The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-05-12
BY A.soeIated Press.


New Orleans, May ia full day of
sunshine and a starlit, cloudless sky
tonight gives hope to the army of leyee
protectors, and with the exception of
Baton Rouge, where the right to hold
the embankment along the river front
Is still critical, the engineers expressed
confident in the continued resisting
power OF the levees.
The excessive rainfall yesterday and
last night taxed the drainage system
here beyond it's capacity and tonight
two hundred blocks in the upper resi-
Dental section are still flooded with
rain water to depth Of from four to
twenty inches. One section this morn
ing was from six inches to two feet
this section has been annulled and
transportation is by boats, RATS and
wagons.
The few places in the city where
the water dashed over the levees last
night were repaired today.
FRIGHTFuL EXPERIENCE.
Never brighter day followed a
blacker night in New Orleans and the
southern half of Louisiana. Last
nights torrential rains, hail, thundec,
lightning and high winds and tho
scenes OF confusion and alarm that
marked the coincident concern over
the threatening conditions was fol-
lowed today by q hot. burning sun
shine,
There was alarm last night all along
the river for 1t seemed that the ele-
ments had combined in one final des-
perate assault upon the breastworlSs
that had been thrown up to protect
lives and propery against the record
smashing floods Of the great Missis-
sippi river.
It was an uneven and almost hope
lege battle or man against the arEna-
nent of heaven and no one could say
what the final result would be. Rain
came down In sheets. q yeritabie
deluge from Matches south b Ne gun.
Lightning kept the heavens aglow,
hall beat doNsntlike the rattle Of mus
k6try. the clouds came lower and lower
and seemed TO open wider their flood
gates, and the roaring thunder seemed
To urge still hercer assaults. The
roaring thunder seemed to urge stil
mercer assaults. The wind blew al
most q gale, the tops Of tie Missis-
sippi's levees were licked by the wa
tors of the river and in many places
muddy streams flowed threateningly
over the protection earthworl1s.
After four hours the onslaught of
the elements relaxed and today the
levees were holding firm all along the
line. IF they can Withstand last
nights fierce attack" said Captain G.
o. Sheriff., chief of the United States
army engineers. I'VE are inspired to
hope that we will yet be able to pre-
vent any further disastrous crevasse
CONDITIONS PANIcKY.
From scores of towns, telephone
messages told Of conditions almost
bordering on panic. where hundreds Of
frightened people left frame dwellings
and sought safety in brick and stone
buildings. Hundreds living in districts
United States army officers, who had
refused to heed warnings and leave
their homes. changed their minds when
the storm came and an exodus began
for the concentration camps.
Many places reported as much as
four to six inches OF rainfall within
about four houra, ending at 10 o'clock
last night, flooding towns and villages
and causing the inhabitants to believe
that the worst had happened-that
the levees had given away under the
tremendous strain and the flood was
on.
At dozens of points up and down
the river where levees were danger
ously weak. hundreds of citizens work
ed alongside gangs Of convicts all
night long in the driving rain, digging
1,ild and sand bags on levee tops 10
keep back the torrential waters rush
ing from the north.
AT New Orleans the wind backed up
the water until the gauge at 10 o'clock
registered 21.9 feet one tenth more
than the weather bureaus prediction.
water was blown over the levees here
at many places At the Southern Pa
cIfc river transfer the flood poured
over the lines Of sand bags placed
about the ferry house, but soon this
was checked. A
Many who gathered about the levees
were panicky. The city's streets were
turned into torrents, the water at
many points flooding business houses
(contInued on Page seVenteen.)