New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-04
DESPERATE BATTLE
| AGAINST THE FLOOD
Negroes, Convicts and Students
Unite to Save Levee at
Baton Rouge.
OILERS PRESSED INTO WORK
Bayou Sara Swept by l5.Foot
Flood, Which Carries Away
Houses-Waters Threa:-
en- New Orleans.

Ch ANO
Baton Rouge. La. May S.--Hundreds OF
citizens, rich and poor. worked all DAY
ana are working tonight, side by side with
desperate effort 10 hold the levees aga,hs'
the torrential floods in the MISSISSIPPI
creeping hourly toward the crest OF ,he
! protective earthworks about this city
When the situation became SO criticd,
! this afternoon every able-bodied man ano
boy began carrying sardbags and sho1ei-
ling mud. Five hundred cadets OF the
Louisiana State University responded 10 the
call and Joined with schoolboys, Boy ocou.S
and soldiers, working eagerly to DO the'r
part In saving the levees.
An especial effort Is being made to save
the city pumping station ana water WIN
plant and about thousand persons are 40
sis,ipg in building large mud boxes a0ou'
this property. .,a
The convicts are building q ievee TOT .ne
protection Of the lower portion OF t"c CIV
| In the event Of a break
MAYOR Roux has ordered every uhe''i,
ployed negro in Baton Rouge arres'eo en-
mn, IA work on the levee, but they S'e io"
and extremely hard TO ma.
With this desperate battle against t"e
-.o,.r going on. the refugees from the lot
vos dist-,ct are not neglected. Two nun
| arod arrtvod to-day at Port Hudson, "Here
concentration camp has been established
| I'll u-.ters from the Torras break are
,.,, ,nroadin0 over the open country,
,akinr IN town after town. becoming deeper
! 80, hour The situation in this district
wax maoe more critical here to-day by tne
| Bayou des Glaise. 49,.
| The Teche country Is oeins hoo'e'
tho Atchafalaya waters, when To-Day "a'
aImos, reached Breaux Bridge Junction ."
the Southern Pacific
| Ravou sara tonight Is under from ten
% 6fteep feet OF water, and II had the ap-
n.srance of the entire Mississippi RIVER
eo,.,,g through the town. The water mas
,.ocbod ,he second floors Of many houses'
,nd ton large houses were To-Day seen
! floating away
! excitement was caused to-day By the re-
/ ceipt AZ the Governors office OF a message
telling of A break at Morganza. ms now
| ever. proved to be erroneous
Eew Orleans. May $50 urgent has the
demand for laborers for levee WORK oe-
come that to-day the police ordered every
idle negro rounded up and forcipiy put
= "a work helping 10 keep back the steadiiy
edvancing waters of the Mississippi. NJ
tho head of Canal street the water Is
! vi,hin a few inches Of entering the Terry
boat house and harbor precinct police sta
ton The Southern Paciflc's transfer sta
ton IL covered with two feet OF water as
| is the banana wharf
-Four hundred aborers tonight are work.
ing on the Chalmette levee, at the lower
/ end OF the city. They we're put 10 WORK
this morning, and tonight electric lines
were strung so the fight could be kept up
continually. Twenty-Five miles above New
Orleans a leyee is sloughine and force
OF workmen was sent there this morning.
The gauge here tonight registered els.
a rise OF three-tenths OF Il foot IN the last
| tventy-four hours. This is almost loot
above the previous flood record
! Considerable alarm is felt for the people
around Melville. in the Atchafiaya district.
which is threatened by food waters from
every side. The people were hurriedly
moved out OF the town this afternoon. The
last news received from there tonight
stated there were ltuIS VI HVt o''S "S'S
10 save all Of those in the territory south
of Melville because OF a lack of beats and
! failure OF the victims to receive earlier
warnings OF the critical situation.
The last train on the Texas & Pacific
Railroad east OF Melville was operated this
afternoon. and took out several hundred
refugees. Within another day II e Doubt
full IL there will be any railroad operating
I'm that section.
The question OF housing and feeding
refugees is becoming more serious. The
| people ~ Louisiana and Mississippi nave
contributed thousands OF dollars to the re-
lief fund, besides great quantities Of pro-
visions. and the federal government IS dis
bursting several hundred thousands OF dol
lars worth OF rations, but more funds will
be needed than are in sight
1t Is estimated that the flooded territory
IN this state and in Mississippi, where APP
proximateiy 1900 persons already are
homeless will be covered by the waters for
two months. Rains continue. little sun
shine has greeted the people for weeks, and
no ONE can foretell what will be he ilnal
| extent of the disaster
New Roads, La May 3.-The waters OF
the Mississippi River to-day are sweeping
| through l.0O0-foot breach In the leNee at
! Torras In an ever-increasins torrent. II
| Is difficult TO estimate the financial loss
which must come to the whole OF one par.
| ish. at least-Pointe Coupee-and parts or
several other parishes: but II Is certain
! that II will run up high into the hundreds
| OF thousands OF dollars. The sugarcsne.
cotton. rice and corn crops, which. were
we'll advanced, will be a total loss before
the Hood has completed its destructive
work In addition 10 the crops. the loss
| ~ livestock will be very heavy.
| n11