The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-05-07
BY Associated Press.

New Orleans May Sit looks like
the elements are against u.s." This
was the statement this afternoon by
Major Kerr, chief of the Louisiana
state board Of engineers, and sums up
the principal chapter of the story of
the desperate fight being waged day
and night to save Louisiana's remain
ing leyees from the ravage of the
Mississippi river flood water.
The situation continues threatening
but there were no reports today of
breaks in the Mississippi levees and
engineers expressed a hope of final
victory.
Hard rains fell this morning and
.iast night all along the river as far
north as Torras. Increased forces Of
laborers were sent today to the weak
sections between Morganza and New
Roads and others to Amesville, Ave
miles north of here to work on a bad
NEtretch OF eight thousand feet. The
Ievees are still holding tonight at
Baton Rouge.
The water from the Torras crevasse
today reached Morganza and tonight
- foot deep in some parts of town.
The levee on the west side OF the Acth-
falaya river at Elbia, six miles north
of Melville, sloughted off this after
noon, flooding a rich territory. Along
Bayou Des Glaizes the situation con-
tinued more alarming and at Simmes-
port the people are fighting hard 10
prevent a break in the levees protect
ing the town.
TO SAVE NEW ORLEANS.
IN a steady downpour of rain sew
eral hundred laborers continued the
fight today to strengthen the levees in
the third district Of New Orleans, ex-
tending from Flood street, 55 blocks
below Canal street, to a point near
the big plant of the American Sugar
Liedning Company. New revetments
are being constructed In front of the
levees at some of the weak places and
Eear Jackson Barracks a second line
OF new revetmcnts are being put in.
Eetween the ievee and this new revet >
Ikent, dirt is being filed in, but this
Process Of widening the embankment
ID very slow.
The weak stretches in the third dis
trict extend along almost mile of
the levee front. The water lacks
three to four feet of reaching the top
OF the levee, but the protection en-
bankments are not standard grade
levees. In places they are only or
feet across at the top and extend
less than so feet from the water's
edge on the land side.
In front of the Ursuline convent
numerous crawhsh and fnuskrat holes
have developed and at these points
the outside of the levee has been
blanketed with soft earth, tamped
down with the backs OF shovels.
Besides this several thousand sand
bags have been placed along the tops
Of the Ievee in the commercial district
10000 additional sacks have been filled
and today these are being distributed
all along the water front These sacks
are being used to top the levees and
stop overflow water. At Canal street
the sand bags are piled three deep and
at Esplanade street two headers" OF
the bags hold back the water, which
A 4 to s inches over the docks.
Large forces of men are continuing
the work Of strengthening the weak
places In the levee at Bonnet Carre
rs miles north of New Orleans on the
city side of the river and today Capt
sheriff., Of the United States en-
gfheers, placed Junior Engineer Sc
quiera with so laborers on a weak
stretch OF 5000 feet at Westwego five
miles above New Orleans, on the AL
afers side of the river. Captain Sher-
rfll says he needs several hundred la
borers on the Westwego stretch bu;
has found It impossible to secure them
very dangerous muskrat hole al
that point was closed by cribbing hur-
riedly constructed late yesterday.
Heavy rains yesterday and this
morning further complicated the Sc
rious Mississippi flood situation in the
territory from the mouth OF the Red
river south, where federal and state
engineers and Louisiana state officials
have an army OF approximately 5000
laborers at work in a desperate and
determined effort to save the remain
ing levees.
RIVER IS RISING.
The river rose at all points south OF
the Red river, rise of two-tenths oi
a foot being recorded at New Orleans
during the night. The rise at Baton
Rouge was two tenths for the pasi
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