Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-05
HOOVER SEES AREA
OF FLOOD IMPROVED
Dixie Found Pulling Herself
Out of Mire on Tour i
of Inspection. !
BY REX COLLIER,
staff Correspondent of The Star.

BY REX COLLIER,
staff Correspondent of The Star.
GREENVILLE, Miss, September
5.--The Mississippi Valley is Begin
ming to pull itself out Of the mud,
but another Spring may have rolled
around before all marks OF the great
flood of 1927 are gone. Back for 81
survey of the valley, Secretary Hoover
is gratified to find Dixie once more
on her feet, even though she has
not yet completely rid herself OF the
mire that engufed her six months
ago.
Cotton fields are in bloom where
but a short time ago was muddy
expanse of flood water dotted with
roof tops and trees. Rowing gangs
of carpenters. bearing commissions of
| the Red Cross, are righting upset
| cabins. building new ones and repair
| ing barns. Local engineers are patch
| ing bridges and roads. Government
engineers are closing the crevasses and
combining once more the river to the
| levees.
. Better Health In Valley.
Best of all. in Secretary Hoovers
opinion, is the announcement of DR..
| William DeKleine, acting medical di.
rector of the Red Cross, that the val.
| ley right now Is in a better state Of
health generally than 1t has ever been
before. True. in some of the stricken
counties there has been a slight in.
crease during the past few weeks If
pellagra and malaria, but scarcely
more than is customary at this sea.
I pf tho HnnH rr AnnI
| Many of the lower sections Of
Arkansas and Mississippi and souths
ern Louisiana are not yet out of tho
slough of despond, and the prospects
are the worst Of these won't receiver
from the effects all Winter. The Red
| Cross still stands by, ready to render
| assistance needed.
| II am glad to find your morale 80
! high" Mr.. Hoover informed county
| relief workers at conferences here
and in Memphis. "It augers we'll for
| completion of one of the biggest peace
| time jobs in history"
| OF course the fact that fields Of
| blossoming cotton are to be seen does
not mean that all plantations share in
| the glory, much of the land of cotton
| this year is raising vast crops OF
| jimpson weeds and cookie burrs. Some
| plantations never again can raise any.
| thing on portions of their land, due
to the great deposits of sand that have
ruined the fertile fields.
Bright for Some.
For those who have been able to
| get some sort Of a crop of cotton,
| however, there Is frightening
horizon. Cotton is selling for just
about twice what 1t did last year, the
| price at present ranging from 25 to
| % cents a pound. Half a crop this
year is worth as much therefore as
whole crop a year ago. That helps out
| q lot.
Details of the present situation in
| northeastern Arkansas were unfolded
| to Mr.. Hoover, Vice Chairman Fieser
of the Red Cross and other flood off,
Gals at the conference in Memphis
yesterday. They learned that condi-
tons are weel in hand, except along
the White River, where another rise
| has flooded planted fields for the
| fourth time this year. Several hun.
| dred families who have been victims
| lied by the new water may have to
depend on charity until next Spring.
it was disclosed.
| The recent decision of the Controller
General against the use by Army en-.
| gineers of a s., 000, 900 rivers and har-
|
been a severe blow to the valley. En-
gineers have been at work on a dozen
| breaks and damaged levees, but all
| funds have just about been exhausted,
and unless Mr.. McCarl reconsiders his
action this important work cannot be-
! completed until Congress appropriatea
more A delay will seriously menacS
the valley with the threat Of Winter
and Spring floods.
Big Crevasse Reviewed.
Secretary Hoover yesterday jour'
| neved by special train to this water
marked city and viewed the scene OF
! the big crevasse at Mounds, or stops
Landing. 1t was through this single
break that all of the flood water in
the State of Mississippi found its way.
| A fleet of engineers boats is at work
repairing the breach.
| Greenville was directly in the pain
of this torrent, but most traces of the
water have disappeared. The tents
| on the leVee, which sheltered thou.
sands of refugees, have been replaced
nv strOlling couples and romping chill
dren, attracted by the cavortings Oh
speed boats, the stunts OF aquapianers
or the arrival of passenger steamers.
| Gone. too. is the boardwalk which
| bridged the water in Greenvilie's busl'
ness section. The city again is carry
ing on as usual.
There are grim scars in other Sec
tions to remind one of the Mississippis
wrath. Along the right of way of the
Illinois Central line from Cleveland,
Miss, to Greenville are deposited guam
titles of debris of every description,
from roofs to entire houses. They We're
carried 10 or 20 miles from their orig
inal sites.
At one little railroad station near
this city attention was called to
station house and wooden signal pole
destroyed by furnishing cattle. 1t was
declared that parts of the station and
pole were literally eaten up by the
starving cows as they stood for weeks
up to their shoulders in water. Their
bodies were found scattered around
the vicinity after the waters subsidized.
The outbreaks of pellagra and
malaria are being combatted by yeast
and quinine, respectively. Five thou 4
sand pounds of powdered yeast are I
being distributed among pellagra vic
tins, of which there are some 40, 900 |!
at the present time throughout the
valley Health units of permanent
character are being set up in most
of the counties with the aid of the
Rockefeller Foundation, the United
States Public Health Service and
State and county authorities.
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