The Washington times., 1913-03-30
MEMPHIS IN PERIL
+ OF RECORD FLOOD
Shore Line Is CrumbIing and a
Fifty-Foot Stage Will Come
Soon, Experts Assert.

MEMPHIS. Tenn. March 30.-Tele-
graphic reports from Cairo say that the
levee at Drinkwater, No. is broken. and
that all southeast Missouri and the up
per part of the St. Francis basin soon
will be flooded. The report says that a
train was caught in the food and the
passengers had to be taken off in skiffs.
Drinkwater. Mo, was the scene of a
crevasse in February. 1918. when a
break came early in the food stage.
Hundreds of acres of fertile land will
he overnowed as a result OF the break
ing Of the levee. Water. it is said. will
enter the Mississippi river again above
New Madrid, Mo.
The Government today is rushing COCO
empty sacks to Modoc and other weak
points in the st. Francis levee district
They are loaded on barses belonging to
the Tennessee Construction Company at
the foot Of jefferson avenue. The boats.
which are from 40 to l6o feet in length.
win be used to house Arkansas convicts
sent from Little Rock TO do levee work.
Clear dry weather may work wonders
in the Mississippi valley, according to
local Weather Observer Emery. II it
does not rain for two weeks. he says,
The stage Of the river at Memphis may
not exceed the food Of 1sls.
Crest In Two Weeks.
I The crest of the flood will reach
Memphis In two weeks. There is prac-
tfcallys no change in predictions. River
men fee1 certain the stage will exceed
that of 1912, when all previous rec
ords were broken. Fear is now ex-
pressed concerning the levee at Modoc
Gangs have been sent there to raise 1t.
but planters, fear that this may do no
good. A crevasse is possible there be-
cause OF the new gap finished last fall
and winter.
Memphis is expected to have stage
of more than thirty-eight feet on
Monday. The latter stage will put
Cairo to. below Helena. ~ 0
Presidents Island, south of Mem
phis. VIII probably be under water by
next Tuesday or Wednesday. Capt.
J. A Couch worked all Friday night
ilies living in the highest places on
the island may remain there until
Monday.
The banks at Hopefield Point began
to cave in on Friday afternoon More
line is crumbling, indicating that high |
water will wash more than half the |
old point away.
Raising Lowest Places.
A hfty-foot stage is predicted at
Helena, Ark. in about h week Ac- I
cording to information sent out from
that city the levees can hold that
stage. but fear is expressed Of a high |
er one Gangs of men are working
the north levee in Helena Govern
ment engineers here say that the
leyees around Memphis will hold over
forty-6ve feet but this is doubted by |
local experts.
Major T. C. -Dabney, Of the upper
Mississippi ievee district, has started |
out crews raising the lowest places.
Major Dabney does not anticipate !
trouble. but says he believes in being |
prepared. Railroads have begun prep |
aratione Tor q Hood. President Win |
chell. Of the Frisco. has wired s. c.
Emery, local weather observer for 1
A break in the levee in Holly Bush !
and Mounds, Ark, last April, put all |
the west bank lines out of commits |
sion for ten days. Miles Of track were |
washed away. Fearing a repetition
of this, the railroads and shippers |
have agreed to operate a daily boat 4
between Memphis and Helena
Railroads out of Helena can handle |
business in connection with other lines,
thereby giving Memphis a service |,
should any breaks occur.