The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-04-12

Thus far no loss of life has been reported. but heavy damage to farm property was anticipated as a result of the force with which the flood was driven through the gap in the embankment by high winds which prevailed last night and today.
 According to dispatches received here the break occurred last night near the twon of Snow Lake. Hem rico, LacoRia, Knowlton and Fergu- son are among the towns within tho circle over which the water Is spread Ing.
 Reports received over railroad
 wires indicated that the water
 late today had reached a depth
 of from 5 to feet in the flooded
 arenr.
 Reports from points along ths Mississippi river tonight indicated that the levees on that waterway, menaced for nearly a month by high water and facing a prolongation of the flood as a result of heavy rains over the northern water sheds, were intact at all points with no more serious trouble developing thus sar than wave wash and minor slides Workmen hurried to endangered points. quickly remedied the trouble, according to late dispatches and en- gineers directing the fight still wers confident that the main entertainments would hold.
 Rising stages were reported in ths Mississippi today from New Madrid. Mo, 174 miles above Memphis. to St. Louis while the Ohio, which empties into the Mississippi at Cairo was either falling or stationary. At Mem phis the Mississippi falling at ths rate of several inches a day for a week from the peak stage of 42.s feet. was nearing a stationary stage tonight at 40.4 feet. A weather bu- reau bulletin today forecast a vir- tually stationary stage here for two or three days and then q slow rise. Kansas City, on the Missouri. ono l of the feeders of the Mississippi, re- ported. one-foot rise today. while l the St. Francis, which flows into tho rise of one-tenth at Marked Trce, Arkansas.
 Riverton, several miles south of Rosedale, Miss, and A stretch of levee a few miles north of Greenville, were among the points which re- poted damage by wave wash today. At neither point. it was stated, is the situation serious.
 Oldtown. south of Helena, regarded as the principal point of danger last week, was reported holding well and danger of a break there minimized. 800 Families Affected
 Reports tonight from the break in the White river levee near Laconia, Ark. say that a little more than 5000 acres of cultivated land, mostly rice farms. are under water About | 500 feet of the levee, which was built many years ago by private subscrip- tion, have been washed out, the re- l port stated. About 500 families who l had received ample warning of the break are affected. Their household l effects are on scaffold in the houses and most of the live stock in the dis trict was sent to Helena several days ago. The Arkansas river levee is pro- tecting all lands south of that stream from overflow, it Is stated. | Back of the levee which broke early today. the land is all swamp. which has been under six to eight feet of back water from White river for several days, as 1t was without levee protection.
 A telephone message from Helena tonight stated that the paved high way between Elaine and Ferguson was under water and that persons 1 living in the low sections of that and other small towns in the vicinity have moved into box cars furnished l by the Missouri Pacific railway. At Mellwood, 16 miles from Snow Lake, the windstorm early today ia reported to have blown about 50 small houses from their foundations. Most of these floated away in the back water. About eight feet of water is reported at Snow Lake. It is stated that no suffering has been caused by the break as most of the ] tenant farmers in that section are well supplied with provisions.