The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1903-03-20
FLOOD |MPER|lS LIVES.
Levees May Be Dynamited to Save
the Imprisoned Residents
of Marion.
TRAFFIC ON ALL RAILROADS ABANDONED.
Break in levee at Trice's Landing
Floods Immense Area-Heavy Loss
of Life and Property Feared Dead
Bodies Found Floating in Flood.

The situation in the st. Francis
river basin, which was entirely
flooded by the break in the st.
Francis leyee at Trices landing has
grown more serious every hour and
reports from the town of Marion.
which is in the heart of the flooded
district. show that the residents
are in desperate straits.
Telegraphic communication with
Marion has not been interrupted and
dispatches from that town have in
dcated the serious situation in
which the residents are placed.
Reports were received stating that
the town was under four or five feet
of water, which was rising on the
18th at the rate of foot an hour.
A number of persons were rescued
from the town in skiffs. but several
hundred were imprisoned in the sec
ond stories of buildings.
An attempt to send a steamer to
the relief of the people at first failed,
the boat becoming disabled.
1t is expected that the levee will
be cut in order to rescue the victims.
The whole of the St Francis basin
Is flooded and the damage to proper
ty in the district is incalculable.
The water behind the levees in the
flooded district rose to within almost
a foot of the height of the water on
the river side.
Reports of loss of life have been
received from various sections of the
flooded district, but little definite in
formation can be obtained at this
time.
The bodies of a white woman
and negro were taken from tne
water near Mound City. VIM. Ellis
was picked up near Memphis at 2
o'clock In the morning with II
months old baby in his arms. Ellis
had hired a skiffman to take himself
and family from his home near Hol-
lybush to Memphis. The boat was
upset and Ellis wife drowned be-
fore his eyes. Grasping the baby in
his arms he swan to the Tennessee
shore and was nearly dead when he
was rescued.
The railroads which pass through
the district have been forced to alb
andon traffic. No trains have moved
either in or out of Memphis on the
Frisco. Iron Mountein, Choctaw or
the Cotton Belt lines for several
days number of trains were tied
up at points along these lines and
were held for hours before they
could be moved,
Cotton Belt and Frisco trains were
caught between two washouts about
three miles west of South Memphis
and over hundred passengers we"e
compelled to spend the night on the
trains, while the water rose until
not a particle of land could be seen
from their place of Imprisonment.
The Cotton Belt sent trains around
By Cairo to enable passengers to
reach their destination.
The Iron Mountain chartered a
boat and arranged to take passen-
gers to Helena ard send them on to
their destination from that city.
The break in the ST. Francis levee
which caused the disastrous flood oc-
Cured at Trice's Landing. A section
of the levee nearly three-quarters of
mile long gave way under the = a.
mendous pressure of the Mississippi,
and a torrent of water rushed through
the opening. The breach at this
place was the first serious break in
the St Francis levee. although that
point, with several others, had been
known to be in a serious condition.
The situation at Pecan Point, Fo-
glemans Landing and ST. Thomas is
serious and hundreds of men are at
work to prevent a break II possible
The water at these points rose to the
top of the levee.
At Helena the water rose to within
northern part of the city and hun
dreds of families had to abandon
their homes.
II is possible the le~ee will be cat
at number of points by order of the
board in order to let the water escape
with the least possible damage to
property.
At Arkansas City and vicinity the
levees are reported to be in good
shape and the officials of the board
are confident that stage of SO feet
can be held without trouble. At this
point a detail of guards are patroling
the levee day and night.