The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-24

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Of seven-tenths Of a foot since yesterday.
At points below Vicksburg the gauge indi-
Gates that the river Is rising slowly. Both
the Cumberland ard Tennessee rivers are
falling. Altogether. the feeling prevailing
in regard TO the conditions may be said 10
be more cheerful than 1t has been at any
time heretofore.
The report Of a break in the levee at Aus
tralia. which was extensively circulated
this morning. has been aUthoritatively cor
rected. No such break has occurred. All
the levees below Memphis are as yet in
tact and are being guarded Will the great
est care and strengthened wherever any
weak spots are suspected. The hope grows
more and more confident that these leveeS
will be able to withstand all pressure in the
future as they have done i'm the past. the
more so, as the pressure has been somewhat
relieved by he break above Memphis. Since
the Charlottesville break no others have Oc-
Cured at any point up TO this writing.
The continuation of the fair weather and
sunshine tends TO raise the spirits of all
and there is much less gloom to be felt in
the atmosphere than at any former time.
The slight cooler weather. too. points to
a probable continuation of the fair weather.
Al Trails dIe again running on schedule
time, with the exception of the through
train on the Louisville & Nashville. Thus
the wheels OF are no longer re-
tarded 10 any material extent by the over
flow.
CARING FOR THE REFUGEES.
No further loss of life has been reported.
The relief boats are no longer kept busy.
as the overlooked territory has been gone
over and all in danger or distress have
been brought to this city, where all efforts
are now being concentrated in the work of
feeding and lodging them. The work of
the relief has assumed enormous
proportions, and there is not a moment
when the headquarters on Second street
are not besieged with a mob OF negro APP
almost impossible for the TO at
almost Impossible for the committee TO at
tend IN the moods of all Whn annlX hnf
they are doing great work. 1T Is especially
difficult to distinguish between the impoS-
tors and the really needy, as the former
are known to be much in evidence in the
crowds, which daily seek supplies from
the committee.
The utmost pains are taken TO distribute
the rations where they are really needed.
and the colored preachers of the city are
rendering assistance TO the in
this difficult part of the work. Many of
the white people are able to care for them
selves and are assigned TO empty houses
rent free, which the real estate men OF the
city have rendered TO the committee. 9th
ers are taken 10 warehouses and empty
StorehOuSeS and fed and clothed. a large
percentage of the refugees in the city are
negroes, who not only are pennileSS, but
refuse to aid themselves. AT one time 1900
able-bodled men were gathered on the levee
and an announcement was made that work
at $1.50 a day with expenses would be given
100 of them. Only thirty could be induced
to accept the offer, while the rest lay bask-'
ing in the sun and begged chewing tobacco
from every white man who passed them.
The three busiest places In Memphis just
now are the soup mousse and supply depot
and rescue mission, conducted by the relief
committee. The soup house is In a big
storeroom on Front street. and in 1t a long
quadrangular counter has been built. at
Which $40 negroes can stand. Inside the
counter are two big ranges. and on each
of them ten-gallon boilers are constantly
filled with steaming soup. About the walls
of the room are long. low benches. at
which the pickaninnies stand at their
meals The scene at meal-time is an odd
two to eighty years: crowd into the build
ing and attack the steaming bowls of
soup, then devOur loaves of bread and
great chunks of roasted meat.
AT THE SUPPLY STATION.
The supply station occupies another big
storeroom on Fourth street. When visited
by a reporter 100 negroes were lined up
on the street and sidewalks just outside the
big doors of the building. They were kept
from pushing the doors in by a squad of
policemen. who pushed them back and
sought to control them. Inside the build
ing were many more colored people. They
stood in groups of twenty and thirty. and
each group was in charge Of a member of
the relief committee. composed of business
men with large interests, who have neg
lected their own affairs for a week or more
to aid the refugees. About the floor were
great bundles OF clothing. and piled ATOMS
the walls are barrels and sacks OF meal.
cases of meat. barrels of molasses and all
kinds of substantial prOvender.
At the back of the building wagons were
backed up and into them were being rollec
barrels of food and small casks OF molasses
and oil TO be hauled to the relief boats and
distributed at different points where desti-
tuition exists. In the room were a number
of wealthy planters who live in Memphis.
hut own plantationes of hundreds of acres
in Arkansas. These planters talked 10 the
negroes and learned which of them were
employed on their plantations. Many of the
negroes swear that they will not return to
the low lands again, and the planters are
greatly alarmed at the prospect of not hav-
ing any hands with which TO get in their
cotton crop this year. Many of the large
plantations require from three TO five hun
dred negroes 10 work them. and their
owners are taking care of all the negroes
who will agree to return to their cabins
when the water recedes and the time for
planting draws near. The members of the
relief talk with each refugee in
turn, and learn their names and from what
part of the country they come. They then
examine their clothing and learn II they
possess any means. AS soon as the queS-
tioning is over the negroes are turned over
to other members of the committee, who
supply them with every article OF wearing
apparel needed. The excellent condition of
the clothing contributed Is remarkable to
one not acquainted with Southern gener-
osity.
Many of the men. when given outfits. are
as we'll clothed as most of the business men
who walk the streets of Memphis. The
results with the women Is somewhat gro
teSque. Most OF them have a failing for
bright-colored garments, and the combina-
tionS they secure are amusing. Green or
red skirts of the brightest dye are worn
with gaily tinted waists. and the more
ornamentation they have the better are
the negro women pleased. AS soon as their
wants are supplied a most wonderful trans
formation Is made. They enter the build
ing with dragging steps and desperate
faces, but as soon as decked out with new
garments they invariably strut about with
springy steps. and for the nonce forget
flood and suffering i'm their love for the
finery furnished. The negroes on arriving
from the boats are i'm a most deplorable
condition. Most of them. both men and
women, are barefooted. and the men wear
garments on their limbs which have lost
all Semblance to trousers. They hang in
tatters from above the knees and are Sc
cured at the waist by ropes or knotted
straps. The condition of the women is as
wretched as that of the men. There is
quite a colony of old negroes in the lot
here. not one of whom has seen less than
the allotted three score years and ten.
THE POOR WHITES.
Most of the poorer class of white people
are housed in the rescue mission. on Front
street. The rescue mission was established
in Memphis a year ago by an old st. Louis
printer. who married an estimable Tennes-
see lady. The mission was conducted en-
tirely by reformed inebriates. and when the
floods came the relief committee called