The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-08

Chicago Rock Island and Pacific, went | out of commission today. Water com | ing through the breaks at Wyanoke and | St. Claire has submerged the tracks and washed away the rails in a dozen places Other railroads entering Memphis are op-
 erating with only slightly disarransed schedules.
 Striking Pictures In the wide stretches of the Mississippi's s flooded acres tonight there are three
 striking pictures. The northermost is in the 800 square miles of the Reelfoot lake country of Tennessee, where 2O0O or more persons have been driven from their homes by the smashing of a Mississippi
 levee in southwestern Kentucky. In this
 district thousands of acres of fertile fields
 are under water. Scores of persons who have refused to desert their homes now
 are imprisoned in upper floors and on roofs of flood menaced houses few miles south in Arkansas three counties are under water. From this rich bottom country hundreds of farmers and villagers have been driven. Flood waters swept over the fertile fields and thriving villages last night with the
 breaking of the levee on the Arkansas
 side north of Memphis, Today great num- t,ers of persons marooned on roofs of houses and in trees have been taken out of the flooded district in boats Probably
 many more water imprisoned are in immi-
 nent peril. There are not boats enough to perform the rescue work required. Three | counties-Crttenden, Poinsett and Cross are flooded.
 Might of Stream Impressive The scenes south of these points im- presses one with the might of a giant stream on a rampage. Homes that once
 marked the center of rich bottom farms
 now float in a torrent that cannot be
 stayed Bits of wreckage floating along in the tawny tide reflect the extent of
 the damage in the valley above. From the standpoint of the northern
 dweller picture of. Mississippi valley flood is best expressed in figures of pos sible life loss and statistics telling of the
 number of square miles inundated. To
 the valley plantation owner a different picture presents itself
 With him inundation of his farm by a
 torrent from the river overflow means erosion of his acres, setback of his crop and loss of labor.
 To the small farmer and "settlerr the coming Of the flood means flight Hun
 dreds of such persons have refused how eyer to leave their homes and in many instances such cases have been dealt with through force. The marooned in house. tops are compelled to take to barges and
 are sent to places of safety. There have o,ti irpOtto UT ldtdHtleS among 'DOOr whites and negroes who risked their lives to save their mules
 Daring Exploits of Correspondents Attempts to cover the story along tine stl etch of levees from south Missouri and Illinois to Arkansas have involved ma.i, personal risks on the part of newspaper correspondents.
 One of the most daring exploits was
 successfully essayed by young corre- spondent who hoated on a log on the crest of the tide when the levee broke q Hickman. He made his way to Tipton- ville Tenn. then telephoned the story of | the flight from the Reelfoot country 10 Memphis.
 Another news writer, pretty young
 woman of Hickman, Ky, half swan. half home to the long distance telephone in
 order that the first definite story of the rescue of 10o0 persons at Dorena Mo. might reach the outside world. Of the striking feats of bravery which stand out in the fight against the flood possibly the most conspicuous has been | that of the couriers who rode In advance of the tide to warn villagers and farmers out of the path of the raging stream. | The telephone has been brought largely ! into play. Patrols stationed at menaced 1 points have watched for crevasses night and day. The moment that a break oc-
 cured the patrons hurried to the tele- 1 phone stations and warned the country ! side
 1 A farmer who watched for the breach in
 the St Francis levee yesterday after noon mounted his horse when the tide l broke through the embankment. As he
 (COSTINUED ON FACE O