The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-02
Levee on Main Line and Is a Most Disastrous
 Break
FLOODED COUNTRY
 IS THfCKLY SETTLED
Fight to Hold Levees at Baton Rouge Becomes Acute-Relief Is Being Rushed to Destitute Families
 in the Back Country

New Orleans May 1.-Another seri- ous break occurred late this afternoon In the Mississippi river levees at Tor ras. La. on the west side of the swoi- len stream, where the flood waters from the disastrous Dog Tall crevasse found entry to the big river The break at Forras occurred at 5:S0 and within two
 hours 300 feet of the 1S-foot embank- ment had been carried away. large force of workmen and material were
 immediately ordered to the scene by Capt. c. O. Sherril chief of the Unit ed States engineers. and an effort is
 being made to check the crevasse by
 'cribbing' the ends.
 Crevasse Disastrous Unless the Torras crevasses can be closed, which appeared doubtful, ines- siinable damage will be added to the already heavy tolls in property de- struetion and devastation of farms wrought by the flood waters of the low CT Mississippi river during the past six weeks. A permanent crevasse at forras means the inundatfon of the vast sugar cane lands along the west banks of the river for a distance of perhaps 50 miles.
 The territory which lies in the path of the Torras crevasse Is vastly rich Ter than the several millions of acres which were inundated by the Dog Tai efevasse near Alsatia, La, and more densely populated.
 While the Torras break will give some relief from the enormous pres sure against the levees south Of that point the flood waters tonight are from half foot to two feet above the pre- yious high record marks from Baton Rouge south and prospects, of other crevasses are extremely grave.
 At Baton Rouge the Mississippi river tonight registered 42.1 feet foot and a half above the 1903 record. and Ut New Orleans at D. m. the gauge reg tstered 2o.a feet. a half foot above the record stage.
 Worst Yet to Come.>g
 The worst is yet tof come haR iSda the weather bureau predicted s2 feey for New Orleans, or a half foot in ex- cess of the previous crest prediction This would mean a foot and a half more water here than was ever before recorded.
 Reports today from the territory in northeast Louisiana which was flooded by the Dog Tall crevasse added several thousand victims to the homeless lisr. Several hundred more in west Felicanl parish were reported in need of supp plies and from the Atchafalaya terri- tory reports were received of still other hundreds of poor people who have been driven from their homes.
 1t Is estimated that the United states government Is now furnishing rations for 120,0o0 homeless people in Louisiana and Mississippi and tonight the prospects are that this number wiil he increased by 5o,000 within another week.
 Difficulties of Engineers
 The federal engineers have already expended more than s100,000 in the past three weeks in their effsrt to save the levees from Vicksburg south, 'ssut tAe re- snonsibi1ity came to them too Kin many instances and the heighth VI force of the flood waters have far ceeded the expectations of everyofX The engineers are continuing to spend thousands of dollars a day, trying to prevent further breaks. but where tho fight is hardest they say they are ex- periencing great difficulty in securing labor. In some instances negroes who are getting free government rations show no disposition to shovel dirt or assist otherwise in the work of pro- .ecting those who are yet free from the rayages of the big flood