The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-03-23
viii Seriously Affect Weakened
LeVee from DuVaIIs TO
ChOtard
CRITICAL SITUATION ON
The ISSAQUENA FRONT
No Change at ereenvllle-River is
Falling at Memphis and Thought
Worst Is Over--More
Men at Sycamore

Vicksburg, Miss, March 22.-The private
levee protecting the Hamp Davis place.
IN Issaquena county gave way late this
afternoon, flooding thousands of acres oil
cultivated land. The breaking of thls
levee will seriously affect the weakening
levee. extending from Duvalls to Chotard
a distance of four miles, and news OF
break in that line is momentarily ex-
pected.
Water Slipping Over LeVee.
Vicksburg Miss, March 22.-Onieers OF
the steamer City of st. Joseph, which
reached here this afternoon from Green
Vile, report critical state Of affairs
along the Issaquena county front All
along the line the water is almost level
with the crown of the levee and at seVfrai
points 1t is slipping over.
New work is sloughing badly and at
Fitlers. a great cave has appeared IN the
old levee. Into this cavity 1000 SACKS
filed with sand have been dumped With
cut perceptible effect. Inspector Dulaney'
who is in charge of the work there' mas
about decided to cut the old levee at haif
a dozen places as a sudden break would
he disastrous to the new levee further
back. This is vigorously opposed by peo-
pie living between the levees and feeling
is said to be running high
At Duvalls and from Brunswick to
chotard, there Is imminent danger at
several points, where large forces Of la
borers. are working day and night The
CITY of st. Joseph brought in more than
a hundred refugees, men. women ana
children, from the Davis and Kiger
places and will go back as soon as dis
charged for others who are imperiled by
backwater.
Four hundred head of stock have been
concentrated on the high places at Aus
tralia awaiting removal, but 1t Is reared
that most of these will be swept away
before boat can be secured FOR bring
ing them out. On the Louisiana size,
about Pitchers Point, conditions similar
to those at Fitleys exist, and despite the
optimism of engineers and levee board Of
ficials, 1t Is feared that 1t will be impos-
sibe to hold the line much longer.
The gauge here tonight registers ooo
ana TlSlTR, anu t0t Ondti aeSN''AA
of the city, embracing the wholesale dis
trict, the railroad shops and congresses,
is pretty well covered with water.
Levees Holding at Memphis.
Memphis. March 22-The river continues
to slowly fall at this point, the gauge to-
night registering 1876 feet. The flood con-
ditions are becoming brighter, and 1t Is
generally accepted that the worst is
over. Reports tonight from the levees,
both north and south of Memphis, are
that they are holding splendidly against
the enormous pressure of water.
The railroads west of the river are not
vet open for traffic. but it Is believed
trains will be running by Wednesday
next.
More refugees arrived here today from
the south and are being taken care Of by
the authorities. The shipment of tents
by the government from Jeffersonville,
Ind. is expected to arrive here tomorrow,
and a refugee camp will be pitched in
the old circus grounds in the northwestern
part of the city
All destitute refugees will be given
ample accommodations.
The waters are rapidly subsiding In
North Memphis.
More Men at Work.
Natchez, Miss, March 22.-While the
weather today has been most favorable
for effective levee work, 1t was found
necessary to send more men to the Syca-
more levee in Concordia parish, La. For
the past eleven days there has been a.
force of 125 men engaged In repairing and
bringing this levee to grade. 1t was ex-
pected that the grade would be reached
yesterday, but when daylight broke this
f,,.- Mi,
the New Orleans and Northwestern rail-
road sent sixty men to the front
There has not been enough sunshine to
dry out the earth with which the men
have to work. The fears of the people
have been increased by the continued
rise In the river, and while the levee men
and engineers contend that Sycamore will
hold, those who have experienced the
high waters are skeptical. These men say
that lot of good weather and hard
work will be necessary to hold out against
the rise and heavy pressure that is yet
to come
Black river at Jonesville. La, is one
foot above the danger line and is rising
at the rate of two inches a day.
Capt. II. 8. Douglass of the United
States engineer corps has returned to
Vicksburg, as there is work of more i'm
portance in that territory
The local gauge tonight reads $50, rise
of 2 in the past twenty-four hours, and
rising.
Situation in New Orleans.
New Orleans, March 22.-The river to-
night reached the twenty-foot stage, and
as the Memphis wave Is on the way,
twenty-one feet will be reached by Satur-
day If the levees hold all along the Louis
lana line Engineers and 1evee boards are
confident they will hold, and the week
will see more great defensive work
In the Pontchartrain district, from New
Orleans to Bougere, less than twenty
miles OF levee were found slightly below
the highest standard, and these have been
given false crowns two feet high
The only Louisiana break reported to-
day was on Bayou Lafourche, in front
of Collector of Internal Revenue w. f.