New Britain herald., 1927-05-16
COAST GUARDSMEN AND AVAT0RS IN
 VALIANT RESCUES
(Continued from First Page)
path of the flood.
Flood Rolls On

New Orleans, La, May Is P- Rolling relentlessly down the fertil west side Qf the Atchafalaya Basin flood watef from ten major crevasse in the Bayou Des Glaises levees to day drew closer to St. Mary and St Martin parishes, spreading devasta tion on it's way to the Gulf Of Mexi co. The threatened section is in tn center of the "Evangeline country made famous by LongfelIow.
 The Bayou Des Glaises crevasse are approximately 150 miles north west of New Orleans. on the wes side Of the Atchafalaya river.
 Thousands Are Fleeing
 Avoyelles and St. Landry parishes with their green crops of corn ane sugar cane already have been sub. merged by the torrents tearing through the Bayou Des Glaise. levees and thousands Of person. have been driven from their homes Other thousands are preparing te seek safety.
 Work on the protection levee be. tween Port Barre and Butte La Rose in St. Martin parish was abandoned last night when it became apparen, that the flood moving down the basin through the Bayou Des Glaises levees would be from two to three feet higher than the dyke.
 For 30 days. crews have beer strengthening embankments. Scores who had volunteered to aid in the work left for their homes to pre- pare to flee before the advancing tide.
 500 Square Miles Covered
 Army engineers estimated that the water flowing from Bayou Des Glaises had covered 500 square miles. but that the rapidity with which it spread would be lessened somewhat from now on. Engineers also said that the entire stretch oi 50 miles of levees along Bayou Des Glaises probably would be carried away.
 Airmen returning from trips over the dykes said that the Big Bend levees were practically submerged for 20 miles. The stream of refugees into Mansura and Marksville. con- tinued unabated as the flotilla of 5C coast guard surf boats. manned by trained life saving crews from the Atlantic, Great Lakes and Cult coast stations. combed the area bringing out marooned residents who had stayed in their homes in the face of repeated warnings.
 Increase is Likely
 An official weather bureau fore cast describing the flood moving down the Atchafalaya basin sald that it would gradually increase to very great proportions
 Some relief for the main line ot levees along the Mississippi was be- lieved to be in sight, as the weather bureau announced that within the next two days, the rise in the Mis-. sissippi below Old River should diminish.
 The end is not yet in sight, how ever, as the crest of the flood mov- ing down the Tensas Basin had not reached Ferriday. though slight falls have been recorded at Newellton and Tallulah. while the Mississippi river at Vicksburg remained higher than the record established in 1922.
 Refugee Camps
 Refugee camps were under con- struction at St. Martinsville and Opelousas to care for the lower part of the Atchaflaya basin. Advices from ,St. Martinsville were that 20,- 900 persons would have to be cared for there. while between 1000 and 5000 were expected to be concen- trated at Opelopsas.
 Herbert Hoover. secretary of con- merce. who with James Feiser, of the Red Cross. has been in the Bayou Des Glaises section, returned here today.
 Mir. Hoover predicted that the worst of the flood should become known during the present week, and that until determined it would be impossible to estimate either the losses or the dimensions of our problem"
 Opening Of new sub headquar- ters at Alexandria for relief work was announced by Secretary Hoover. in order to facilitate caring for 35,- 900 persons already in refugee camps in that area. which number is likely to increase to 75,O0o or 100,- 900 within the next ten days.