The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-01
EXCESSIVE RAINS III THE LOVER MIS-
SiSSlFPl VALLEY.
EXTENSIVE AREAS INUNDATED
Railway FRAN and Telegraph Ser
vice DemOralized- Some Trains
AnnuIled, Others Caught by the
F1Oods-Towns Entirely Cut on
From Other Points-MfIe. of Track
Under Water LOwIand. Badly
Damaged-Residents Moved From
Their DweIlinss-No Loss of Life
Reported.

inches OF rain has fallen here during
the past forty-eight hours. The streams
are raging; many farms are under wa
ter. bridges have been washed away
and railway traffic in this vicinity is at
a standstill.
An Alabama Great Southern freight
went into a washout last night near
York. There is no travel on the Ala
bama Great Southern or the Southern
railway between Meridian and Selma.
No trains have entered or departed
from Meridian since Thursday after
loon. Several serious wachouts are re-
ported. Many Of the telegraph wires
are down and some points are entirely
cut off.
Mobile. Ala. March 2S.-Trafic on the
Mobile and Ohio railroad in Mississippi
has been seriously n:terfered with by
the floods of the last two days. Last
night a trestle thirty feet long just
south of Shuqulak, Miss, was washed
out and the track is under water from
P~orterville, Miss, to Iron Bridge, adds
lance of two miles. Miner washouts
are also reported between Arteria and
Tuscaloosa
The passenger train which left Mo-
bile last night was turned back at En-
terprise. The passenger train that left
St. Louis yesterday morning and due
at Mobile this morning was turned back
from ShuQulak. No train left here to-
night.
Jackson, Miss, March 28.-The GOD
situation is somewhat improved today
SO far as the railroads are concerned
but the traffic has rot vet been re-
sumed from New Orleans. Vicksburg,
or Meridian. Mail from the north ar
rived today thirty-siX hours late, but
no mail has come In from the south in
two days. Pear river continues to rise
and is now spread out over a wide por-
ton of the COUNTRY i'll the vicinity OF
Jackson. The flood from the upper
country is being felt mere. and Pearl
river has already backed up to within
100 feet Of the old Car itol Scores Of
families moved to high ground today.
So far. there has been no loss Of life
Meridian, Miss. March 2S.-Meridian
is entirely cut off from Inc outside
world. except that two Western Union
wires are still in operation, and not a
train is moving within fifty miles of the
| city.
A fast freight on the Northwestern
railroad is six feet under water and the
crew is in danger Of being swept away.
Efforts to reach the train by boats have
heen futile, owing to the swift current.
Two relief parties started TO swim and
wade streams, but nothing has been
heard from them since last night
Water at Enterprise, twelve miles
| south. is rising at the rate Of eighteen
inches an hour. There is no prospect for
the resumption of traffic for two or
three days. The southern section of
this city has been under three feet OF
water for twenty-four hours, and many
families have been forced to leave their
homes In the lowlands and escape to
higher ground
New Orleans. March 2S.-The wind
and rain storm which has prevailed
over southern Mississippi for the past
forty-eight hours has demoraliZed all
railway traffic and telegraphic commu-
nication today. The town of Hazel
hurst. Miss. has been completely iso-
lated for the past two days on accoun,
of the heavy rains. Many streams II
the ountry overlooked their banks and
all passage from the country has beer
stopped. with no trains and no mails
Rain is still falling there. Great dam
age has been caused by n flood a
Newton. Miss. n there is little prob
ability of the trains running through
TO several days. About ten miles cas-
the water is running over their tracks
six feet deep and four or five miles wide
and two miles of track has been swept
away. Telegraphic lines are proStrat
ed III an directions.
No mail has been received over tne
star routes since the rain.
All the bridges over country roads ir
this vicinity have been washed away
and the roads cut up so as to be impaS'
sible. In some places fences have beer
swept away. LowlandS nave been had
ly washed by the sweeping current.
An embankment of the Illinois Cen
trail railroad. one mile north of Oxford
01oI loo wi n
seventy feet of the iron rails n eros:
ties suspended about fifty feet in tn
air. Another washout occurred a mile
south of the town. 1t will be Severa
days before it is possible for trains II
reach Oxford from either north OF
south.
Leaf river at Hattiesburg, Miss ros;
several feet during last night and NJ
trains have passed over the Northeast
ern. the South of the Gulf and Ship Is
land road today on account of the h1g!
water. The Northeastern is washed on
in several places between this place anC
Meridian. A dispatch from Laurel re
ports that three miles Of the Northeast
ern track is inundated north of Enter
prise. d.
At Enterprise the Chickashay river i:
on a and all the low amos
the river valley are covered with wafer
The river at s o'clock tonight was a:
high as in the flood of two years as(
and is rising at the rate Of four inche!
an hour.
Much damage has been done to pros-
erty and the loss to farmers will b'
heavy.
Over eight inches of rain has faller
at V~icksburg I'm the last forty-eigh
hours. The Alabama and Vicksburs
and the Vicksburg and Shreveport anC
Pacific railroads are practically tied 10
! The river reading today was 40.2 fee
or as below the danger line. Nc dam
age has so far ensued from high water
but IL the rains continue serious result.
are feared.
New Albany. Miss. March 18th.
rainfall for the last t~wenty-four hour:
and the wind for the last three hour
have been extraordinary. The waite
in TalIhatchie river has risen five fee
this evening washing away the Ions
bridge at the end of town. The watei
has risen to lofts Of a dozen houses ant
inhabitants are on their roofs awaitin.
boats which are being secured for thei
1- Inn x