Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1915-05-30
Efforts Concentrated on Building New Levee Be-
 hind Caving Embankment.
PLUM BAYOU RISES
 AND FLOODS GROUND
Fears Now Felt That Building of Elm bankmeht May Be Prevented by Back Water River Passes Flood
 Stage Rising Less Rapidly.

One hundred men were working feverishly last night to construct new levee behind the Plum bayou levee at the point at Ash flats, be- fore thle Oracle plantation, where the original embankment has been caving. Convcts from the county farm were taken to the place yester- day by D. B. Niven and J. IT. Lips comb on special train Mr. Niven came to the city last night, but will return to the work today
 About 70 feet of the levee has been undermined. and has caved, accord ing to MT. Niven. The caving is at two places near each other 30 feet sloughing off at one point and 20 at another. In these places, bags of earth have been placed, and these are holding the four feet of water against them.
 The plan that is now being follow cd is to construct new embarkment behind this break. The new levee will be about 400 feet in length. be- ginning at point about 300 feet from | the southern end of the old levee, and running at an angle of about Az degrees back to the elevation a aaGGnGtnt which the old levee ends nearefvtnSS river.
 The greatest danger now threaten ing Is from Blum bayou into which the water is backing. 1t Is believed that the sacked embankment would hold until the new levee is construct ed, but the water coming in from
 Plum bayou is about to flood the low land where the workers are | throwing up the new embankment. A further rise in the river will flood the place, says MT. Niven, and will practically make a continuation of the work impossible. With the land flooded there will be no place to obtain dirt for the levee, and to dump loose earth into the water will be useless.
 The hope of all is that there will
 be no further rise, thus permitting the construction of the new levee.
 The river did not record as great ! rise yesterday 4as for the A hours ending at a. m. in the morning,
 when it stood at 24,9. indicating
 rise of IA feet in "A hours. A stage of :25.3 was recorded last night, rise of two-fifths of foot. This is above flood stage but the decrease in the rate of the rise leads to the hope that the crest will pass without furthe- damage.
 Reports from other sections along the river in this county indicate that l in rho~ confidence is expressed that they will withstand the pressure of the greatest flood in the history of the Arkansas river.
 Many Individual Losses. Almost continuously from Pine Bluff to Little Rock, farms in the low lands along the river are under water from a depth of one foot to six or seven. feet. according to re- ports gathered here today. Most of these farms are small comparative ly speaking, some being of twenty or thirty acres only, but few ranging up to 100 acres
 Sid Adams, one of the small farm- CTS near here, lost more than 50 acres on which he had a fine stand of cotton. Only on Thursday of last week he had two score or more hands at work chopping cotton. This morning three feet of water covers his cotton.
 Chief of Police Frank Stewart had 75 acres in corn, 25 acres in cow peas and IA acres in cotton, and the crop AS hours ago was in excellent condition. Last night it was "out of sight by a big margin" according to who was interested with Chief Stewart in the farming venture. suf- fers half the financial loss. which will aggregate about $500 Seventy head of cattle, which were on the place. have been safely pro- vided for, said Chief Stewart last night. having been herded to high places which will not be submerged even by the crest of the flood. 1 LAkebed Lake Again.
 Not in the memory of any resident iof Pine Bluff has there been . time when there was such an immense quantity of waterx backed up in the old lake bed.
 For block after. block. thssbed or Ithe old lake is covered, and it is estt- lmated that something like 100 l small houses and shacks, oceVpae fby negroes; have been abando1y N | - :. = ~ ] (continusd on \ | < X, !