The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-03-29
Men and Women Pass Sleep less Nights With Ears Turn-
 ed to the North
ANOTHER BREAK EXPECTED
 30 MILES ABOVE THE CITY
If This Second Disaster Should Occur There Is No Calculating What Would Result at Greenville.
 Business is Paralyzed.

Greenville Miss. March 2S.-The situa- tion at this city tonight is quite as serious as 1t was last night, and inch by inch the flood is spreading to new sections of the city, foot by foot the great crevasse in the levee five miles to the south of the city is widening and mile after mile of fertile delta land is being covered by the waters as they rush inland from the gap.
 The developments of the night are awaited with uneasiness. The disasters which have thus far occurred have been sufficient to shake the stoutest heart and make almost any new calamity probable. At the crevasse forces of men have bat tied all day against the raging torrent, fighting stubbornly and desperately with the flood for each foot of the levee that is being eaten at either side of the crew asse by seething waters. It is very prob able that this effort must be abandoned and the cfevasse allowed to pursue it's own course, as it has grown wider with each hour until tonight it is more than 400 yards across and the engineers say that it will not be improbable for the gap to increase to miles width.
 Water All Over Town.
 In Greenville there is very little of the town free from water and the rise con tinued, although the river itself has fallen more than a foot because of the erevasse. It seems probable that the entire city will face disastrous delnge and that the loss of property and damage will reach large figure. Rescuing parties have been busy all day bringing people in from the ow-iying portions of th cit,. 70 the higher sections, ana thus far there have h-en no known sses of life. Thee have been many reports of families being drownsd in their homes and individuals being swept away, but without exception there has been no confirmation in this city of these reports.
 With the situation as gloomy as it nec- essarily is from the city being overflowed, with the electric light plant suspended and the town in total darkness, and with the water rising inch by inch the night will be a fearful one for the people of Greenville.
 Another Break Expected.
 But these conditions of themselves are not the most alarming feature of the situation and all through the night men and women will sit with ears strained and eyes peering into the darkness to- ward the north, awaiting with dread
 
 now in this quarter that danger is most present, critical point having develop ed in the leVee thirty miles north of Greenville at Catfish Point
 A desperate effort is being made to hold the levee there and a large force of men is at work and all available laborers are being sent to aid those who are there making their fight for the city's safety. Reports this afternoon from this point are hopeful but the damage that would result from a break at Catfish Point is so enormous that fear for the levees safety must remain until the water sub sides, even in the face of hopeful re- ports Should the break occur at Catfish Point there is no calculating what would happen at Greeenville. The city would be placed in a most precarious position and the more sober minded decline to dis cuss the probable result
 1t is estimated that fully 1500 square miles of territory between Greenville and Vicksburg are under water, and that this area is being made larger with each hour. For this reason no estimate can be put on the loss of property and the damage that will result from the break. Rescue boats are busily engaged in taking the people out ef this large section of country, and 1t is hoped that there will be no loss of life. One boat today brought out seventy five souls.
 The situation on the Arkansas side of the river Aremains unchanged, and no break Is now threatened. It is very prob able all railroad communication will be shut off tonight.
 Will Protect Waterworks.
 The city has now in place it's pumps and will protect the water works from any serious danger. Business is paralyzed throughout the city, but up till now mo- hr1t ia cfIf fJ1cr hands. who come in with nothing at all except what few clothes they had on their backs. The convicts tonight have again been divided Fifty were sent back to Huntington and in the morning the bal ance will go down to the break and help tie the ends. The city has turned into a ship yard and every man who can use A saw and hammer can be seen constructing a boat.
 The unfavorable condition of tonight Is a high wind, which has increased some in force since dark. The city is still with out light, but pumps have been sent for to keep water out of the electric light plants and the two companies expect to be running by tomorrow night. More peo- pie have left the city today than at any one time since the threatened danger started.
 New Orleans Situation.
 New Orleans, March 2S.-Though a great torrent of water is pouring through the break in the levee at Hymelia planta- ton, the river here shows little tendency to decline. Much consolation, however, is derived from the fact that since the crevasse occurred the rise has ceased The early morning reading was POI By nightfall it was 20.2 In explanation of the slight effect the break has had, the fact is pointed to that the current pouring into Hymela has not yet cut channel in the Batture and only surface flow is going through the break. If the ef- forts to close the crevasse are abandoned the levee, built of river sand, will doubt less melt rapidly and produce crevasse rivalling that of Davis in 1884 when the river here fell with considerable rapidity
 Work at the crevasse progressed stead