The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-22
Grent Volume Of Water Rushing Into
Issaquena County through "a Gre
vasse Fully 800 Feet Wide.
EXTENT OF DAMAGE TO DATE
OVER 10000 SQUARE MILES OF
FARMING LAND INUNDATED.
And Millions of Dollars Lost by Plant.
crs-Mr. Sayers's Plan for Curbing
the Father of Waters.

MEMPHIS. Tenn, April 21-The sixth
break in the Mississippi delta levee system
occurred at 10 o'clock this morning at a
point few miles south of Lake Providence.
La. on the Mississippi side of the river
The break is quite large one. and a great
volume OF water is rushing into Issaquena
county, Mississippi This county. with the
adjacent counties of Sharkey and Yazoo,
have already been partly inundated from
the caller breaks and to-day's crevasse,
1t is believed, will not materially affect the
situation in that vicinity. The water will.
of course, rise again. but the swift flowing
Yazoo will doubtless carry it back into the
main channel again within short time
No new breaks are reported from the
Louisiana district. The water is gradually
spreading over Madison parish, and IL will
be several weeks before it subsidies.
A dispatch from Greenville, Miss, says:
There was another break I'm the levee on
the Mississippi side at Shipland, or the
Promised Land levee at 10 o'clock this
morning, forty miles by rail south OF Green
vile. The break will cover a few thousand
acres of land not already flooded. and will
add TO the volume OF water already cover
ing most of the lands in it's vicinity. The
levee is ten feet high, and the break this
afternoon is fully 300 feet wide. There was
inside of the levee when it gave way. The
cause of the break is said to be from cattle
tramping on the levee- Major William
Starting, chief engineer of the Board Of
Mississippi Levee Commissioners, and Cap
tain Arthur Hides, I'm command OF the gov
ernment fleet at Greenville left this after
noon with material for tying the ends OF
break will make rush for the Yazoo river,
and will really do no vast amount Of dam
age.
A dispatch from vicksburg, Miss, says,
Reports from the sixth Mississippi crevasse,
in Issaquena county, on Promised Land
plantation, up 10 p. m. show that IL Is
not widening and that the flow of water
through IT is slackening to stiffness already
The situation along the Louisiana levees
above this place Is unchanged and cannot
be considered as otherwise than critical
The levees are endangered by sloughinE,
being very soft, and while they s are stand nd
aster occur at several points. Three thou
sand people were issued rations here to-day
r,e creased it Is believed The situation pre-
sents many difficulties. Some planters arc
ready and anxious to supply the wants Of
| OF making a CROP being on low land, are
either unable or unwilling to do so. this
this taiser counts. St Which Is not protected by
| levees, and many negroes who could get
supplies to be paid for when crop is made.
| greatly blamed, for all of them are heavy
| losers in one way or another, and very
few of them have anything but their bone
| and sinew and their work to look TO for
| a living. To weed out the undeserving is a
| task of great difficulty, but IL is being done
approximately. The people OF Vicksburg
have contributed and are contributing most
| literally to feed the hungry. Government
supplies were sent out tonight by steamer
both up and down the river. This VIII
| check the tendency TO congregate here.
| Tents for two thousand persons were re-
ceved here to-day and arrangements VIII be
made tomorrow to erect them. They will
relieve a state of unhealthful overcrowding.
| Town VIII BE Submerged.
| MAYERSVILLE, Miss, April H.-The
| break at Shipland Landing will entirely
| submerge Mayersville. the county seat or
| the county town of four hundred people.
| The town is situated twelve miles north OF
| the break. From Mayersville south &c, the
| Yazoo river every plantation in lssaquena
| and two-thirds of those in Sharkey, besides
| a number of others in Yazoo and Warren
| counties, will be put under water from ten
| to twenty feet deep. While this section was
| in a large measure already overfiowed there
were hundreds of farmhouses and cabins
| and numerous ridges and mounds and has7/
tily-erected scaffolds which still afford pro1
| lection to man and beast. These are now
| being rapidly abandoned and terror regnsl