The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-03-17

Washington, March 1.-THE weather
bureau tonight issued the following
special river bulletin:
The river situation has become rather
more serious during the past twenty
four hours over the districts below
Cairo. At Memphis, as indicated by
special adviceS received this evening,
the river is rising very rapidly, the
gauge reading 37.2 feet. a rise of 0.5
feet since Friday evening. The 3S foot
mark will probably be touched during
the next tWenty-four hours, and still
higher stages will be experienced dur
ing the early portion of the coming
week.
In the Vicksburg district. from below
Helena to Vicksburg, the rise is likely
to continue for the next eight days and
the following stages are probable. Ar
kansas City 81, Greenville 46, and
Vicksburg so feet. At the latter city
the stage tonight was 4S.9 feet, a rise OF
O.3 foot since Friday night.
In the New Orleans district nothing
has occurred to lessen the gravity of
the situation. A torrential fall of 1872
inches in the city of New Orleans since
a. m. Saturday will doubtless in
tensify the situation below. All the
rivers in this district will continue to
rise, and the warnings of the q foot
stage at New Orleans are again re-
peated. The stage tonight is 1872 foot.
The following maximum stages are in
dicated in the tributaries: At Chafa-
laya river at Melville SO or SO, Red
river at Alexandria Sc to 81 and
Quachita river at Monroe 40 feet.
The rain will probably end during
Sunday in the Mississippi Valley, but
will continue in the Ohio Valley where
no material change is expected in river
conditions. The water has come to a
stand at Cairo, and is falling slowly
elsewhere, except between Cincinnati
and Louisville.
The Levees Are Holding.
Memphis, Tenn, March 1.-THE stage
of the river tonight at o'clock is 37.3
feet and rising, a stage equal to the
maximum of the flood of 1897, when
such widespread damage was done
throughout the day. The rise since
o'clock this morning has been five
tenths. The maximum of the present
rise is expected to reach here about
| Wednesday and officials Of the weather
bureau say they anticipate about thirty
nine feet.
All levees in this vicinity are report
| ed to be holding and the engineers
| continue to maintain their hopeful view
| Of the situation with respect to breaks
| in the embankmentS. Despite these
| facts, there is grave apprehension and
| the feeling Of fear for the safety Of the
| country behind the levees is increasing
| each day. One Of the greatest causes
of fear is anxiety that the levees may
| be cut by persons who would be bene-
| flied thereby. This has caused the en-
| gineers to strengthen the levee patrols
at all points and give them positive
| instructions for the protection of the
| embankments 1t is reported from a
point twenty miles north of Memphis
on the Arkansas side that a man was
| shot at by guard last night. The sit
uation in North Memphis, where the
lumber region is flooded is growing
worse each hour. Today there are only
| two of the many wood working plants
| in operation and rise Of few inches
| more will force these to suspend.
| 1t is reported that the tracks of the
| YaZoo and Mississippi Valley railroad
six miles south of the city have been
| flooded and that a force of men is at
| work raising the track above the wa
| ter.
Captain Lucas of the corps Of Unit
| ed States engineers left this afternoon
| for Caruthersville, No, on the govern
ment steamer Chisca, to make per-
sonal investigation Of the situation
there and between Caruthersville ana
| Memphis.
Several of the local steamboat COM
| panies will run excursions up and down
| the river tomorrow to allow the inquisi-
| tive to see the extent of the flood in
| this vicinity.
The Situation Aggravated.
| NatcheZ, Miss, March 14.-There were
a few rays Of sunshine today but they
were preceded and followed by light
showers that only aggravated the stu
alton and intensified the feeling OF
gloom which pervades this section. The
reports from nearly all sections of the
, territory tributary to Natchez are dis
couraging. The river end of jefferson
county for a distance of thirty miles
is covered with water. The river
on the NatcheZ gauge rose % today and
is now So above the danger line.
: Gloomy reports come from the back
part Of Concordia Parish, Louisiana,
, opposite this (Adams) county where the
cultivated lands along the Little ana
Black rivers are being flooded from wa
ter out of the Red and Quachita rivers