Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-04-12
ENCOURAGING REPORTS FROM THE
FLOODED DISTRICTS.
WATER IN THE DELTA RECEDING
EXPECTED CRISIS IN THE YAZOO
VALLEY DID NOT COME.
Government Engineer Says the Break
in the Leyee Mt Flower Lake
Cannot BE Mended Before
the June Rise-FIOod
News in General.

Memphis Tenn, April 1.-THE water in
the Mississippi delta is slowly receding.
Reports received here tonight from the
overfiowed country are most encouraging.
The day has been an ideal one. and every
planter in the delta is in better spirits.
At Greenviile the river, as well as the
back water surrounding the town, is sta
tionary tonight. Everything Is in reddi-
ness for the receipt and distribution of pro-
visions from the government, and as soon
as the army officers arrive the work will be
actively entered into.
At Lula, Miss, decided Improvement Is
noted. There is still some suffering in the
back country, but it is being alleviated by
the planters, and to-day representative
of the government arrived, and will assist
the destitute at once.
The Yazoo & Mississippi Valley railroad
has been busy all day with pile drivers, re-
placing washouts. The road will probably
dale on Tuesday.
It is now believed the water will disap-
pear by May 1, and if this proves true, a
fair crop can be made. The river is falling
at Memphis tonight. At Vicksburg and
all points south steady rise is noted.
Major Dabney,. chief engineer of the
Yazoo levee board, has arrived in the city
frcm the scene of the Flower lake break,
and had consultation with Captain Fitch
and tn, members of the levee board who
are in the city.
Major Dabney said that on Thursday he
hal measured the crevasse by engineering
Instruments and found that it was 1875
feet wide. Since then he thinks that the
width has increased to no less than 1850
feet. The upper end of the levee. the one
that has been doing most of the cutting,
has been tied but Major Dabney says that
he is not certain that it will hold at that
point. He was asked for an estimate of
through the crevasse into the delta and
after making some rough calculations he
placed the amount at 1SO,0OOOoo cubic feet
per hour.
What will be the chance for closing the
opening before the time for the June
rise?"
leyee of full size and height to be built
around the opening before that time. With
the circular line that we will have to fol-
low around them it will take some $4,000
yards of dirt to make standard levee
there and that will cost between $4,000 and
S5O.000 1t could not be finished in time for
the June rise, but in the event that the
present flood in the river goes down in
time we will probably make a small levee
along the line to be followed by larger
one that will be sufficient to keep out a
moderate rise in the river from the melting
SHOWS in the Rock mountains"
With the river falling all along the front
in this district Major Dabney does not ex-
-pect any further trouble.
Colonel Sanger, one of the army officers
sent here by Secretary of War Alger, to
by the great flood, has chartered the steam
er ]. r. Harbin and to-day. left Memphis
on a trip up the St. Francis river to in
xestigate the conditions In that section;
supplies, which will be distributed wher-
ever they are needed. The relief commit
tee purchased large quantity of feed for
the live stock along the st; FRANCIS; and
this was also placed on board the Harbin.
Lieutenant Whitney. in company with w.
c. McNutt, of the relief committee, has
left here on the steamer Rowena Lee to In
vestigate the conditions in his district,
which extends from Memphis to Cairo.
investigate the country from that point up
to Helena.
All the army officers. therefore, have de-
parted for their respective districts. and
after making their investigations will re-
port to Secretary Alger The officers who
will have the distribution of the supplies
in hand will arrive in short time and
will send provisions to people who are re-
ported in destitute circumstances by the
investigating officers.