New Britain herald., 1927-04-23
Thousands Stranded on Banks and Levees Screaming For Help While Rising Missis- sippi Threatens to Sweep Them Into Eternity.
More Than 50 Known Dead, 75,OOO Are Home less and Nearly 100000 Others Are Endangered as Torrent Assails Delta Defenses.

Memphis, Tenn, April B Hp- The "eyes Of the air. both land and sea airplanes, have been called upon to aid in the rescue of flood victims in Arkansas, while every river boat available in the region was being mustered today to save thousands of refugees, perchad on fast crum- bling levees on both sides Of the raging Mississippi river.
 Screaming For Help
 Between 1000 and 10000 persons were stretched along levee for a distance of three miles at Greenville. Miss, while another 2,000 were re- ported to be stranded on a 2l2 foot embankment which was rapidly being eaten away by the rising flood at knowlton's Landing, Ark. with out shelter and with little flood: they were said to be screaming and crying for help as the water rose toward tho top of the leyee.
 .o,000 Homeless
 ilt SNtNl bL ttiC ts'NI ny Hhi' tiA4 - father of waters" on its worst flood in history, while breaking through | levees guarding the rich farming land of the north Mississippi delta, had rendered more than 15.o00 per sons homeless. it was estimated by the Red Cross authorities and other | relief agencies.
 The crest of the flood had not been I reached. and grave fear was enter ! tained for the safety of 10o o0o mora people, endangered by the spreading waters. All night and today relief workers toiled to eNtricate the vic tims and warn those whose homes i lay in the path of the threatened i increased flood area.
 The airplanes were called into action. when seven land machines l of the Arkansas National Guard | searched the flooded area of that state to locate marooned refugees | who had not been found by the rescue parties.
 Scaplanes Used Too Three sc&planes also were dis patched from the Pensacola. Fla. naval air station to Arkansas to SCOUT the region and to land and take aboard marooncd persons. The land planes made no attempt to res cue the refugees but reported tho locations Of many to relief agencies. Half q dozen large river steamers. towing steel barges. together with q fleet of five small motorboats, were engaged in rescuing the Greenville refugees, taking them to Nicksburg while the steamer Wabash brought zoo people from the crumblins knowlton's landing dike and then went to Grcenville. Among the rescue craft was the Mississippi river commission boat.
 Authorities of the two stricken states of Arkansas and Mississippi latter state have issued an appeal for small boats as well as the large
 steamers, the small craft being needed to canvass the flooded al ga
 and pick up persons marooned ou , housetops, trees and hillocks.
 FIoCkins to Cities Toward the heavens Of safety l the cities Of Memphis. Nicksburg l Yazoo City. Miss. and Helena, Ark } the refugees by the thousands came trooping by rail. boats and or ,foot-whcre roads were passable
 scores of white and negro farmer: led or rode their mules. followed b, their families, all laden with th' few precious household possession: they could carry.
 In the refugee concentration
 camps every prtCaution aga!ns Ilisease was taken. vaccination anc itvphoid inoculations being compul = sory. while the relief agcnCle | handed cut thousands Of garment Il and bedding and fed the refugees
 many of them hours without food.
 Legion Doing Work
 Two freight trains, after heinl 5 maroonca A hours near Huges. Ark ~ with tracks under water arrived lat . last night at Memphis with l4S fam
 lilies and were rushed by the Ameri , can Legion, which is handling thei = care here, to the Tri-State fai
 grounds.
 F Negroes predominated among tn = refugees and their placid optimism !, despite the loss of all possessions to Ii gether with obedience and willing | Lol ,n hA nf rnfnpS @ camps aided relief workers greatl T. it was said.
 Q More Than 50 Dead ,f More than 50 persons were know ,e to be dead. More than 15.0o0 wer ,f homeless while nearly 10000