The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-04-13
Three Breaks in Mississippi;
Levees Inundate Vast Ter
ritory and Render $4,000
Homeless.
RICH FARM LANDS
AT RIVERS MERCY
Conditions at Memphis I'M
proved, but Further South,
Destruction by Flood Has
Been Extensive.
(National News Association


MEMPHIS, Tenn, April 13-Three
breaks in the Mississippi river levees
where for forty eight hours a thousand
men have been laboring to hold back
the torrent, allowed the flood waters
to sweep over Southern Arkansas
and Northern Louisiana today inun-
dating a vast stretch of country and
rendering fifty thousand persons home
less. The breaks occurred at Pather
Forest, Ark; Lake Village, Ark; and
Salem, La. Although the flood swept
out over the lowlands, it failed to re-
lieve the situation at Helena, Ark, and
the surrounding country is still in dan
ger of a flood that will cause untold
loss and imperil lives.
Lake Village, town of 5000 inhah-
itants, was soon the center of a swirl
ing torrent, when the break occurred
and the inhabitants fled. The town is
in danger of destruction, some houses
being already washed from their foun-
dations.
To Flood Texas Basin.
The breaks will flood the entire Tex
as basin including the richest farm
lands in the southern Mississippi val
ley From Desha county and Chicot
county, Ark, as far south as the mouth
of the Red River and for a stretch
miles back from the old river course
the country will be under water by to-
night, it is asserted by government
levee experts here.
Other breaks are threatened Weak
spots are reported at Osceola and Lu-
xora. Men have been fighting desper-
ately to save the embankment protect
ing these towns, but today consulta-
tion was held and laborers may be put
to work removing household goods and
helping women and children to fly to
a safer place.
Levee engineers are expecting a
break in the lower Lazoo county and
should it occur nothing could prevent
the flooding Of the entire Mississippi
delta country inhabited by thousands
of negroes. Hundreds of miles of ter
ritory would be covered with water.
Warnings have been sent out and they
have not been generally needed and
heavy loss of life would be almost a
certainty.
The ST. Francis river is rising an
inch an hour Marker Tree, Ark, is
under water and deserted. Refugees
are coming to Memphis. Charlottesville
Mo-, is inundated, sickness has broken
out and appeals for help have been
ISSUED.
Levees Are Weakening.
The levees above Helena and Ar
kansas City, are weakening today.
Slight slides of earth from the banks
have been reported and a break that
will send torrent of flood waters in
TO these cities is expected. Precautions
are being taken to protect property as
much as possible and arrangements to
move inha bitants to the higher ground
have been made.
The better residence section of Hell
iena is on the bluffs and would prob
ably be safe, but the business section
and the poorer residence quarter of
the city would be swept away.
break in the levee at Vidala, La,
is expected hourly by the engineers at
Natchez. Reports received there today
say the Vidalia levee is weakened and
has begun to slough off.
Memphis is the center of relief work
Twenty thousand refugees are being
cared for in this district The steamer,
with a cargo of government rations ar
srived today.
Ten thousand refugees are being
cared for in the Hickman territory.
5000 at Tiptonville. Tenn. and Green
Vile. Miss, is organizing relief corps
Conditions here have greatly improv-
) ed. It is expected that the railroad
traffic will be resumed by the end of
next week