Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-30
LANTERNS SHOW FLOODS
Greenville spaSmOdiOally Lighted BY
Floating Torches in skiffs
ALMOST ENTIRE CITY is SUBMERGED
situation Neither Improves Nor BE-
comes Worse, Though vicksburg
Reports one Dead in seething
Waters washing Town.

GREENvILLE, Miss. March 2s.-The
backwater from the La Grange crevasse is
slowly rising and nearly all Of the city is
submerged Business is paralyzed and peo-
pie are moving about the southern sec
tion Of the city in skins The rise In the
last twenty-four hours has been two inches.
Relief parties with boats have been at
work rescuing people in the path Of the
flood and the refugees are brought here.
1t was said this afternoon that the mayor
had Instructed the city engineer to cut
the protection levee in the northern part
Of the city, as IL is believed IL will be the
means Of letting the water out through
Fish lake. The country beyond the lake
is much lower than the city, and II the
levee is cut It will stop the rise in Green
Vile and carry OF much Of the water now
in the city.
All trains left here this afternoon
promptly on schedule time. The shutdown
of the electric light plant is a serious in
convenience to the people and lanterns on
skiffs may be seen throughout the town at
| night
The flood situation outside of Greenville
remains practically unchanged. The water
has covered thousands Of acres of the fine
delta farms and is sweeping south to Vicks-
burg. The loss will be heavy, but it is
| impossible to give anything like a correct
estimate OF the amount
1t was said by some of the relief parties
! today that since Friday many negroes have
| been on the tops of houses waiting for boats
| to get out, and during that time have had
nothing to eat Arrangements have been
made to rescue the cattle in the flooded
| district, which are suffering for want Of
| food.
! IT.
first sight of the water. Rumors have been
coming in all day of breaks in the levee.
both above and below the city, but tonight
none was confirmed at the levee board
once and it was stated that the levees are
! holding.
! singular phenomena at Leland, Ark,
is puzzling everyone. The news was brought
to the city this afternoon by Mr.. Shields,
an engineer on one of the government boats.
He said that last night the water against
the levee and dyke in the pocket was a foot
deep and this morning he found the water
off and struck ground from which the water
had receded. The water was not turbulent
at the end Of the dyke, which but day be-
fore was washing away most of the stone
placed there to protect it, Further out
In the stream 1t was still rough and the
| current swift. The change of the current,
II is thought, is due either to the break
above II on this side or to the fact that
the river there is making a new channel,
which would leave Greenville on beautiful
lake.
Negro Drowned at vicksburg.
VICKsBURG. Miss, March 29.-The food
situation is unchanged, but Yazoo City is
beginning to feel the effects OF water from
the La Grange crevasse. The back water
is rising at the rate of two inches a day
and the eastern portion OF the town is
partly submerged.
One fatality occurred today, a negro los
ing his life by the capsizing Of a skin
The river here has again come to q
stand, after dropping two-tenths yester-
day. The gauge tonight registers 51.6.
SAVANNAH, Ca, March ga northeast
storm Of considerable velocity prevailed all
day, causing damage to wires and fencing.
At Tybee island the wind blew sixty five
miles an hour. Lowlands on the island
were flooded. No shipping left the harbor
during the day.
Blacks Risk Lives for whites.
NATCHEz, Miss. March 2s.-The report
that the Arnolai levee, two miles below
Vidalia, the parish site Of Concordia parish
Louisiana, was in imminent danger OF
breaking. attracted hundreds Of sightseers
l
Ing through and fifty men we're put to work
to save the leyee, and It. is now conn.
IDENTIFY believed 1t will hold
A message from Clayton Station, La.
conveys the information that the Tena.
river is rising rapidly and the back leve,
Is under water. The canal at that place
will be closed today.
Judge Thomas Reber, superintendent Of
the three local packet companies, says
three white men saved from drowning by
the steamer. st. Joseph were rescued by
two negro men working on the boat. who
risked their lives to effect the rescue.
Cannot Close Crevasse.
NEW ORLEANS, March 29-The seconC
attempt to close the crevasse at Lucy ha
failed. the upper end again giving way
The levee and Texas & Pacific forces hav,
resumed work with larger force thar
ever and there is still hope Of success Tn,
crevasse is now $50 feet wide and its watel
is inundating large territory. The watel
will likely spread as far as Bayou La
/, fourche and do heavy damage. Several NOR,
railroads. in addition to the Texas & Pa
cifc will feel the effect If the fiow is no
checked.
The trouble is with the sandy soil, whicl
has washed away beneath the mammotl
lines of cribwork being erected. As sooI
as these hold the space between the i'm
mense fences will be filled In with sacks o
earth and the river checked.
The river gauge here today is 2O.s show
ing a rise despite the crevasses. The Mis-
sssippi river commission is expected to
: morrow on its inspection tour.
RIVER Ic IAcuEn Tn EIIpN