Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-05-16
Damage By FLOOD
STAGCERS BELIEF
HYMELIA CRENASSE Is WIDEN
ING AND RICHEST OF SUGAR
LANDS SWEPT OVER.
FIFTH OF LOUISIANA IS HIT
Property Loss EnOrmous Area Almost
as Large a. Massachusetts Has
Been Flooded In State.

NEW ORLEANS, May 15.-With
approximately 1900 square miles of
Loulsiana's lands inundated by the
Mississippi River flood waters, and
more than 100000 people driven from
their homes in the parishes west Of
the river from the Arkansas line al
most to the gulf. the most serious
crevasse of the present disastrous
ymelia-promises to add an
other thousand square miles or more
to the overflowed territory, make
homeless thousands Of people and add
millions OF dollars TO the property
damage done within the state.
The property damage already
wrought by the floods in this state
is enormous. 1t will amount into the
milhons-no one has attempted to
even approximate II, for the state has
been too busy with the work of rescue
and caring for the homeless and des-
titute people. The loss of live stock
has been exceedingly heavy, but al
though more than 25 parishes have
been swept by the flood, the list Of
known human victims Is less than
forty. The territory now in water In
Louisiana comprises part Of "a par
ishes, with an area five times as large
as the state of Rhode Island, almost
four times as large as Delaware, largo
as Connecticut, Rhode Island and Del
aware combined, and almost the size
of the great state of Massachusetts,
Within another ten days five other
parishes will feel the effects of the
waters from the MssssippPs broken
levees which hourly are creeping upon
tn m which no hand can stay.
One-Flnh of State Flooded.
As vast, however, as Is this terri
tory where the waters are today
coursing over but recent fertile fields
and scores OF prosperous villages and
town, Louisiana has more than four
times that much soil which flood
waters cannot reach Against the
1900 square miles now inundated
there are more than 10000 square |
miles of the state dry
Parts of the following parishes are
Moorehouse, West Carroll, East
larroL Rlchland, Ouachita, Madison, |
Franklin, Caldwell, Tensas, Catahou-
a. La Sale, Concordia, Averllies. |
Pointe Coupee, ST, Landry West Bat |
IN Rouge. lbervllle, st. Martin, st. |
'vllH til' bdptlSl pls tudfleS, St Bcf- /
lard and West Fecilian.
Tonight the lIymelia crevasse, IS I
niles north Of New Orleans, on the
opposite side Of the river from this
liver, had widcned to approximat sly
100 feet and the waters had covered
1000 acres Of rich sugar land I'm st.
'harles and st. John the Baptist par
shes. The work has started today In
he effort to tie the ends Of the crev-
-sse to prevent It's widening further
nut the proposal TO close the big gap
n an effort to save the S25, 600. 900
o $50 100000 OF property which is
threatened awaits the action tomor-
ow of the Mississippi River commits
ion.
If the gap is not closed 80 per cent
( the overlowed land from the gulf
iest to the Mississippi River and west
0 the lower end Of st. James and up
er La Fourche parishes will be COW
red with the overflow and the Hyme-
"a crevasse Of 1912 will go down In .
he history Of Mississippi River DIS ,
sters.