Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-03-17
ROARING THROUGH LEVEF
St. Francis@Levee Breaks and Arkansas
Suffers
Many People surrounded by Water and Appealing
for Help---Steamer at Memphis Being Used
for Rescue Work

81. Thomas the flood is abreast Of the
crown OF the levees and hundreds of
men at each place are working 3y Ian.
tern light to save the day. But so rap
Id is the advance of the river tonight
thai reports from these positions are
awaited with dread and it will be no
surprise if a creyasse has developeG
al each before tomorrow night
The engineers OF the !evee beard
claim t3at the damage from the break
1t TriHe's will net be so seyere as
would have been the case had the
crevasse occurred at any other point
81 the embankment From this point
a draw leads into the ST Francis river
through several bayous and lakes and
these hold the water together
to a great extent and pre-
vent its spreading cut anu
Wreaking destruction over very
large area. Bit even under this ia
vorable condition there will be con
siderable damage in Crittenden county
Ark, from the break. What will re-
suit from it along the St. Francis
river cannot be forecasted
The river at Memphis tonight shows
39.7 feet on the guage and there is no
Stacking of the rise.
This is an advance of a foot and
two-tenths in twelve hours, or an inch
an hour. which is an extreme increase
with the river spread over so much
country.
The break above here may make
some slight check in the speed of the
rise at Memphis, but there is every in
dication that 40 feet will be reached
before morning There is no forecast
ing what will be the maximum reach
ed. as the crest of the wave is not
considered to have been reached by
any means tonight.
The break above will not tend to re-
lieVe the situation below Memphis, as
the water will flow back into the Mis-
sissippi through the st. Francis river,
and it is feared that several serious
breaks may occur in both the Arkan-
sas and Mississippi sides before the
week is ended.
In the city tonight the situation is
the worst that has 50 far been reach
ed. In both North and South Memphis
many homes and business houses have
been flooded and families driven out.
Street car traffic has practically been
suspended in North Memphis. one
bridge having been rendered unsafe,
while Others are threatened. The
tracks of the Illinois Central along
Wolf streets are under water and the
trains are being run through the flood
ed areas until tracks can be raised
above the water
Appeals are pouring into the city
from all directions for aid by those
who have taken refuge on high points
along the river and who are now sur
rounded by the water. All ocal pack
cts have gone into the rescue business.
but their capacity is completely over
taxed and they are unable to respond
to all demands that ere received. All
dav cargoes of refugees and their prop
ertv have been discharged at the wharf
and tonight there are several hundred
destitute persons in the city who are
being cared for by charity.
The Arkansas continues to deci'h9
,nd all danger Of an overflow is past.
II is believed that danger from an
overflow of Red river has passed.
The Ouachita is falling at Camden.
The river at Arkansas City registers
5n4 on the gauge and is rising iae
lnvoes are in good shane and 1t IS
confidently expected that they WI
I'll, t-,NI =