Evening star., 1937-01-30

that the levee across the river guard
ing Tennessee has broken. The re-
ports are not true"
The Mississippi reading at New
Madrid was 47.25 feet at the 5l-foot
levee. a rise of 0 % in IL hours. where
as the rise for the previous IL hours
was 032.
Their last great precaution taken
a 3-foot emergency bulwark trimming
the mammoth dike-the people could
only watch and wait for the crisis.
Anxious and tense, they were set to
rush In with reinforcementS wherever
a weak spot might appear.
Down the Mississippi, below this
levee- -hemmed confluence Of the two
streams, the flood kept pouring into
a man-made catch basin designed to
relieve pressure here, but the Ohio
crept gradually higher on the Cairo
gauge.
The officially predicted crest Of 81
feet Is due to arrive by Wednesday.
With its hurriedly-built bulkhead OF
boards and earth the seawall measures
SO feet.
All the way down from Pittsburgh
the Ohio has done its worst. But
Army engineers here were confident
Cairo would again escape disaster just
as it has through all the floods Of the
last 70 years. I'VE have definite con-
troll Of the river fight" one said.
/ Other cities Of Little Egypt" up the
river, were deserted or in the process.
Mound City, scene Of levee break,
was vacant. At Mounds, 300 persons
awaited daylight to be rescued from
second stories.
Red Cross officials estimated 1,400
were moved out of the flooded area
yesterday and the remainder would be
carried to safety today.
At Karnak and Ullin, small towns
farther north on Cache River. back
waters of the Ohio forced residents to
higher ground. Communication from
those points here was meager.
Rescue work was hastened in the
vast floodway Of Southeastern Mis-.
souri,, where 1000 acres between
Birds Point and New Madrid were sac
rificed to the water for the larger
purpose Of lessening destruction up
stream.
Spillway Serves Purpose.
Engineers said the spillway, "about
fuu," was "functioning as had been
expected" Embracing 27-mile levee
set back from the main course Of the
Mississippi, the project was built In
1881 at a cost Of $21.000,000.
Rev. A. B. Cooper, Red Cross Of
ficial at Charleston, Mo-, said only q
few Of the basins 5000 residents had
not been brought out.
Two brothers and their families,
totaling 13, told Of riding a crude
raft for a week, driven out Of their
sharecropper homes. Mrs. Sally jack
son and Mrs. Nida Jackson related
how their husbands fashioned q crude
cabin and set it on logs as the water
advanced.
I'VE had food and everything
seemed all right until the engineers
started dynamiting the levee." said
Mrs. Nida Jackson. "That let In 50
uluCll WhtcI al I1tC opAAWdy oh ~
once 1t set up big current. Our raft
started tossing.
I'VE had tied up to q tree after
floating into timber country. but the
way that raft bobbled scared me to
death. thought any minute it would
upset and throw us in the water"
"And that isn't ALL" put in Mrs.
Sally jackson. when the boats
picked us Off we didn't have q bit Of
food left" The children were suffer-
ing from colds when taken to East
Prairie, Mo.
Scattered through other towns In
the Missouri ''bootheer were refugee
camps where the homeless were given
food, shelter and medical care. Hun
dreds Of men worked to strengthen the
setback levee.