Show I SUPREME TEST CLOSE AT HAND That Is How the Flood Is Viewed at Vicksburg SWIFT CURRENT IS RISING STEADILY BEATING AGAINST THE LEVEES WITH GREAT FORCE At Natchez the River Is Near the Top of the Levee and a Heroic Fight Is Being Made Against the Waters Threatening Death and I Destruction A Rather More I Cheerful Reeling in the Missis sipi Delta At Other Places Memphis Tenn April 16Advices from Natchez and other points below Vicksburg indicate that the supreme test in the flood situation is at hand The swift current which is rising steadily I is beating against the levees ftd hi tt ft eg scith such force as to cause the gravest apprehension at many places At Natchez the river is near the top of the levee and everything possible is beIng done to fight back the en croaching waters All kinds of rumors have been current today regarding wholesale loss of life on Davis island but diligent inquiry falls to confirm the story I is known that three negroes were drowned on the island but outside out-side of these fatalities no further loss of life is known to have occurred At Vicksburg the river is rising at the rate of 410 of a foot a day The swift volume of water pouring out of the Yazoo into the Mississippi river at a point 12 miles north of Vicksburg Vicks-burg wH continue for several days The levees between Bedford store four miles south of Delta Ia to Duck port seven miles above are in a precarious pre-carious condition tonight and everyman every-man and boy available is at work strengthening the embankments At strenlthenlng I somepoints in this stretch of levees the water is washing over and the I greatest alarm is felt A more cheerful feeling exists in the delta tonight At Greenville the backwater from Storrs landing which has been rising I in the Hooded part of the town for the last three days is stationary and will begin to fall tomorrow Rosedale Friars Point Helena and other places report an encouraging improvement im-provement in the situation The river declined onetenth of a foot at Greenville Green-ville today and the fall of twotpnths of a foot reported at Cairo gives renewed re-newed hope that the vast amount of water will recede in time to make a good crop At Memphis the river is stationary Captain McCoy of the steamer Bluff arrived in port from St Louis and brings a very encouraging account of the improvement in the condition of the overflowed territory above Memphis Mem-phis In order to make the trip down the river in the day time he stayed at Chilton Ills all night He says the water has receded sufficiently to allow steamers to land at all place There is a material improvement and the outlook out-look on the upriver is cheerful Report to the Government Washington April 16 Secretary Al ger received a telegram from one of his inspecting officers at Cairo who has been working in the Yazoo district which says I have completed the inspection of the upper portion of my district from Ashport to Cairo and find the conditions condi-tions slightly improved The most extensive I I ex-tensive crevasse below Carruthersville has widened to 3200 feet The waters < I are stationary at Cairo but rising below be-low there About 200 refugees from this section are collected at points on high I I grounds I have located and noted the I approximate number established relief re-lief stations and communicated the I I necessary details to Captain Davis I who Is forwarding supplies from Memphis Mem-phis This point is a natural center for I general distribution by small semiweekly I semi-weekly packets that know the landings land-ings and are expected to prove more I I satisfactory and economical than chartered char-tered boats All relief stations but two are already supplied from Memphis i with five days rations Another army inspector telegraphing telegraph-ing from Greenville says that the total area subject to overflow inhis district is about 4000 square miles mostly Phil lips county Arkansas and Coahoma Qultman Collver Sunflower and Washington Wash-ington counties Mississippi I is suggested sug-gested that ten days supplies and rations ra-tions be sent at the earliest practicable 1000 destitute ble moment to supply 100 desttute persons and 100 head of stock in Quit man county in which 13 townships were Inundated Also for 5000 desti tue and fOO head of stock of Coahoma nnh uhor < 12 tnwhl wer food ed for 8000 destitute and 800 stock in Boliver county where nine townships were inundated On the Arkansas side i is reported that 5000 destitute and 400 stock in Phillips and Monroe counties are requiring assistance Thirty to forty days is the estimated period of time before the laborers can go to work In the inundated area but as this period will vary with the locality the inspector recommends that no supplies be sent for a longer period than ten days |