The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-04-27
NEWS FROM THE FLOOD
More Land Being Inunda.ed-The Biv,r
Generally FalIiug-Dcstitu,e People on
the Red River In neasine.s rs
to Other Ieyes.

Washington. April @-The army officer
sent from Fort Smelling. Mimi. 10 the
Red river section of Dakota. has arrived
IN the scene Of the food and today re
ported TO the war department as follows:
Il had a conference with Mayor c.. \.
McCrea. J. X. Fairchild and J. h. wylse.
CT the relief committee. who have just
returned from making their rounds.
Twenty families comprising lS perscus
are destitute and in need Of immediate
aid. T~hirty-two hundred rations will be
sufficient for the next thirty days and
can be purchased here at 10 cents per "a
tion. I recommend n sufficient sum he
placed at the disposal Of the mayor 10
provide relief. The river is falling
slowly"
The situation in the Mississippi valley
is set out in the following telegram from
the army inspector at Memphis
Conditions are improving. No more
supplies are needed at Trotter's landing.
Helena does not want more supplies. The
committee say they want money TO spend
there. There Is no more restitution there.
There is no truth In the report that ne
groes could not obtain supplies in Helena.
Worthy destitutes are supplied"
Memphis. Tenn. April 25.-No new
crevasses have appeared in the levees to-
day, but the current OF the river is s;ill
beating against the southern embank-
ments with a fury that causes the gravest
| Apprehension. Inc brpIk at Delta mas
inundated 5000 acres OF the finest planta-
tions in southern Louisiana and the water
continues to pour through the opening
and Is rapidly spreading over a greater
area. Reports from Greenville are not
| encouraging While the water is slowly
receding in the overlooked district of the
YaZoo delta. yet ii is almost certain that
the planting of this years crop will be
| thirty days late.
The situation north Of Memphis and in
Arkansas. however. has greatly improved.
Captain Davis. the general purchasing
officer here will send out two boats loaded
with provisions tomorrow, one going
north and the other TO the St. Francis
river country. Captain Davis states that
this will be the last government shipment
to these districts unless some new emer-
gency arises. Many people are returning
to their farms in Arkansas and the work
of planting will begin shortly.
According to the official bulletin of the
United States weather bureau, the Missis-
| sippi river at Memphis fell two-tenths OF
a foot in the past thirty hours and Will
continue to fall slowly at this point.
From Cairo, Ills, April pa most en-
couraging report comes. 1t is TO the effect
that the river there fell several tenths of
a foot since the last bulletin was issued
| and will continue to fall at that rate for
| some days to come.
At Vicksburg and New Orleans. there
is no change. the river remaining sta
| tionary At all other points from which
bulletins are issued a decline is reported
varying from one-tenth to eighteenth of
/ d lool.
| The Missouri river at Kansas City ard
| at Omaha fell three-tenthS of a foot. The
! rivers at Nashville and Chattanooga also
| registered a fall. In fact, no rise was re-
| ported at any point covered by the wea-
| Their bureau in its official bulletin.
Natchez, Miss, April 23.-The river is
unchanged here, but many people are be-
coming gloomy again over the threatened
outlook for rain and wind tonight. The
levees are being soaked and are now
| seeping.
Vicksburg, Miss. April 23.-The alarm
ing condition of Hardscrabble levee, re-
ported from Natchez tonight, occasions
much anxiety for the front of Tensas
| parish, which is alone exempt from over
flow by the Biggs crevasse. If this gives
way it will complete the inundation OF che
fifth Louisiana levee district, except east
| Carroll parish, whose levees are also very
soft. and a small portion of Madison.
Vicksburg, Miss, April is
| every reason to believe there is much Suf-
| fering in the interior, where many negroes
and whites of small means, or none at all,
are surrounded by many miles of water.