GRAVITY OF SITUATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19625, 2 May 1927, Page 9

GRAVITY OF SITUATION.

MORE BREAKS IN BANKS. WATERS FLOOD HUGE AREA. OVER 10,000 SQUARE MILES. SAD FATE OF MEN AND STOCK. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received May 1, 5.5 p.m.) A. and N.Z. NEW ORLEANS, April 50. The floods in the Mississippi Valley, tragic enough up to the present, have now assumed the proportions of an appalling disaster. Four more serious breaks in the embankment of the river have increased the gravity of the situation. The sea-wall has been broken through at Vicksburg, which is the chief refugee centre in the Mississippi district. The flood waters are rapdly inundating thq industrial section of that city. The residential area is safe, however, as it stands on a high bluff. Railway traffic to the north has been cut off and the relief operations from this centre are endangered as most of the supplies came from the north. Trains conveying hundreds of refugees to Yicksbury from the inundated regions roust now remain on the outskirts of the city. A diver attempted to check the flow of waiter through the hole in the sea-wall at the risk of his life, but without success. Arkansas Towns Invaded. . The embankment of the Arkansas River gave way at South Bend. The effect was to heighten the water in a territory which was .already inundated, to flood fresh land. Tho waters are now pouring in through, the break, and are rising in several towns within a radius of 25 miles at a rate of 6in. an hour. It is feared that the whole of the southeast section of the State will be submerged. The' death-roll in Arkansas has now reached a total of 119. Two breaks have also occurred in the protection dykes at Yazoo, Mississippi, cutting off communication with the refugee catmp in tho vicinity, where 4500 are concentrated. The waiter is rising rapidly in the streets of Yazoo. It is now reported that the dynamiting of the embankment of the Mississippi was successful. The breaches made are widening, but the engineers may make further breaks if necessary. Tho roar of the water rusning through tho breach -can be heard two miles away. Franiic Efforts to Escape. St. Bernajid, formerly occupied by the Acadians, is now under Bft. of water, which has reached the second floor in most of the houses. Many of the latter toppled over before the rush of the swift current. Many of the settlers who refused to leave when they were warned to do so, are now making piteous and frantic attempts to escape. Rescue boats are standing by m order to render every possible assistance. Live stock left behind can be seen swimming for places of safety, hut very few of them will shortly be alive. The Governors of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, have jointly appealed to the President.. Mr. Calvin Coolidge, to visit the flood regions. lhey claim that it is impossible lor him to realis- tie extent of the disaster in any other way. It is intimated from White House, however, that Mr. Coolidge is not likely to respond to this appeal at present. It is estimated that 500,000 people are homeless, and 55>D are known to be dead. There are also numerous others ' More than 10.CI00 square miles of land are flooded, and tiiis area will be increased.