Evening star., 1927-04-27

feet below river ieVel--WaTrantS the
levee cutting step the dangers lmme-
diately threatening the lower Mis-
sissippi Valley are yet 10 be reckoned
with.
Fifty thousand men are feverishly
at work on the levees below on the
Mississippi and Louisiana sides OF the
river. below Vicksburg. They are
struggling to prepare themselves for
the peak waters, due to hit them with
conjunction of the flood crest proper,
and the flood waters from back OF the
1evees converging toward the river be-
low VickSburg.
Secretary Hoover, Gen. Jadwin and
James L. Fieser, acting chairman OF
the National Red Cross. were to go
to the scene of the projected leTee
cut this afternoon and inspect the
situation that viii be created with
release of the muddy torrent into the
Lake Borgpe region.
Evacuation Under Way.
In accordance with the proclama-
tiOn Of Gov. Simpson, evacuation Of
the comparative small strip of pop
ulated land in the Poydras planta-
ton section already is under way and
at the present rate it will be com
pleted by tomorrow.
In giving his approval to the plan
for sluicing the waters into the lake
and on to the Gulf, Gen. JadWin last
night cleared up the uncertainty and
confusion that had resulted here from
Washington dispatches saying that
President Coolidge would not approve
such a measure. Gen, Jadwin acted
with telegraphic approval of the Sec
,,rX lF
Mississippi River Commission had
boarded the Hoover relief boat en-
route to Vicksburg and urged the step
Into Heart of Flood.
Riding the crest of the flood Mr.
Hoover and his party sailed yesterday
into the very heart of the South S
mo Mans Land" After taking
stock Monday of the relief situa
ton in Memphis and Helena, Ark, the
Federal and Red cross disaster probers
ON board the United States engineer
ship Chisca were heading straight
into that unknown quantity. the sec
ton south of Nicksburg, so designated
by Mai Gen. Jadwin, chief Of engi-
neers, because of the uncertainty OF
it's future fate at the whims Of the
steadily rising waters.
Greenville gaunt specter of a city
that was, received a brief visit from
Secretary Hoover, Gen. Jadwin, James
l.. F'ieser and other of the party yes
terday morning. 1t was their first
real closeup Of the foods relentless
havoc. They found most of the houses
of the 1000 inhabitants abandoned
to the merciIess overflow of the broad
ening, muddy Mississippi. Despite the
f,f tod
cials. some 1000. men folks remained
behind to face dangers of pestiience
from water contamination and ex-
posure.
Hoover Active in Work.
Secretary Hoover proved that he
was not It mere figure head in the re-
lief work by making Il careful per-
sonal inspection Of GreenvilIc's flooded
business section. AT the imminent risk,
now and then, of a plunge from the
narrow, loosely laid boardwalk which
has been built from the levee to Red
Cross headquarters, several blocks in-
land down the city's water -coursed
main street, the Secretary was es-
corted by Will A. Percy. chairman Of
the local relief committee, and former
Senator Leroy Percy, assistant chair
man.
Several times the cabinet officer was
forced to balance himself on the
planking to prevent a fail into the
muddy waters which are running into
the main floors of the banks and
stores. Refugees by the thousands
were gathered on the leVees in inapro-
vised shelters, constructed from gun
ny sacks and oilcloth, and Mr.. Hoover
stopped in the midst Of the scenes of
sau9lor to note the pathetic condi-
tiOns.
A. grim touch was given the visit by
announcement that last night relief
workers gave hasty river burial TO
an aged negro who died of pellagra
yesterday. The simple rite consisted
in wrapping a line around the body
and towing it into the channel.
The good ship ChIsca, although un-
accustomed to such emergency duty,
pushed sturdily through the turhu-
lent eddies and yellow whirlpo~Ols in
a determined effort not only to keep
abreast Of the 50-mi;c-a-day current,
but to beat the flood crest to nerve
racked New Orleans
Pass Sight of Disaster.
Early yesterday, before daylight,
the ship passed within a few hun
dred yards of the disastrous KnowI-
tons Landing break, on the Arkansas
side, where 19 lost their lives in the
wreck Of the launch Pelican last week
Had it been lighter at the time OF
passing, the party also might have
glimpsed early in the morning that
they We're in the vicinity 0f Stops
Landing, Miss, where numbers of
refugees still are marooned in tree
tops, on roofs and on an Indian
mound They were caught there by
a sudden break in the levee, through
which at this minute muddy torrent
Is lashing it's course at a 30-mile-an-
hour clip, and spreading it's way over
two millions OF acres of the richest
cotton land in the world.
In these finest OF cotton plantations
one OF them partly owned bv Gov
LoWden OF Illinois, 900 acres of land
Whlch had been prepared for planting
appear to be completely ruined Half
of this acreage actually had been
planted at the time of the onrush of
water. It was the Stops Landing
break which turned Greenviile into
the disaster center Of the food The
worst is over there now, and the main
crisis focal point" was keeping pace,
almost, with the relief ship as she
struggled toward NlckSDufg.
At the latter city Secretary Hoover
and the others will confer with Gov
Murphree of Mississippi and other
public officials as to further measures
TO be taken in the flooded areas of
that State. Conferences also win be
had with the engineers Of the lower
Mississippi districts regarding proteC-
tive steps in progress against leyee
breaks.
Picturesque Group Aboard.
1t was picturesque group of
officials and newspaper men which
embarked at Memphis Monday after
noon on this old stern-whee1er, used
by the Army Engineers both as a tow
boat and as an inspection ship. In
addition to Mr. Hoover, Gen. Jadwin
Irics.c.. tLrr.a. I.nnl..rn s z on