Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1912-04-08
MANY VILLAGES IN DANGER
RESIDENTS OF LOUISIANA, MIS-
sIssIPPI AND ARKANSAS
TOWNS ARE FRIGHTENED
GOVERNMENT SENDING FOOD
ARMY oUARTERMAsTER is EN-
DEAvoRING TO RELIEVE
HICKMAN, KY, PEOPLE

Memphis, Tenn, April S.-AnxietJ
over the Mississippi flood situation
centered in the threatened breaches
along the Arkansas and North Loui
siana river shores today. The trend
of the flood is shown in the report
of the river stages, which shows thar
the Mississippi had receded one foot
and two tenths at Memphis and had
risen one foot and one tenth at Vicks-
burg this forenoon.
South of Memphis there were minor
breaks in the embankments protect
ing the Arkansas shores and while
these crevases temporarily relieve
the strain upon the Tensas and Yazoo
dikes, yet the water hourly works
back into the main current. In Mis-
sissippi, Arkansas and Louisiana vii
lagos behind the levees alarm over
the on-coming crest is spreading and
hundreds of villagers and farmers
have fled to the highlands.
Conditions in the Mississippi valley
showed some improvement this morn
ing when a sunny day gave further
encouragement to those conducting
the work of rescue among the hum
dreds driven from their homes by
high water. All levees in the flood
menaced the district were holding
strong AMI at this point The river had
subsided seven-tenths of foot. With
upper district levees holding, however.
the strain on the dikes in the Yazoo
section increased and men worked all
night on the embankments south Of
Memphis to bolster weak spots. The
danger at several points along the
Arkansas shore has not passed.
Two hundred levee workers narrow
ly escaped being swept away when
the embankment caved in at Mile
Port "a, 16 miles south of Helena, Ar
kansas yesterday. The town Of Mo.
doc, near the break, is 20 feet under
water today.
The steamer Kate Adams was near
Modoc when the levee broke and res
cued those imperiled. A hundred or
more panic stricken negroes were
taken from government barge. La
ter motor launches went into the
floods and rescued number Of farm
hands from the roofs of their cabins,
from the trees and the peaks of
knolls which were above the water.
The work of varing for the refugees
from the lowlands is fast being sys-
tematized. Tents and supplies have
been received at the more important
centers and arrangements have been
made for the establishmnt of CEN
tral relief headquarters at Helena.
Captain W. P. Barker, Fourth infant
ry, U. s. A., stationed ait Fort Logan
H. Root. will be in charge of the Reel
+ FOOt 1dho I6SlOH VIII HCdulud ?
at Tiptonvflle, Tennessee.
A relief train sent out from Forrest
City, Arkansas. yesterday to rescue
farmers in the overflowed sections of
St Francis and Crittenden counties,
returned last night with 100 refugees
abroad. The train could not proceed
farther than the town of Heth. 20
miles east of this city. Beyond that
point, where many persons are believ-
ed to be marooned, only boats can
be of service
New Madrid, Missouri overflowed
TO depth Of several feet. is never
theless dry" At least the 'drys''
won in local option election satur.
day. Voters came to the polls In
skiffs, in motor launches and on RATS
and when the rubber booted election
clerks completed their count it was
shown that the "wets" were beaten
by 300 votes. Belated returns from
the election were received here TO
day. The steamer Kate Adams which