Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1927-05-17
FLEE
AT NIGHT TO
ESCAPEFLOOD
Deluge Pours Through
Levee Break Tear
ing Buildings From
Foundations


NEW ORLEANS. La. May 7.--td7
Melville. La. fell before the on
slaught Of the Mississippi flood to-
day.
Striking swiftly in the early hours
of the morning. the gorged Atchafal-
aya river tore aside levee barriers
and turned it's full force upon the
town. driving residents from their
homes into the streets attired I'm
night clothing. With one mighty rush
the waters engulfed the town hotel,
ripping IL from its foundations and
tossing il aside TO strike residences
adjoining.
The fire whistle and the Standard
Oil plant shrieked warnings as levea
guards sped thriugh the streets firing
pistols iand rifles and shouting.
"Crevassel Crevassei~
Women aroused from sIumbers.
frantically fled before the waters. To-
levees and upper floors Of buildings.
Melville is 1875 miles from New
Orleans and the break is on the op-
positc side Of the river.
Flood Comes Swiftly
SO swiftly did the waters come that
few persons had opportunity TO save
longings. I'm the flight 10 safety, pro-
perty was abandoned I'm the effort
to save lives.
II. @. Parker, secrcatry OF the At
ehalfaya levee board said that no
lives were believed to have been lost.
although before noon the crevnsEe
had widened 10 400 feet and the
waters were roaring through the fff-
teen foot lexee With a speed that was
fast eating il away.
he saaHa that followed the break
was described tO The Associated
Press today by Mrs. Julia MacNciIl.
wife of a Melville druggist. She was
the first refugee TO escape from the
town Everyone was aroused by
shots fired by the levec guards and
rushed from their ZONES i'm night
clothes. Mrs. MacNeilI said.
They Immediately scrambled up
on the levecs where they waited for
the rescue boats. They have ahsoi-
utely nothing. most OF them did not
have time 70 get any clothes.
Waters Rush Upon Town
The waters rushed through the
break with "A roar and tore nearby
houses from their foundations. lift
ing them up and tossing away the
boards and heavy timbers like feath-
ers. Intermingled with the roar Of
the waters could be heard the
screams o. the women and children.
They sat on the levecs on the
river bank crying and shivering. IL
was dreadful"
Warnings 10 evacuate had been Civ
en yesterday but the inhabitants had
clung 70 their homes. confident that
their leyees would hold back the
racing tide. The Texas & Pacific
Railroad had held n train ready to
iatr thcrr out but the water came so
quickly that the whole train was
marooned with the refugees before
1t could pull out Of the town 70 the
west.
Hundreds OF people made their
way 40 the Texas & Pacific railway
bridge crossing the river ON the span
which provided their only link with
dry land. Special trains moved to-
ward the scene from different direc-
tionsr one from Crowley taking All
available boats.
All means 0f communication 10
Melville except BY boat were severed.
Melville ~ on the eastern border Of
&C. Landry Parish ON the east by the
Atchafalayn river. III I'm f2O miles
northwest of New Orleans by air
line.
Gulf Coast Lines In Flood Path
Port Barre lies i'm the path or the
rew current.
All tracks of che Texas IN Pacific
west of the atrhnfalaya will BE- I'M
undated. The Gulf Coast railroad
and two branch lines Of the Southern
Pacific also iie im the path wv thm
flood.
Relief workers in various pnrf~ ~
the inundated area Of the Bic Re,|
and Bayou Des CLASSES nertf0n hnI
reported a fetal Of twenty demd fn-
day. These included three wtnrrnr
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