The Forrest City times., 1908-12-04
CITY BUILT ON QUICKSAND.
Government Engineer Makes State ment Which is Borne Out by Sinking Areas of Land on
 River Front.

sPlne Bluf.-At midnight Tuesday the river registered 21 feet, accord ing to the estimate of river men. Ow. ing to the fact that the government gauge was washed away during the last high water, the tenths cannot be recorded. Flood stage here Is 25 feet. but the danger point was reached at 20 early this evening. The 25-foot mark will be registered by 10 o'clock Wednesday morning when, 1t is stated the bulk of the rise will reach here.
 The chief engineer, U. s. A, hay ing stated that he could not authorize the cutting of the government levee, President Roosevelt was appealed to by Pine Bluff Tuesday afternoon, but as yet no answer has been received from him. Pine Bluff now wishes to besleft high and dry. If the govern ment ievee is cut and the result is ass anticipated, Pine Bluffs water front" will be several miles from the city.
 The alarming statement was made by Engineer Trainer, who has charge of the United States government work here, that Pine Blutf is being slowly undermined He said the city rests on stratum of quicksand. from one to three feet in depth, and that the waters of the Arkansas river are slowly washing this quicksand away. This statement is corroborated by the recent peculiar caving all along the river front, where pieces of earth ten and fifteen feet square sank slowly and finally crumbled and went into the river.
 The caving that will result from the present flood will be more rapid than thah which was recorded few weeks ago owing to the fact that the bank is lined with heavy brick buildings, sorh of which are now practically ov4rhanging the river. As soon as thd current digs it's way under the weakened banks, the buildings will crack and tumble into the river.
 At a mass meeting Tuesday night. in which Senator James P. Clarke of Little Rock was present, the business people and citizens generally adopted a resolution expressing the sentiment that 1t was better to cut the govern ment levee on the north side of the river, and leave Pine Bluff high and dry o;r hA river here ad sustain great damage to property in the future. Senator Clarke was urged 10 take the matter up at Washington upon his arrival there, and urge the War Department to cut the levee and permit the river to change its course. Senator Clarke said that he would carry out tho wishes of the people here.
 City Engineer Parkes declares that In his opinion the court house and the Jefferson hotel were doomed. The cut ting of the levee at this time would not relieve the situation, he said, for the matter had been delayed too long. The current of the river is so swift he did not believe human hands could defect 1t into canal, even if the channel were cut deep.
 The river bank cayed considerably Tuesday night in the rear of the court house and now only about 15 feet of earth separates the rear wall of the big building from the river. The streets are crowded with wagons, which are being hurried to and from wooded suburb where they are loaded with brush for mats to protect the banks. Hundreds of men are building faseines and are making an effort to check the work of the cur rent, but apparently their labors are having small effect.