The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-16
FLOOD SITUATION
APPROACHES CRISIS
Mississippi Shows a Stage of 3S.5
Feet at Memphis, Breaking
All Previous Records.
LEvEES BEGINNING TO WEAKEN.
AWater Is Flush With Top of Many
Entertainments and Men Are
Engaged in Building
Them Higher.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Memphis. Tenn, March 15.-The flood sit
uation is extremely critical tonight. III
river showing Ss5 feet on the gauge, thu
highest mark ever recorded at Memphis
This Is a rise of L2 foot in twenty fou
hours and the crest of the rise has no
reached here yet.
The maximum of the great flood Of lS9
was 31.3 feet There is every prospect of 4
feet of water. and the damage that will bt
done by such stage can be readily realized
when II Is known that in many places tht
levees top is flush with water and in many
other places only foot of the embank-
ment stands above the water This slight
strip of earth is all that Is standing between
millions of acres of fertile country and an
fnundation.
y Twenty miles above Memphis on the Ark
ansas side at Holly Bush. the water has
overtopped the embankments Of the st
there IS no salvation for the country back
OF this point except the employment OF
hundreds of men. The labor situation thers
is most gloomy All the men who can be
procured are at work. and officers are
securing Crittenden County. asking every
man In the county to respond to the call
for aid. which has ben made by President
Killough of the Levee Board.
MAY PRESS MEN TO WORK.
It is even stated that men who will not
respond Of their own accord will he pressed
into service by the officers. the situation be-
pressing necessity being sufficient to justify
the disregard Of individual rights;
The situation Is 50 grave that the crown
of the levee is being robbed on the back
side and the earth thrown up in tempo
makeshift. as the water is seeping through
this dam.
The salvation of the country depends up
on securing men enough TO strengthen this
earth taken from the levee before the water
rises further. The Frisco Railroad has been
alrAl g., 1aAa h.
and it is thought that they will respond. for
thousands of dollars worth Of their prop
erty is endangered.
This is not the only weak spot on the
ST. Francis Levee system. Below Memphis,
on both the Arkansas and Mississippi
shores, conditions are similar. and 1t seems
that nothing short Of a miracle will save
the levees from breaking at many points.
In North Memphis the water Is rising rap
eral thousands of dollars worth of lumber
has been washed away, and many homes
have been rendered uninhabtable. Street
cars are being transferred at many points
by mule power. the tracks being covered
with water 70 such an extent as to make
electric power impracticable for stretches
c NV IL s I WORK ON LEvEE.
I1e Iazoo and Mississippi Valley Rail
road has four miles of track submerged six
risen 30 fast that it has been impossible
to repair the damage Tonight the Off
Gals Of the company announced that all
trains on the system have been annulled un-
I'll the water subsidies.
At Greenville. Miss. a force OF 200 men
Is at work Strengthening and raising the
levee. but this force has been found INSULT
cient to cope with the rapidity of the rise
and Governor Longino, in responce to an
urgent appeal from the president of the
Levee Board. has sent 10 convicts to the
spot. 1t is doubtful IL this force will be SUI
Ecient to save the entertainments as the
shortage of labor Is general all along the
river: both north and south Of Memphis
Heiugees continue to pour into the city
by hupdreds and all steamboats, have sus-
pended business to devote their efforts TO
rescuing the flood sufferers and saving their
property. 5000