The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-04-06
Especial from United Press.)

Especial from United Press.) Memphis, Tenn, April 6.-Levee of-
 ficials and United States engineers have practically given up hope of
 saving the levee and the great St. 1 Francis basin. They threw up their 1 hands, today, in surrender when re- ports of threatened breaks came in
 from a dozen different points. It is | now believed only a question of hours until the levee lets go in some weak ened place and thousands of acres i'll Tennessee and Mississippi will be 1n- undated. The water is Tapping the | top in scores of places and in many l instances pouring over into the low country.
 | United States Engineer Smith, to- day, asked the chief of police to round up men to be sent to Bridge Junction, to stop threatened break in the levee opposite Memphis. A break there might destroy the $5,OO0,- | 900 bridge across the river. We have no more data on which to make future predictions as to the rise of the river,'' said Forecaster Emery, today. 'It may be only a few hours before the levee goes. The
 strain is too great" Forty-six or 47 l feet is probable unless breaks relieve IL G eastern part of Arkansas is partially covered by backwater, today. This section has been depopulated in tho past few days Thousands of refugees are arriving in Memphis and are quartered in public buildings and private homes.
 Marked Tree, Ark, is under water, Osceola is partly flooded and call
 for aid was sent out from there. to-
 day.
 threatened and break there would
 wipe out the town of 5000 inhabit- ants. All East Arkansas towns are cut off from railroad communication. - Lake County, Tenn, is an inland
 sea. today, from the break below Hickman.
 Each hour in the districts about Memphis sees the situation growing nearer to a point beyond human en- 1 durance. Far down into Louisiana and Mississippi farmers are hurried ly gathering their families, such live stock as can be moved, and moving away. Warnings have been sent broadcast in this section.
 In Mount City and Wyanoke con- ditions are hourly becoming worse. For a distance of nearly 300 yards the waters have reached the tops of | the leeves and are only being held back by sandbagS.
 | cue, Miss, has inundated many large plantations.
 Memphis, Tenn, April s6.-Reports
 reaching here, today, show that the | break in the great government levee tarily becoming larger and the entire | Reelfoot Lake rich farming district is | under water with a possible loss of
 life. So fast did the water spread
 that it is feared many of the inhabit- | ants may have been cut off in their homes and drowned. Every effort is being made to get help to the district but already 150 square miles of coun- 1 try is covered with water.
 l The belief that the loss of life may
 be small rests on the basis that the ]! inhabitants had been warned of the impending danger when it became 1 apparent that the workers would 1 probably be unable to hold the levee. Warning was then sent through the district, which is thiclkly populated,
 that everyone should get to the high l ground. Many families are known to
 have done so but it is feared several ] may have believed the experts opin- ions were wrong.
 l Weather bureau officials believe | that the break below Hickman should
 relieve conditions somewhat at Cairo
 and New Madrid. The greatest suf- | fering prevails in the new flooded dis trict. Those who fell to the hills are
 now without shelter or food. Supplies cannot be transported by boat and it
 is feared the residents in the small | towns cannot meet the demands | made on them for aid.
 l At Charlottesville, Mo-, the militia
 has been called out to patrol the | levee. All business houses have closed | and the entire mill population of the town is working on the levee, piling nd ho O. fr of ha fcfV ters. Refugees are arriving at Charlottesville from all directions and are being cared for by the city.
 Twenty-two hundred dollars was l received at Hickman, today. from
 Louisville. A carload of clothing and
 bedclothing has arrived and three loads of provisions were brought as | close to the town as possible and then
 transferred by boat to the Carnegie Library, which has been turned into
 a storage house for food and cloth | ing. Tents have been set up on the | library grounds to house women and | children.
 The river registered 449 feet on | the gauge here, today, a rise of seven tenths of foot over yesterday. The | levees are still holding but are sub- | ject to terrific strain.
 1 Cairo, Ills, April 6-The Missis- | sippi river was at stage of 54 feet here, early today, and still rising, ac- | cording to a report made to the | weather bureau. The levees are still | holding. | The town of Wickliffe, six miles be-
 low Cairo, is housing 2,000 refugees l from the flood district of Missouri. | Wickliffe is situated on a hill and Is
 the only safe place within miles 1 around.
 | Practically the entire supply of l fresh meat in Cairo is exhausted and | food supplies are now being dOlled out by the city officials. Restaurants, | boarding houses and private homes
 prepare the food and it is then de- livered to the officers and distributed.
 More than 5000 hams, 1000 beeves l and 1000 pounds of coffee have been | handled by the officials in supplying l the workers on the levees and citi- Zens with food.
 In camns in fhe drainare districts