The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1901-1982, 1915-08-26
NEWPORT FLOODED
BY LEVfE BREAK
WHITE ON A RAMPAGE
FIVE LIVES REPORTED TO
HAVE BEEN LOST IN JACK
SON COUNTY FLOOD.
From Mondays Daily.

from MS DrOIner, d. ~. IiCe VI WV
mort. stating that the levee at New
mort broke and that water was run
ming into the streets.
Five lives have been lost, it is re-
ported, from Elmo, Jackson county,
in the worst flood that has swept the
White river valley since 1891, accord
;np to a staff correspondent of the
Arkansas Gazette. Scores of faml-
lies in Oil Trough bottoms that are
flooded for miles, are being removed
from housetops, trees and other places
Of vantage by the crews OF the steam
ers Mary C. Lucas and Muskogee'
These boats and men have been work
I'D for "a hours straight by their cap
.a;ns and have steamed without trou-
hle over miles of territory Where,
MANY feet beneath the mater, corn
that only a few days since neareo
harvest now is ruined and Will De
lost. Captain Inman of the Musho-
roo said he has driven his boat miles
fron the river. He reached Elmo'
a;oht miles inland, with difficulty.
JacKsonport is inundated. Inc
,evee parted there at O'Clock sun
dav afternoon and wall of water
swent into stores and homes, whence
occunants had fled few hours oe-
fore. The property loss there VIII De
large. ooo
Last night the government guaee
reached SO feet at Newport, and the
rise is coming at the rate OF two lee'
an hour. The electric light plant mere
i ont of commission and the city Is
in darkness.
Direct railroad communication 10
Little Rock was stopped at cloch
last night because OF washputs on the
Iron Mountain. Four miles south OF
Newport the water is rushing over
tho track and it is not known how
much road bed is washed out. crews
Of men are working by shifts TO
strengthen the levee at the south sloe
of that city, and the level of the wat
er is more than two feet above the
streets in part of the town. Man!
houses are flooded in the south ana
east sides of the town. The rise OF
the water was unprecedented In
little over four hours it rose hve feet.
MANY families living on low ground
waited until late in the evening when
the water had surrounded their
houses. to start to the higher ground.
Boats were then pressed into service
and last night they were walking
along the railroad to Newport. Stock
from the lowlands have come up to
the track also, and trains which pass
ed through the flooded area expert
enced difficulty in keeping the track
cleared of horses, cattle, mules and
hogs.
J. w. Dean, general superintend-
ent of the Iron Mountain, who went
on a special train from Little Rock
to inspect the flooded district, said
traffic over the Missouri division of
the road will not be resumed for five
or six days. Traffic between Newport
and Little Rock will not be delayed
that long, unless the damage is heav-
Ter than officials believe. The water
for distance of several miles south
of Newport has washed the road bed
from under the rails, but this can be
repaired quickly when the water. re-
cedes if no track is washed out.
Tributary streams to the White
river have had record breaking rises
for the last three days, and have
swept their courses clean of crops,
buildings and fences. Estimates place
the damage in Boone, Baxter and Ma
rion counties at nearly million dol
lars.
The crest of the flood on the White
river is now below Batesville, and will
reach Newport sometime today, it is
expected. A stage of "a feet is pre-
dicted for Newport.
Heavy damage to crops and loss of
livestock has been caused by the I'M
usual rise of the Ouachita river. One
farmer near Arkadelphia lost cotton,
corn and cattle valued at $4,000 and
$1,000. The river is nearly two miles
wide and is sweeping along the bod
les of animals, shocks of corn and
other evidences of the large damage 1t
has done. The crest of the flood has
passed Arkadelphia, and the river
now is falling.
A break in the levee on Indian
creek, near Success, let the flood de-
nude many acres of crops and many
cattle were drowned. Wind and
floods have damaged the corn crop in
the Little Missouri valley. Spring
river has been higher than ever be-
fore, and crops in the bottom lands
of Strawberry and Eleven Point riv-
ers have been destroyed.
Damage estimated at 100000 has
been done in Fulton county. Reports
from Salem say that the South Fork