The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-05-03
ANOTHER RISE IN
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
STAGE FORTY FEET AT MEMPHIS
NOW IN SIGHT.
UPPER RIVERS ARE RISING
Rains Heavy Over Almost Entire Val
ley, and Indications Are That
They Will Be Followed by
Another General Storm.

Memphis, senn,-The heavy rains OF
the past week will cause the river to
rise at Memphis during the next ten
days or two weeks.
And in addition to these things the
indications on the weather map point to
one OF the severest storms OF the season
to reach the Mississippi valley by We'd
nesday. All over the entire length OF
the Pacific coast and extending for hun
dreds of miles inland, an area Of very
intense low barometric pressure prevailed
last night and it was travelling this way
at a very rapid rate. That the MiSsis-
sippi valley will receive a heavy down
pour from this storm condition is almost
a certainty.
The rains of Sunday night were heavy
very heayy-and they were more gen
eral than those Of Friday night. The
only part OF the Mississippi valley that
escaped from the downpour was the ex-
IRENE northwestern portion along the
upper Missouri river. Over the Ohio,
most of the upper Mississippi, the Cum
berland and Tennessee, the lower Missis-
sippi and the Arkansas and Red river
basins and watersheds the precipitation
was great and has resulted in the start
ing OF large volumes of water toward
the lower river.
AT most points over the Ohio and its
northern tributaries rain fell all day.
In response 10 the heavy rainfall, the
rivers nearly all over the system regis
tered heavy rises during the twenty-four
hours. The biggest rises are coming cut
OF the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers,
although with additional rains the other
upper tributaries will probably 60 on the
rampage and send out huge volumes Of
water.
The Cumberland river continues on its
way toward the high water record. 1t
added four feet to its previous big rises
for the last three days. At Chattanooga
the Tennessee river rose As feet to a
stage OF 20.3 feet, and there was a great
deal of water to come from the noun
tains on account Of the rains.
At Johnsonville, in West Tennessee,
the Tennessee was out OF its banks, the
gauge having registered a stage of 2S
feet, The river is still rising rapidly,
and bids to continue doing SO for several
days.
In the upper Ohio the biggest rise was
at Cincinnati, where a rise of as feet
occurred in tw%enty,four hours. At other
places above the mouths of the Tennes-
see and Cumberland rivers the rise was
slight, but the northern tributaries are
on the rampage and will probably start
the Ohio to rising rapidly.
At Paducah the river is rising rapidly.
The rise for t~wenty-four hours was 81
feet, to a stage of 1858 feet. A rapidly
rising river is expected there for the
next several days,
The water from the Ohio and its trib-
utaries is being augmented by water
from the upper Mississippi and is caus-
ing a sharp rise at Cairo, which bids fair
to continue for several days. The Mis-
sissippi rose II feet at st. Louis during
twenty'four hours.
Without taking into consideration any
water but that which has already fallen
over the watersheds and basins, the de-
lay in the fall Of the river will amount
to at least two weeks, according to Mr..
Emery. Basing his calculations upon the
amount OF water i'll sight, he says that
the river will not be back within its
banks before between the fifteenth or
twentieth of May. Should further rains
fall this time would, of course, be
heightened.
With the falling of the rains and the
announcement that the river would rise
for several days, the flood situation over
Mississippi valley assumed the most
serious aspect it has yet presented.
Planters and tenants alike from the
overflowed sections were depressed over
the situation.
The delay to farming interests has be-
come most serious. Should no further
rains occur the farmers will yet have
time to plant a successful crop, but with
further rains, the situation would become
a serious one for the overlooked sec.
The levee situation remained practi-
cally unchanged. No great danger is an
in the lower st. Francis levee
and the fight against the waters
will be kept up along the White river ]
'ront and the upper Yazoo levee line.