Evening star., 1927-04-21
FLOODS THREATEN TOWNS.


MEMPHIS, April q P).-Driv
ina forward as regularly as an army
on the march bent On taking an i'm
portant enemy defense a day. tbs
Mississippi floods added another ire
nendous area TO their conquered terri
tories today.
The Government levee at Stops
Landing. is miles north of GreenYhle
Miss fell before the rushing waters
and left to their mercy a5o,Veo acres
of farm lands and 4 score OF towns
Tbe flood IL expected to cover Isha
ouena. Washington and Humphries
Counties and parts Of Warren, Bolivar
and Taglahatchie Counties. Green
willie. largest town in the path of the
food, has a population of about IL
900 Leland, Elizabeth Hollandalet
BeIzoni and Marysville also are
threatened.
In Arkansas. hardest hit so far OF
any state in the food area, which ex-
tends from Cairo. ILL.,, TO the Gulf,
the waters destroyed part Of the
Missouri Pacific trestie over the AT
kansas River connecting Little Rock
and North Little Rock. Backwatef Of
the 0uachfta River spread today over
Monroe. across the river.
Cold anl Disease Add TO Suffering.
Cold weather came q many parts
OF the f1i3od area TO add 70 suffering
OF thousands of refugees huddled IN
camps or crowded together on high
ground. and there We're outbreaks yes
ferfav Of mumps, measles and whooi-
ing cough at refugee camps IL
Wynne and Parkin. Ark. and at Var
Buren. Ark. Estimates are that
score Of lives have been taken alons
the whole river system, and Coy
Martineau OF Arkansas dispatched
National Guard medical officers anc
state health officers to the refugef
camps to prevent spread Of con
tagious diseases that might claim
scores OF lives il they spread.
The eravasse at Stops Landing &C
CURED in the leyee below the poin
where the Arkansas and White 1dV
ers pour into the Mississippi.
while we had hundreds of mer
working on this leyee. we were GER
tain 1t would hold and were caugh
uuDrepared, /" II. II. Halsbury, cot,
ton planter. said This part Of th'
levee held in 1913 and in 1922"
The cravasse was the second ma1ol
break I'M the main Mississippi leye'
system, the first occurring SATURDAY
st Dorena, Mo. From Dorena, th'
waters are flowing southwark, To-
ward the ST. Francis River basin o
Arkansas
Main Defense Crumbles.
The main defense of the Mississippi
al Whitehall was also crumbled. bu
this took the form of an enlarge
ment OF the mouth Of the st. Francis
River above Helena and was not dis
astrous in effect.
I4eyee guardians at Hickman, Ky
and south Of the Reelfoot Levee toda.
were holding the embankment b,
force of manpoWer
At Knowlton. Ark another seriou,
situation prevailed with wave wasi
stopping over the earthen wall A
Clarendon, Ark, the White Rive
stin rode through the streets il
tragic triumph today while inhabi-
tants cr0uched in upper floors or OF
tops of buildings. Refugees from
Clarendon believed that loss Of lif'
there was small. If, indeed, any has
died in the flood.
AS heavy rains continued toda'
throughout the Central South, swell
ing the torrents, "A forecast Of freezlni
temperature for Memphis and vieinit,
was issued by the Weather Bureau.
Crest Expected Sunday.
Memphis may expect The crest sun
day, the official river bulletin said
The Arkansas River at Fort Smitl
this morning at O'Clock stood at So.
feet. a fall Of Ia feet in the last ,
hours. The rainfall WAS l.03 inches
The steamer Kankakee was el
route TO Hickman, Ky. this morning
from the New Madrid area, carrying
800 refugees. Hickman was arrang
ing TO take care Of these refugees.
Telephone operators in New Madri
were handling only the most urgen
calls today and said they were pre-
pared to abandon their city at an
time.
PettyyiIIe Near Extinction
pETgYVILLE. Ark. April 81 6F).-
This village was near extinction toda
from the rising waters of Big Lake
Three buildings, including one larg
residence, were washed away. Waite
was IS feet deep in the rear Of remaii
ing store buildings and was risin
from the floods coming down froi
New Madrid, Mo.
Tornado TITS hiiNooai ATh.
HELENA, Ark, April y OPP
vate messages received here reborte
that tornado struck today near Mel
wood Ark, and that two men, w.
EIeacham and Jess Floyd, We're mis-
ing. One message from Elaine nea
MeIlwo0d said the wind then wa
blowing at 35 miles an hour and ths
flood water had risen IL inches in
hours. The man sending the nessae
, said he was sitting on top of des
while talking over the telephone.
Hickman Levee Threatened.
pADUCAH. KY April u P).-
Workers on the Reelfoot Levee nea
1Caatipsled on Page Z, Column II