Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1903-03-25
ON The DANGER Line
Much Apprehension Over the High
Water Situation.
BIG RIVER ON TREMENDOUS BOOM
The Danger Line Reached at rlany
Points and the Father of Waters Is
Still Rising.

Memphis, Special.-The flood situa-
ton in that portion of the Mississippi
Valley contiguous to Memphis is ex-
uemely critical. A veritable sea eX-
lists in the st. Francis and Mississippi
river basins, in Arkansas, extending
from the one completely to the other,
distance of many miles. Through
this territory the ST. Louis & San
Francisco Railroad runs, but all trains
were annulled Tuesday and no as
sistance can oe rendered by the rail-
roads. its tracks being under water
near Marion. Ark. AT this latter point
telegraph connections still exist to
Memphis and the reports that come IL
over the wire are Ear from encourag-
ing. Refugees from the adjacent terri
tory are pouring into Marion each
hour. asking that boats be sent to
their rescue. There is no means of
reaching them except by making a
breach in the levec near Memphis and
this may be done if conditions show
no Improvement. 1t is estimated that
several hundred persons are sur
rounded by water in the flooded Ar
kansas territory and that the amount
of live stock is heavy in the extreme.
Negroes at Marion have become fright
cned and almost a panic exists They
nave congrogated at the depot and in
the cabins of the village and refuse
10 work. \ relief train, the last that
reached the village, arrived early this
morning with 5000 sacks to be used
in damming back the water. but la
bor cannot be secured to unload the
train. The tracks of the Iron Noun
tain and Choctaw Railroads are stin
open and no trouble has been EXPERT
enced. The Frisco is detouring its
trains over the tracks or the former
system.
There seems every Indication that
all predictions of the stage at this
point will be surpassed, as the river
is again rising slowly 1t was hoped
that the crest of the rise was suffi-
ciently close to Memphis last night
for the break in the levee at Trice's
Landing to give relief and cause a
fall here. a fall did follow the break.
but this was checked. The guage is
39.6 feet, or within one-tenth of the
maximum thus far reported. 1t is
feared that the stage will pass 40 feet
and the end will probably not then be
reached.
The weak points in the levee which
we're reported other than at the break
are still In critical condition and
further breaks may occur. Forces of
men, under assistant engineers. are
working night and day at these points.
and the situation has now resolved
itself into n race between the workers
and the water. A few floating bodies
nave been found at various points by
the rescuing boats. but the number
has not yet been alarming. A true
estimate fthe loss of life by the food
can never be made. as the sections
hooded are so vast in area and the
population so widely dispersed that
nothing like census can be made
In this city the situation is growing
worse each hour and the water is
spreading TO sections other than those
which were flooded yesterday. Alto
gether the situation is most dis
couraging and with the water continu-
ing to rise no relief can yet be hoped
for.