The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-05-06
Cabinet Members Will Make
Trip Down Raging
Mississippi.
BB United Press

BIZ United Press
Two members of President Cool.
idge's Cabinet arrived at Vicksburg,
Miss, today for conferences on re-
lief measures, reha bilitation and fu-
ture means of controlling Mississippi
valley floods.
Secretary Of Commerce Herbert
Hoover conferred with A. l.. Schaf-
fer, Red Cross regional Director; l..
o. Crosby, Mississippi State flood re-
lief dictator, and Col E. G.. Egger
of the National Guard.
Secretary of War Dwight Davis
met with the chief engineer for this
district. Maj. John c. II. Lee. to OBJ
tain first-hand information on the
progress of the battle against the
river.
The party from Washington, which
includes Maj Gen. Edgar Jadwin,
was to leave later for a trip down
the Mississippi aboard the Mis-
sissippi river commission steamer
Control.
The Red Cross flood disaster fund
reached S7,S13 .90S today as word
came from Henry NJ. Baker. relief
director, that the Red Cross is now
caring for nearly one-third Of q
million refugees in the flood zone.
The $40, 1000, 900 minimum goal set in
President Coolidge's second relief
appeal will be, distinctly a minimum,
Baker indicated.
In face of repeated defeats and re-
versals, Louisiana farmers and vii
layers continued today to fight adj
vancing floods in the hope of saving
small sections which have escaped
inundation.
Breathles; :, sweating, swearing
crews work ed on levees at a score
of points. Capitalists Negro labor
ers, farmer refugees, merchants and
State convicts strain side by side in
the effort to build up and strengthen
the river wall.
The most concentrated effort was
being made on the levee at Pine
vile, across the river from AleXan-
dria, where the Mississippi was
higher than ever before recorded.
Refugees at camps near the scene
have been drafted to work on the
dixie. mo work, no food" was the
edict of rescue workers in ordering
that all able-bodied men do their
share to save the river wall.
AS nearly as can be determined
there have been no deaths in newly
too well prepared for the flood and
had the avantage of experience in
caring for victims farther north.
The area inundated is about $4,000
square miles. The number of refu-
gees cannot be accurately computed
because of unstable conditions. 1t
is estimated homes of between $780,
900 and 1000 persons are ma
rooned.
Workers Drafted
Workers have been drafted from
refuge camps to work on the levees
but the threat of flood to the south
central parishes Is growing more
seriously hourly.
In Rapides Parish. along Bayou
Rapids. levee crews redoubled eff
forts to save at least part OF the
cotton crop in the section. State
prison convicts are working with
prominent farmers and bankers on
the levee in an attempt to stop the
waters.
Plantations threatened are large
and loss If the levees break would
warn that Of the Tensas Basin.
A portion of Eastern Monroe was
ordered evacuated. Backwater at
lacking the city has risen to depth
Of five feet and efforts to construct
a levee to hold it may have come
too late.
Backwater from Lafourche swamp
continued to rise today, increasing
the menace to Monroe. The swamp
Is fed by floods to the East.
Swamp backwater, driven across
country by the Mississippi dixie
breaks, washed against the levee
of the Ouachita River, threatening a
flood from that source unless the
river falls before the backwater
softens the levees and allows the
current to sweep through.
The last transportation means be-
tween Delhi and Oakgrove was
severed today. Bus traffic was
when water on the high
way became too deep for operation of
the machines. Delhi, housing q large
number of northern Louisiana
is now isolated except for
access by boat.