The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-15
Telephone Message From Inspector Bond Brings
 the News
SIXTY FEET WIDE IN
 FIFTEEN MINUTES
Reports From All Other Points Along Mississippi River Encouraging. River Falling-New Break
 Be Disastrous

New IS, May 14.-The Mississippi river v \ 1t Hymelia. on the west side abouf o9 niles north of New Orleans, broP .<S ut o'clock tonight. according to phone message from .r Inspector ,ls sI ie
 avasse at this place in 1908 was err. d at cost to the United States government of s21s,0oo after approximately s2,0o0,000 damage had been done to the rich farming country in the path of tho flood waters.
 The Hymelia break was the most i'm. portant of the 1903 flood and according to the records of the United States weath' estimates as to the damage which would result from the crevasse. should the ef- fort to close it prove failure. placed the probable damage at s25,o00,000.
 It was stated here tonight that 1t was quite unlikely that an attempt would be made to close the present break.
 Another Break Unimportant
 A break in the east levee of the Mis- slssippi river near Nestor, about 55 miles below this city. which did little damage except to the oyster beds in the Breton Sound inlets, was the only other import ant news received here by the United States engineers today. Falling stages were recorded at all points on the Mis- sissippi river south of Cairo except this city where a stationary stage of 21.s feet was indicated. and St. Louis. where the stage is stationary at 21.1 feet
 Engineer F. Klorer arrived at the Nes- tor break soon after 1t occurred and. with number of laborers. succeeded in tying the ends to prevent widening Capt c. o. Sherrill chief of the United States engineers here. hurrie@iy ordered tho United States ship Ticfaw made ready and with additional laborers went to as- sist Engineer Klorer.
 Must Fight Much Longer
 The fight to hold the remaining ievees must continue for several x eeixs and Che guards along the embankments are moro watchful than ever. Always with a re- ceding flood, there is danger of the banks sloughing off on the water side causing d crevasse.
 Reports to the United States en- gineer's office here today concerning remaining levees south of Torras were encouraging except for a bad place at Conrad's Point, six miles south of Baton Rouge. and Bonnet Carre, 25 miles north of New orleans.
 Sand boils have developed at the for mer place, although they are not, caus- ing alarm The situation at Bonnet Carre on the east bank of the river, however, Is more serious. Leon God chaux telephoned today that the levee there was sloughing badly on the land side.
 Captain Sherill abandoned his pro- posed inspection trip to Torras and along the Bayou Des Glaizies levees on account of a summons to meet the Mississippi river commission at St. Louis tomorrow and the break at Nes- tor will further delay his departure. The Torras crevasse waters rose six inches during the past 24 hours in West Baton Rouge and upper Iberville par ishes and are gradually encroaching upon lands around Plaquemine.
 Sixty Thousands Affected
 Approximately 5000 people and 1000 square miles of territory are likely to be affected by the crevassee, according to the estimate of engineers tonight. The waters from the break, unless checked promptly will spread fast in southeriy and southwesterly direction, practically to the gulf and thousands of acres of the most fertile sugar growing section Of Louisiana will be covered.
 This condition was detailed in tele- gram sent to c. MeD. Townsend. chair men of the Mississippi river commission, by the United States engineers office in kortt ntIa fulat fC he will make an immediate recommends tion concerning the closing of the levee.
 Federal and state engineers after as- sembling barges loaded with 200 laborers and supplies left New Orleans shortly before midnight for the scene They will make survey of the situation at once and if it Is considered feasible will prob ably attempt to prevent the widening of the gap. The opinion prevailed among them. from the meager information at hand, that the creyasse could be closed, but whether this is done is problematical
 There appears little doubt that a large portion of the parishes of La Fourche, Terrebonne, Assumption, St. Johns and St. Charles will be added to the already inundated portion of the state.
 Break Widens Rapidly
 At 1O:s0 o'clock tonight Sheriff Bethe- lot. of St, Johns Parish. who lives a mile and half above the break, in a long distance telephone message said that the break had widened to nearly 200 feet and that the water, gushing forth In a mighty torrent. had spread rapidly over the level country and had already reached his front yard.
 ''I do not believe there will be any loss of life" said he. "but the property dam age will be enormous, principally the loss of crops in the fertile section, livestock and damage to stocks of merchandise and residence property. We have appeal ed to the governor for assistance and we need 1t badly.
 Unless the crevasse is cribbed the water will flood large portions of s.. Johns, St. Charle and LaFoufche par ishes. and I'm qa e certain that 1t will be vastly more destructive than the flood of 1903.
 May Send Vessel to Hymelia
 Capt Charles Danforth of the 17th in fantry. L. s. A.. now on duty with the Louisiana National guard, was notified tonight and immediately conferred with Captain Cairnes, commencing the United States cutter Windom, with the view of rushing that vessel to Hymelia at day. light with supplies and small boats. The cutter Winona. also here. will probably follow the Windom up the river.
 The Hymelia crevasse is opposite the big Bonnet Carre plantation, near the c-$ Y. .x1r r.<;~t