Evening star., 1927-05-09
HOOVER |NSPECTS
NEW ORLEANS DIXIE
Greatest of Engineering Skill
Brought to Bear to
Stem Mississippi.
By REX COLLIER,
staff Correspondent of The Star.

NEW ORLEANS. La, May g.
Under the leadership of Secretary
Hoover and War Secretary Davis, the
Governments relief and engineering
skill was concentrated here today to
make reconnaissance of the tighten
ing battle lines in the last sector of
the Mississipi's inexorable and ruth
less march to the Gulf.
Having yesterday effected review
by automobile of the I8o.mile dirt EN-.
trenchments which threatened Louisi-
ana is throwing up on the east side
OF the river from Baton Rouge to
New Orleans, the Commerce and War
Secretaries and their national flood re-
lief party were investigating today
the flood ramparts here.
The two Secretaries, with Maj. Gen.
Edgar Jadwin, chief of Engineers;
James L. Fieser. acting national chair
man of the Red Cross; Gov. o. H.
Simpson of Louisiana. Maj. w. III.
Holcombe, river engineer for this
district, and others embarked this
morning on the tug Samson for an
inspection of the dynamited Poydras
crevasse, Is miles below the city.
Dynanhting Continues.
All but Secretaries Hoover and
Davis had witnessed the blowing up
of the Caernarvon Levee at Poydras
10 days ago, but in view of the un-
expected procrastination of the river
in taking the artificial detour in the
sacrificed Saint Bernard and Plaque
mine Parishes, the officials were anx-
ious to see for themselves the pro-
gress being made in the effort to safe
guard New Orleans. The dynamiting
has been going on ever since the
initial blast and it eliminated yester-
day in a 3,000-pound charge explosion.
An impressive reminder of the
grave situation into which this city
would be plunged by break in the
levees protecting it's nearly 100000
inhabitants was obtained by the flood
relief party yesterday afternoon as
it passed through half-closed gate"
into the walled city, coming from
Baton Rouge.
Half of the highway from Baton
Rouge has been closed by erection
part way across the road of a sec
ton of giant steel cofferdam, connect
ing with the back levees protecting
New Orleans from a break in the
east levees above the city. The re-
manning section of cofferdam was
ready to be locked into place across
the road at the first warning Of
danger.
Danger Not Yet Past.
While Secretaries Hoover and Davis
believe that the Poydras Crevasse has
relieved New Orleans Of nearly all
danger of inundation, they learned
by their automobile inspection tour
yesterday that anything may happen
east of the river, below Baton Rouge,
when the flood peak arrives.
The gravity of the situation not
only on the east side, but in the
river on the west, above Baton
Rouge, has impelled Secretary Hoover
to stay in this hazardous territory
until the final battles are won or lost.
His headquarters for the next week
or so, or until the crisis is past, will
be the whole area from Baton Rouge
to New Orleans, he announced today.
Secretary of War Davis, who is
particularly concerned with the food
control problem of the future, will
leave here this evening for Memphis,
following conferences with the spill
way board and members of the Missis-
sippi River Commission. He may then
proceed to ST. Louis to confer with
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