~ticipated now. The flood is completely
over the United States levee at Ash.
port and south for fifteen miles. excep'
in a few Of the highest places: three
crevasses in this stretch. The top i:
being badly damaged on account OF
:. sloughing- / have reported latest de
tails as to location, extent and con
dition to the engineer officer in charge
OF this district. Water at the maximum
: was three or four feet higher on tht
l gauge than ever before known. 1t ha:
= been falling ten to twelve inches every
? t~wenty-four hours and is now about
l on a ~standstill, higher than any pre-
vious flood. The maximum approimat,