PRECARIOUS POSITION

Evening Star, Issue 19546, 3 May 1927, Page 5

PRECARIOUS POSITION

SITDAT3DH AT NEW ORLEANS CALAMITY POSSIBLE. NEW YORK, May 2. (Received May 13, at 9.15 a.ra.) The flood situation at New Orleans is generally believed to be more serious than is commonly understood. This is due to the tendency to minimise the city’s danger for the purpose of sparing the feelings of the inhabitants who resent the suggestion that a calamity is impending. Nevertheless acute anxiety exists.

The facts are that, the Icvectf; arc practically full to the banks, despite the blasting, which only lowered the water very slightly. The present height of the river is approximately a little over 20ft. Meanwhile the water is Oft above flood level at a point between 150 and 200 miles north of New Orleans. This water, it is estimated, will take about ten days to reach the city, so that it can be seen that there is danger that one of the greatest cities of the United States will be flooded, which would be an overwhelming calamity.

This is the present situation as nearly as anyone can estimate. It does not necessarily mean that New Orleans is doomed to be flooded, because artificial breaks may yet lower the water by the necessary margin, or other circumstances may avert the danger; but it is at present prematura to declare that the city is saved, and the state ot the water is being watched with the greatest anxiety day by day. Meanwhile, with new breaks on the west bank of the Mississippi, near the Arkansas-Louisiana border, the devastation there is expected to be at least equal to, if it does not exceed, that in the Mississippi region.