Evening star., 1927-05-09
Hundreds Fight to Save
Levee Guarding ThickIy-
Populated Section.
BREAK WOULD DRIVE
25O,OOO FROM '.!Es
Hoover and Davis Inspect Embank
ments to New Orleans and Visit
Caernarvon Crevasse.
By the Associated Press.

by the Associated PFeES.
NEW ORLEANS. La. May 9.-Tht
sugar bowl of central Louisiana wa:
threatened with inundation today a:
the flood waters of the Mississippi
River surging from six dixie crevasseS
in the northeastern part of the State
piled up against the Bayou Glaises
levee seeking an outlet TO the sea.
A funnel-shaped stream covering
thousands of square miles of the delta
of northeast Louisiana poured its
strength into the backwater that al
ready subjected the Bayou Des Glaises
levee to an enormous pressure. Fed
eral and state engineers feared that
the dixie could not hold.
Hundreds of men were working or
the threatened levee. Engineers con
centrated their forces at weak spots
while a rescue fleet consisting of many
types of vessels was being modified tc
meet any emergency.
Area Thickly Populated.
The sugar bowl" wherein the do
mestic sugar cane is grown, is thickl,
populated. 1t is estimated that $50, ,00(
persons might be driven from then
homes by a crevasse at Bayou Des
CLASSES. Four million acres would be
subject to overflow.
Unless the dikes break the water:
will be diverted through Old River
back into the Mississippi, adding tc
the already record-breaking flood thai
is moving down the Father of Waters
That would increase the strain against
the levees south of Angola
Battalions of laborers under the di
rection of engineers have been rails
ing low spots for weeks on the lower
reaches of the stream and strengthen
ing weak places in preparation fol-
the height of the flood. Should the
Bayou des GLASSES dixie break, a large
portion of the flood waters would be
diverted through the Atchafalaya
Basin, bringing some measure of re
lief OF the beleaguered lower river.
Hoover Visits Crevasse.
Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Com
meree. and Secretary Davis aof tfs
War Department arrived here last
night from Baton Rouge after in
specting the levee line between tht
two cities. After conference with
the citizens flood relief commit
tee and a visit to the Caernarvor
Crevasses, Is miles below this city
Secretary Hoover will return to Bator
Rouge to remain until after the crisis
has passed and Secretary Davis viii
return to Washington.
Secretary Hoover said that a
crevasse at Bayou Des GLASSES would
force another 100000 people into
refugee camps, but that ample prepa
rations had been made to care fol
them.
Tautness of battle lines on the lower
river contrasted sharply with the
northeast Louisiana line, where the
battle is over and the river has tri
umphantly crashed through the dikes
at six points. inundating practically
all Of that part of the State. While
the flood continued to rise in the cen
trail and southern portions of the
flooded area. from the extreme north
came reports of q fall and it was be
lieved the end was in sight.
Crest Lost i'm Great Lake.
The crest was lost somewhere in
the great lake created by the
crevasses, but it was said that unless
there was a crevasse at Bayou Des
GLASSES 1t would be at the mouth OF
Old River within a few days. Move.
ment of the peak Of the rise will be
a matter of speculation.
North from Old River gauges all
along the line showed steady declines,
while to the south each tenth of a
foot the waters climbed marked a new
record.