The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-30
With Destructive Force,
Waters Claim Town After
Town in Path of the
Red River
5000 REFUGEES
HAVE BEEN TAKEN
FROM TERRITORY
Estimated That Within Another Week
List of Refugees Will Increase
0,000--Ferriday La, Is Cow
cred With Water-Hun-
dreds Are Homeless

Nidaiis, In, April 2a.--The flood ,vn-
der from the Gibson's Landing crew
nsse in fhe Louisiana Ievees, rs miles
north of here, Is spreading with de-
struptiye force over Concordia parish,
claiming town after town In Its patI,
of homeless persons and thousands of
head of cattle are being moved from,
tho flooded district and thus far the
known loss of life In this section is
ccnfined TO two negroes.
Already more than 5000 refugees
1ave been taken from the territory
hichs Is being rapidly inundated by
the Sunday morning crevasse and with
in another week it is estimated that the
United States army relief corps Will
be sheltering and feeding at least &c.
DO more. There are $500 refugees In
the relief camp at Natchez and hun
dreds of others are arriving on every
steamer sent out by the relief corps,
Ferriday. La, a town of 1000 people,
in Concordia parish, with its railroad
shops, is now covered and the water
is rising rapidly. The bank of Fer
friday Is flooded and the water is on
the first floor of many houses De-
spite this and the rise in the stage,
the white people will not forsake the
place and those who have no second
1ioors in their homes will occupy box
cars on the New Orleans and North
western tracks. This line continues to
operate between Vidalia and Ferridav.
Three hundred cars Of live stock have
keen haouaht 70 Vidalia by this road
5sa two days. From yidalia they are
Isrrted Il Natchex.
Ten Feet in Clayton
At Clayton the water Is 10 feet deep
nEd rising. The Tensas and Black rivers
have been flooded by the crevasse wa
ter and are oyerflowing into the east
srn part of Catalonia parish, but no
laIge towns are endangered in that
section.
yidalia. the Concordia parish seat.
With population of 1000, today began
closing the gap in the trestle of the
New Orleans and Northwestern rail-
way If the gap holds the town Will
not be flooded.
The people in Vidalia are taking IA
philosophical view of the situation and
are not alarmed. As yet the water has
not shown UP near Vidalia. but 1t is
nearly half way down the parish where
IL met the back water from Black river
and heavy rise is expected.
The gap at Lake st. John is 900 feet
Vide and about 20 feet deep, but the
flow is not turbulent.
w. d. Dix and family, who lived st
.Nancluz plantation near the break and
were marooned for As hours on a mound.
were brought to Natchez today on the
tug Lizzie b, none the worse for their
experience. The steamer Concordia
brought in ITO refugees and a lot of live
stock from Clayton.
Lieutenant Holiday today sent 10000
Tations ON the steamers Betsy Ann to
points south of the mouth of Red river,
and the steamer Senator Cordiil carried
Tations to Concordia parish and Jefferson
county. Mississippi The steamer Ben
Humphreys arrived al Natchez today with
fa 900 rations to be distributed among the
refugees.
kepes levee. near st. Joseph. is holding
but the men are compelled TO make per-
sistent fight.