The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-05-08
FLOOD MORE SERIOUS.
MISSISSIPPI WELL. OVER ANY
PREVIOUS FLOOD STAGE.
Enormous Fund Will bc Required tn
Take Care of Many Victims az
Food-ThouS,,ndsW Working t. Over
come River.

the Mississippi are under water. four
other parishes have some flood water
and are bound to get more this week;
approximately 100000 persons in that
territory have been driven from their
homes; trains are taking out thous-
ands Of families daily. fleets OF motor
boats and skiffs are being used to res
cue marooned people. about a dozen
lives, all told. have been sacrificed:
several hundred thousand dollars
worth OF ~ations have been distribu-
ted among the refugees. who are shell
tered In all manner OF houses from
cabins to churches and large build
ings.
From Vicksburg. Miss. south to
New Orleans the Mississippi river is
from half foot to two and half
feet above any previous flood record
stage
An additional rise this week of APP
proximately one foot from New Or
leans north to Baton Rough Is pre-
dicted by the weather bureau.
soundings made by United States
army engineers show that this record
breaking volume OF water in the big
river Is moving at the rate OF ST. feet
per second. or approximately one mile
per hour faster than ever before re-
corded In the Mississippi's flood his
tory.
The danger points I'm the levees in
louisiana are at Baton Rouge. Bon
net carre. 25 miles north OF New Or
leans: MORRISON. Plaquemine. Scott
Landing. Cypress Hall. New Roads
third district. New Orleans.
The river was almost stationary
from Torras south Sunday.
81 The weather showed sunshine Sun
jey morning. around midday cloudy
with heavy rains from Torras south
from 4 to- 6 y. IN.
The forecast Is showers in Louis
lana and Mississippi Monday and
Tuesday.
Every day brings stories of suffer
ing and OF heroic rescues Of new sec
tons inundated by the waters from
the crevasses already recorded in the
levees OF the Mississippi river.
The fund that will be required to
take care Of the flood victims Tor
many weeks. many Of them for
months. perhaps can not be express
ed In a few hundred thousands of
dollars.
IL IL n pathetic picture and presents
big problem which Louisiana and
Mississippi. generously assisted by
the federal government. are giving
their sympathetic efforts In graphing
with.
But with all the still bigger ques-
tion OF protecting the remaining
levees along the Mississippi river
from the mouth OF the Red south Is
causing deeper concern for the mo-
property II at stake and thousands
OF lives would be jeopardlzed IN some
Of the biggest OF the levees should
give way.
Federal engineers. state I parish
officials and an army OF men scat
tered along the river from q point co
miles below New Orleans to the Red
river are bending every energy to
prove themselves equal 10 the task
which they shoulder.
Reports today were more rcassur-
ing than on yesterday, and the federal
and state engineers declared they had
firm faith In their ability To hold
every remaining ievee on the Mlssis-
sippi But tho danger IL not past hy
any means
Lack 20 labor. due largely To The
unConcern of negroes. who have been
drawing government ratlons. has bce1
Tho most serious drawhackp. Strigcnt
tactics have hccn forced upon the OH
cials and planters. however and to-
day Gov. Sanders ordered tho Louis
lana militia o. round up 500 negroes
and mako thorr work ON tho lcvccs.
no tho point of rifles II necessary. At
Eaton Rouge reports came i'm thlt
planters In several Instances We're
compelled 20 corral negro laborcrs
~ the point of ShOtFunS.
Thousands of paid l1hTocts and
souVicts are working. iu some in
stances day and night ON the weak
stretches of tho Mississippi levccs
frnrll Ihn IlDI rlNDr i1nnfinr - Ihn