Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1927-04-24
THOUSANDS OF
REFUGEES ARE
AWAITING help
Unconfirmed Reports
State that Upwards
OF $50 Have Perish
ed In Floods

MEMPHIS, Tenn, April 23-tP,-
Thousands Of people made homeless
Dy flood waters OF the Mississippi
rIver and its tributaries were car
ried to safety today, while still
other thousands awaited succor.
Many We're in prccarious positions
on levaes and promitories or were
ciinglng to trees and to the roofs
II houses and barns.
Although every possible agency
for rescue was brought into play.
tie death list continued to mount,
reaching beyond the sixty mark and
-herc were unc0nfirmed reports that
upward OF $50 had perished.
As the floodwatcrs pouring
through the crevasse at Stops Land
ing. above Gre anville, Miss. pushed
. On across the delta, new towns were
inundated. among them Leland. and
the millions m property damage al
ready wrought from Illinois and
Missouri on the north 10 Arkansas
and II ssissippi on the south was
steadil. increasing.
While small armies strengthened
the dykes on the lower Mississippi
IN Louisiana, augmented forces were
set 20 work rescuing the marooned
and moving to more advantageous
places those who had been taken to
river towns.
Red Cross Starts Work
Many agencies Of the government
were brought into action as the Red
Cross prepared TO take care Of the
situation.
Henry w. Baker. disaster relief
director Of the American Red Cross
was placed in charge Of the work in
the whole flood district with head
quarters at Memphis and Secretary
Hoover. u aad Of the Red Cross flood
division was directed BY President
Coolidge to proceed to Memphis to
establish an enlarged organization
and 70 study the necessities of the
situation.
By direction of Secretary Davis.
Major q. Il. Ashburn. III charge Of
he Mississippi river barge line, or
'ered the commando aring of all river
boats TO assist in relief work, prin-
cipallv 70 remove refugees from
threatened river towns
Army supplies. including tents,
food and medicines have been or
dered from several corps areas.
Additional supplies are to be fur
rished hv the veterans bureau.
Estimate 100000 Refugees
Red Cross estimates placed the to-
fal number Of refugees at nearly
l00.000 and an even larger number
Of peonle are threatened by present
or prospective floods as the crest Of
hR high water moves slowly down
the river past Memphis
Fva~uation Of Greerville. Miss,
tho LARGEST city 70 be flooded. prob
ahlv will be completed tomorrow and
0tt-ntion than will be turned 10
Helena and other river towns There
are plenty Of craft available for this
work.
The most pressing need is for
small motor boats for rescue work
IN the back waters and urgent APP
reals for these have gone out from
Greenville. Iceland, Scott and q
number Of other towns either now
under water or likely be before
ano.her dawn.
Appalling Conditions.
An~nlling conditions existed in
Grrrnville who're m, water stood
more than waist daen. Sanitary
conditions w~re described as denlor-
able due TO the failure of the water
md sewerage svgtan1s and me nres-
cnra of nearly 10000 refugees IN ad-
aitior 10 the normal population of
10000.
The small boats wore needed 10
transport the peOple from the court
house and other temporary shelters
~ th- levpe whore thew might board
river steamers. There was a short
ace of bread and no drv clothinq
was 20 be had by the water soaked
citizens.
While state. mnnicinal ard fed
eral authorities were Joining forces
N Nississinni in the tremendous
task GO rescue and relief those in
Louisiana were strengthening the
levees and dykes against the com.
bined waters OF the Mississippi tha
Red and the Ouirhta rivers when
the flood rest reached there.
Armies Of Men Working.
Armies Of men were at work top
ping the dikes in the face of warn
ings Of the highest river stage Of
record at New Orleans. Natchez
Baton Rouge and ponaldsonviIle
while hundreds Of armed guards "a.
trolled the leveeH 10 prevent de-
liberate blowing Of them by prop.
~rtv holders who thus might protect
their own lands.
The flood waters from the Missis.
sipi. breaking through to the north
of C-eenviile. had spread eastward
for % mills. Joining with the Sun.
flower river and back waters from
lcontinued on page two.)