The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-02-09
Many Persons Perish
Thousands Homeless.
SEVEN HUNDRED MEN BATTLE
To Save City Levee-MOre
Than Score Rescued
From Trees.
SITUATION Is UNPRECEDENTED

: Little Rock, Ark, Feb. 6.-The
rapidly widening lake in Southeast
ern Arkansas, formed by the flood
waters of the Arkansas river pour
ing through breaks in the levees,
has engulfed twenty towns, leaving
several thousand persons homeless.
Sixteen lives have been lost in the
last few days and damage that prob
ably will run into hundreds of thous-
ands of dollars has resulted in the
rich farming territory.
Still greater damage is feared il
the Mississippi continues to rise as
in the last few days. Predicted
stages at Arkansas City would en-
danger the levees there and break
in the Mississippi levees would pre-
cipitate a serious situation in the
river valley.
All day long the 700 men who re-
manned in Arkansas City toiled in an
effort to strengthen the levees
against the fast rising waters, and
tonight they were hopeful that the
levees would hold and the town be
saved. The narrow strip of levee is
the only land in sight there. On one
side is the river swollen until the
surface is fifteen feet above the lev
ell of the town. On the other side
of the levee Is the great flood lake
nearly forty miles long and twenty
miles wide. From it only the upper
stories of buildings in Arkansas
City protrude. At the levee are
three steamboats,, one of which is
ready to carry the workers to safety
should they lose their battle with
the flood. They are living in the
second stories of their homes and in
bqx cars on the levee.
To-day the river rose two-tenths
of foot to 55.7 feet at Arkansas
City and is still rising slowly to-
night.
AT Lake Village the food water
rose at the rate of half an inch an
hour to-day. At Gaines Landing,
four miles north of Lake Village,
400 persons Were on the levee to-
night without shelter. Many resi-
dents of Lake Village went in boats
to the court house to-day, where
they planned to send rescue fleet
Of rowboats to Gaines Landing
In Clarendon, on the White River,
where the levee broke lasE night,
water to-day is six feet deep in the
highest portions of the town. The
river had attained stage of 37.4
feet and still is rising. A relief
train sent out from Little Rock yes
terday in charge of officials of the
st. Louis, Iron Mountain & South
ern railroad, was able to proceed
southwark beyond Grady. From
there, the workers began carrying
food in motor boats to those in need
and taking many marooned families
from submerged homes.
Twenty-six persons have been res
cued from trees near McGehee. west
of Arkansas City, by motor boats
sent from Monroe. La. The town of
McGehee has never before been
flooded.
Little "a known of conditions in
rural districts of the flooded district,
but there seems little doubt that
many who refused to leave their
homes in face of repeated warnings
have persisted.
Alfred ]. Henry. of Washington,
meterorologist in charge OF the river
and food division Of the United
States Weather Bureau, who is in
Little Rock. declared that condi-
ton similar to that which now ex-
ist.ain Arkansas has never before oc-
CURED in the history of the Wealth
er Bureau. 49, -
Heavy snow. followed by thaw
: and heavy rains In Illinois and other
Northern States has caused rise
in the upper Mississippi river" he
said. 'Ths Ohio wac flooded In its
-, lower course and general rain in the
valleys d the Arkansas. Red. White
and Other tributariss Of the Missis-
rippi have flooded the latter river
until II wv psqui1e nearly . month
for the vstAs 70 Tun ont The swol-
y, ees1lieS = ~ Mis1lasippi Aas
N ~. ..| 4. A \t|IE I CIV. 4@N s.