Evening star., 1927-04-24

Hoover, head of the Red Cross flood
division, was directed by President
Coolidge to proceed to Memphis TO es-
tablish an enlarged organization and
| to study the necessities of the situa
tion.
BY direction of Secretary Davis.
Maj. @ r. Ashburn. in charge of the
Mississippi River Barge Line, ordered
the communicating of all river steam.
ers to assist in relief work. princi-
pally to remove refugees from threat
ened river towns.
Army supplies, including tents, food
and medicines, have been ordered
from several corps areas. Additional
supplies are to be furnished by the
Veterans Bureau.
Red Cross estimates placed the
total number of refugees now at near
ly 100, 600 and an even larger number
of people are threatened by present
or prospective floods as the crest Of
the high water moves slowly down
the river past Memphis
Greeuville Evacuated First.
Evacuation of Greenville, Miss, til
largest city to be flooded, proDaDl
will be completed tomorrow and al
tention then will be turned to 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 tn.
back waters and urgent appeals for
these have gone out from Greenville,
Leland, Scott and number Of other
towns, either now under water or
likely TO be before another dawn.
Appalling conditions existed al
stood
more than waist deep. Sanitary con-
ditions were described as deplorahle,
due to the failure of the water and
sewerage systems and the presence
of nearly 10000 refugees in addition
to the normal population of 10000.
The small boats were needed to
transport the people from the court
house and other temporary shelters
20 the levee, where they might boa rd
river steamers. There was a short
age of bread and no dry clothing
was to be had by the water soaked
citizens.
Guards Prevent Blasting Levees.
Armies of men were at work top
ping the dikes in the face of warn
ings of the highest river stages Of
record at New Orleans, Natchez,
Baton Rouge and Donaldsonville,
while hundreds of armed guards pa
trolled the levees to prevent deliberate
blowing of them by property holders
who thus might protect their own
lands.
The food waters from the M:ssis-
sippi breaking through to the north
of Greeneville, had spread eastward
for 20 miles, joining with the Sun
flower River and backwaters from
the overfowed Yazoo tonight.
Communication with this district
was difficult, but reliable reports were
that a number of small towns had
been flooded.
1t was estimated that before the
flood has passed beyond Vicksburg
probably 1000 square miles of the
delta country would be flooded. The
waters will drain off into the AIissis-
sippi again to add to the torrent
which will descend upon the cities
lower down the river.
Arkansas Conditions Improve.
Flood waters from the Arkansas
River running over into Louisiana
will reach the Red River soon, and
this resulted in warning of unusually
high stages on that river below
SilIGNGBOIts NOLIC6 dlSO was given
that a flood was moving down the
OuaChita toward Camden.
Some Improvement in Arkansas was
reported during the day with fall
of the waters Of the Arkansas and
White Rivers, but vast territories are
still under water, including the towns
of Clarendon and Hughes and thou
sands of persons are in need of help.
Government airplanes flying over
the flooded districts from Little Rock
south to McGehee reported danger
ouse levee conditions and locations Of
people who are in danger. Rescue
parties got their directions from these
planes.
Levees Still Crumbling.
On the Mississippi above Memphis,
the danger point appears to have
passed Hickman, Ky, but the Creyices
in the Missouri levee at Dorena had
widened to more than 5000 feet and
was still crumbling with Army engi-
neers reporting depth Of rushing
water at from Is to 65 feet.
Rescue work in the northern food
area is being pushed by the Coast
Guard which today ordered a relief
party consisting of the entire person
mel at Louisville to proceed to Cairo
to aid in this task. More than 1000
refugees have been taken out by the
Coast Guard cutter Kankakee.