The Sentinel=record., 1912-05-05
LEVEES HOLD
 FLOOD WATER
SUNSHINE AIDS WORKERS TO PREVENT BREAKING OF THE
 BANKS IN DELTA REGION.
While Torrent Is StlI Held within Bounds There Is Grave Danger Which May Develop Any
 Hour of the Day.

New Orleans, May IA half dozen | hours of sunshine in the lower Mis- i sissippi valley today gave some little | relief from the tense anxiety of the ! past few days Threatening clouds l gathered at intervals throughout the | day but the flood gates overhead held 1 back the drenching rains that for l month have been adding to the al- ready enormous volume of menacing flood waters piled high against the levees. It was just breathing spell, | however, and the new hopes klndleJ today may be dashed tomorrow. The engineers who yesterday were almost hopeless, today said the prospects of saving the remaining levees were ia vorable. But the danger Is not past
 The weather bureau has scheduled still another rise in the river above the present record-smashing stages, which obtain from the Red river south. The crest, with its accom- panying increased danger of destruc- tive crevasse is not expected to pass Baton Rouge and points south of there for another week yet.
 Will the big Morganza dyke, hold ing back wall of water 40 feet hign, yielda Will the threatened levees at Baton Rouge, at Grand Bay. at La Barre, Scotts Point and above and be- low New Orleans, be impregnable.
 The engineers say they hope" so, but no guarantees are given nor can guarantees be given in the face of the terrifying force of the Missis- sippPs flood waters While the engi- neers are battling and hoping against the greatest odds they have ever con fronted in the flood history of the low CT river, warnings are being sent sent broadcast to the people in the fertile valleys on both sides of the big stream to get their cattle to high ground and prepare themselves for hasty exit.
 Today's sunshine and absence of rain permitted the thousands of la borers employed on weak stretches of the leyeees south of Torras to work uninterrptedly and tonight encourag- ing reports came in from an points up and down the river.
 No other breaks occurred on the Mississippi today. On the Bayou Des Glaise in east central Louisiana, where the great volume of flood wa ters from the disastrous Dog Tail ere vase is hourly getting higher one break was reported in the levees and at Simms Point, official reports to the engineers stated that serious orevasse was expected at any hour.
 On the Atchafalaya river from Mel vile, north. the levee situation became more threatening and several thou sand people deserted their homes in that territory and are rapidly getting out their live stock and a few house hold goods
 The crevasse waters from the break at Torras have spread over the entire upper half of Pointe Coupee parish and are slowly creeping apon towns further south. One week more and the waters from that creyasse alone will cover all of Pointe Coupee parish, a part of West Baton Rouge parish and sections of St. Landry parish. The Torras crevasse then will join ; it's forces with the flooded Atchafa- , laya, which already has overflowed , a territory 25 to 30 miles wide and 50
 miles in length, south of the Latania , creyasse. of five weeks ago.
 ) Approximately 4,OO0 people have - moved out of Pointe Coupee parish to the refugee camps on the east side - of the river More than 1,2o9 of them e are being cared for by the Baton ,- Rouge relief depot.
 Besides thousands who had already r moved out of the vast flooded terri 2. tory south of the Alsatia crevasse fin l. the last three weeks, word was re q ceived today that more than 1,600 had 't arrived yesterday, and today at Jena e and at high towns along the dror B. Mountain railroad north of Alexandria e most of them having been brought ir n by boat from the lowlands of La Salls + parish. Several hundred others have
 been taken out of lower Concordii