The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-29
CITY OF GREENVILLE FACES
 AN APPALLING CALAMITY

pressed the opinion that the break can be mended. The area of overfiowed land was largely increased today. No lives or stock have been lost. however, for there was ample warning and the water spread slowly.
 Today the Texas and Pacific was forced to suspend traffic over its own line in the vicinity of tho break. However, freight and through trains are being operated over the Southern Pacific rails to Cheney vile. where connection with the main line of the Texas and Pacific is again made. Through traffic over the Mississippi Val ley has been cut off by the La Grange break in Mississippi. The service between this city and Vtcksburg has not, however, been interrupted. The Illinois Central Is arranging to handle its valley business over its main line via Jackson.
 No unfavorable news came today from other Louisiana points than Hymelia. A valiant fight is in progress from Baton Rouge to New Orleans on the ca St hank and early tonight the whole line was said to be holding. There Is a reasonable hope that the great levees in the Fifth district will pull safely through.
 The problem there is the duration of the flood now that the levee near Greenville has given away. The location of that
 
 the Yazoo. In 1897 when there were seven breaks on the Mississippi front the re- turn wave increased the flood height three feet in the Fifth district. Nothing like this height is expected to be attained if the remainder of the Mississippi line stands fast.
 To Protect Algiers.
 Locally the situation is barren of events. The fact that the river has been practi- cally at a standstill for three days has erabled the forces employed to improve the temporary embankments and to accu- mulate materials at various points to be in readiness for use at a moments mo- tice. While the expectation is strong that the Hymelia crevasse will be closed, the engineers are preparing to throw up emer- gency levees to protect Algiers and the thickly settled towns on the west bank opposite New Orleans No danger attends a backwater overflow in these sections, but considerable damage and great hard ships have accompanied it in the past.
 Local cotton men as a rule do not take pessimistic view of the situation in the Yazoo delta from a crop standpoint. They believe that if the flood passes quickly there will be ample time to recoup losses resulting from the present overflow.
 To Protect Water Works.
 The city has now in place its pumps and will protect the waterworks from any serious danger. Business is paraly- zed throughout the city, but up till now nobody is suffering except plantation hands who come in with nothing at all except what few clothes they had on their backs. The convicts tonight have again been divided. Fifty were sent hack to Huntington and in the morning the balance will go down to the break and help tie the ends. The city has been turned into a ship yard and every man who can use a saw, and hammer can be seen constructing a boat. The unfavora- ble conditions of tonight is a high wind which has increased some in force since dark. The city Is still without light, but pumps have been sent for to keep water out of the electric light plants and the two companies expect to be running by tomorrow night.