The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1912-05-18
MATERIAL is BEING COLLECTED
TO FILL GAP THROUGH WHICH
WATERS ARE RUSHING.
Quarter of Million Dollars Will Be
Expended in Effort to Stop Destruc.
tion Of Rich Sugar Plantations
Army Officers in Charge.

New Orleans, May 17.-With the
ends of the Hymelia crevasse in the
west levee of the Mississippi river,
thirty-tive miles west of New Orleans,
successfully tied, which task was ac-
complished by the government en-
ginaerS at late hour last night, the
first actual steps toward the greater
task of closing the big gap was be-
gun at daylight today.
1t is estimated by the federal ex-
perts who will have fun control of
the operations, that it will require
about two weeks to entirely stop the
flow, but expect to reduce the volume
of water coming through the break
to about half within four or five
days.
Immense tarpaulins stretched tight
ly over the crumbling ends of the big
sand embankments, held in place by
heavy chains and hawsers and was
weighted down with railroad iron,
was the means used to prevent fur
ther widening of the crevasse.
Will Cost $3.50, 900.
The closing of, the break will prob
ably cost a quarter of a million dol
lars, 100000 of which has already
been appropriated by the Mississippi
river commission. The balance will
be provided by the LaFourche levee
board, the planters, the railroads af-
fected and other interests.
! A force of 1000 men with a, large
quantity of lumber and million sacks
of earth will be required
1t is planned to erect $500 feet of
cribbage around the opening. This
will consist of long pilings driven
! deep into the river bed and closely
bound together by heavy tlmDers.
Against this will be placed the sacks
of dirt.
The crevasse, which has already
| proved disastrous to the rich sugar
plantations situated in its path, had
widened to a distance of $50 feet
across when the ends were finally
tied
Capt. c. o. Sheriff., chief of gov
| ernment engineers, who has been
given supreme control of the effort
that is being made to master the big
stream at Hymelia, issued orders to-
day that all onlookers and trespass-
ers must be kept away from the levees
in order to facilitate the work In
every possible manner.
Roar Heard for Miles.
The roar of the food pouring thru
the break this morning can be heard
miles away.
A lake is stretched east, west and
south, broken from view only by the
trees and occasionally the top of a
submerged house. To the west the
. flood has reached inland ten miles.
To The south it has reached about five
miles, and to the east eight miles.
Many small towns and large plan
tatioas are inundated in that terri
tory.
At Killona, three miles east of the
break, a protection leyee had beels
hurriedly thrown up around the town.
This held intact until four feet of
water had banked up against it, when
it went out with a roar, flooding the
town. The Texas and Pacific rail-
road line is still open to the east, and
special relief trains are moving hun
dreds of persons out of the town and
also all of those brought here from
the flooded country.
Planters north and south of Kill
Iona are frantically building levees
around their fields, dividing their
large plantation forces into day and
night shifts.