The Monroe journal., 1922-04-25
THOUSANDS ARE HOMELESS
BY The MISSISSIPPI FLOODS
Inhabitants Lower Valley Quit Work
to Join Vast Army Fighting 10
Keep Leyees From Breaking
TWENTY THOUSAND FORCED
To FLEE FOR THEIR LIVES
Ia Destitute Circumstances. Relief
Measures Are Taken By Army Of
ficers and Civic Leagues.

Measures Are Taken By Army Of
fcers and Civic Leagues.
Memphis, Tenn, April 23.-Prep-
arations for the crucial week in the
battle against the flood waters OF
the Mississippi river are underway
from Cairo to Vicksburg Saturday
with higher stages of the river than
have occurred in the history of the
United States weather bureau pre-
dicted for nearly all points below
Cairo during the next two weeks.
Every available man and team and
every piece OF levee building machin-
cry in the entire central sector Of
the river will be at work tomorrow
in the effort to prevent a break in
the line of embankments.
Thousands of men are carrying on
the fight at half dozen or more
points in the central river stretches
where trouble developed or weakness
threatened Saturday other thousands
will be addei 20 the forces. Reports
from Missis sippi, Arkansas and Ten
nessee points tonight said farming
operations n the threatened regions
will come to virtual standstill Sat-
urday, in orGer that every man pos
sible can be added to the fiood-fight-
ing army.
| With the most serious situation
presented al Fulton Lake, south of
Arkansas City. engineers tonight said
that they had hopes of holding the
levee there, but admit that the fight
will be hard one.
Ten miles of weak levee have de-
veloped in Bolivar county, Mississip-
pi, reports received tonight state. At
several points in this stretch the
water is reported running over the
embankment and sand boils have ap-
peared at several places. The Yazoo
and Mississippi Valley late today ran
a special again to the threatened
point, with 500 negro laborers. Two
more trains will arrive tomorrow
morning with an additional 1000,
and the expectation that by Monday
morning 5000 men will be at work
on this section. Every plantation
owner in Bolivar and part of Wash
ington county has sent men and teams
to the threatened section. The Amer
lean Legion posts in the two counties
have taken over the work of guard
ing the levees and feeding the thous-
ands of workers. Telegraphic orders
for 100000 sand bags to be ship
ped by express to this section were
dispatched to New York tonight, and
II. has been decided to ton this entire
section of levee.
Gazing at the river bank outside of
the levees near Tunica, Miss, last
right and today has brought the
river at that point to within 100
feet of the center of the embank-
ment. Hundreds of men are at work
there tonight, constructing a dixie,
which L. c. Franklin, president Of
the Yazoo-M Mississippi delta levee
board says will defect the swift cur
rent at that point and probably pre-
vent further caving of the banks. He
declares the situation there is well
in hand.
South of Arkansas City where cav
ing has occurred, more than 1000
men are working night and day
strengthening and topping the levees.
J. W. Summerlin, president of the
Tenas leYee board announced spe-
cial trains tomorrow will bring in a
thousand or more additional laborers
from Louisiana points and he be-
lieves that the situation is under con-
troll.
South of Hickman, KY, where cav
ing outside the embankment brought
the current of the river squarely
against reel foot levee, which pro-
tccts $4,000 acres of rich farming
land, call was issued tonight for
every available able bodied man, me-
chanic, business or professional, to
report for levee work Sunday morn
ing All teams in that part of the
country have been requisitioned for
the fight on the food waters.
20,0C0 Homeless in Flood Districts
V,cksburg, Miss, April %. - APP
proXimately 10000 people forced to
| flee their homes in the lower Yaz 90
basin because of flooded streams, are
in destitute circumstances, army of
ficers and officials of the Vicksburg
board of trade estimated here Sat-
urday night.
Relief measures now being taken
by army officers and various civic
organizations are devised to provide
food, clothing and shelter for this
number.
approximately 1000 people, forced
to flee their homes when back water
from the Miss IS 'ppi and other
streams overflowed their property, or
when a levee break-threaten the
destruction of thousands of homes
and the inundation of all low lands
in this section appeared imminent
are quartered here or at nearby high.
land towns, it was estimated.
Five thousand more are reported
in almost destitute circumstances at
points in southeastern Arkansas.
Relief measures, heretofore con-
Quoted by friends, city and civic or
ganizations, will be placed on a sys-
tematic basis today with the arrival
of Captain John A. Gilman, U. S. A..
from New Orleans. He will have
charge of the work and will. be sta
toned here.
/ Food, clothing, tents, and othe-
supplies will be supplied by the gov
ernment.
Several tent cities are springinr