The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-05-16
FLOODS SPREAD
BESTR UCT ION
QN WAY TO GULF
Avoyelles and st. Landry
Parishes, With Corn and
Sugar Cane, Submerged
OTHERS THREATENED
Secretary Hoover Predicts
Worst Should Become
Known Within Week

~ ~ W10OW ana Oef cl8nt CnlI0reU
sNeFe found drowned In the attic
Of their home today 1t Plauche-
VILE, according tn message
from Bunkie.
The woman was Mrs. Dupre.
Efforts had been made to get her
to leave after the breaks In the
Bayou des CLASSES levee. hut she
said she preferred to stay at
home.
Opelousas, La. May l6.-tP)-
The Red Cross and city Officials
were informed today that ap-
prOximately 1000 persons are
mar0oned on house tops In st.
Landy parish.
A cali for help came during
the night and trucks were dts-
patched to aid In removal. Be.
& fore they could reach them, how.
ever, the water had risen from
three TO five feet In the lowIands
and they were forced to turn
back.
q New Orleans, May lC.-LR)-Roll-
ling relentlessly down the fertile
west side of the Atchafalaya basin,
flood waters from 10 major crevasses
in the Bayou des CLASSES levees to-
day drew closer to St. Mary and st.
Martin parishes, spreading devasta-
tion on its way to the Gulf of Mex
leo. The threatened section is in the
center of the "Evangeline country
made famous by Longfellow.
The Bayou des CLASSES crevasses
are approximately $50 miles north
west Of New Orleans on the west
side of the Atchafalaya river.
Avoyelles and St. Landry parishes,
with their green crops of corn and
sugar cane, already have been sub
merged by the torrents tearing
through the Bayou des CLASSES levees
and thousands Of persons have been
driven from their homes. Other thou
sfAds are preparing to seek safety.
Work Is Abandoned
Work on the protection levee be.
tween. Port Barre and Butte La
Rose, in st. Martin parish, was aban-
doned last night when it became ap
parent that the flood moving dowr
the basin through the Bayou de:
CLASSES levees would be from two t.
three feet higher than the dixie.
For 81 days, crews have beer
strengthening embankments. Scores
who had volunteered to aid In TIT
work left for their homes to prepare
to flee before the advancing tide.
Army engineers estimated that tn
water flowing from Bayou de-
GLASSES had covered 600 squar.
miles, but that the rapidity witt
which it spread would be lessene'
I. somewhat from now on. Engineer
also said that the entire stretch Q
50 miles Of levees along Bayou de
CLASSES probably would be carrie
away.
Airmen returning from trips owe
the dikes said that the Big Ben
leyees were practically submerge
for 40 miles. The stream Of refugee
into Mansura and Marksville con
= tinued unabated, as the flotilla OF 8
coast guard surf boats combed tn
area. bringing out marooned resi-
Whirlpools Form
The fact that, waters IN the eve
openings were dangerous, more so !
fact than rapids Of some mountai
streams, did not fase the rescu
crews. The crevasse waters, boil
I ing like giant cauldrons. were file
\ with whirlpools and eddtes.
u An official weather bureau fore
1 cast, describing the flood movin
4 down the Atchafalya basin, said tbs
q it would gradually increase to yer
n giSdt proportions" Some RELIEF fo
the main line Of levees along th
&~a nSvhk d