Arkansas Gazette May 20, 1892: WAILS OF WOE Great distress prevails at Redfield. A number of white and colored people, men, women and children, are standing upon the river bank exposed to the rain and wind and the raging waters that are rapidly creeping towards them. The banks are treacherous and huge blocks are falling hourly into the stream. Standing close to the shore, late yesterday afternoon, five persons were hurled into the Arkansas River by the caving of the bank and were carried down the stream, never to be seen alive by their friends. A late report last night placed the number that drowned at twenty-five. About 10 o'clock last night Train Dispatcher J.N. Thompson went to Col. John G. Fletcher's home and handed him a telegram from Mr. H.C. Daniels, of Redfield. The message contained some of the facts mentioned above, and requested that a steamboat be sent at once to rescue the water-bound victims. Col. Fletcher hurried to the levee and boarded every steamboat there, but could find no one having authority to make the trip. He then went to Capt. Woods' home and in a few moments conversation engaged the steamer Anna B. Adams to go to the relief of the sufferers. The Anna B. Adams will have a full head of steam on bright and early this morning, and as soon as a crew can be obtained she will be hurried to the scene of danger. At Little Rock: The flood situation here continues to grow more critical, and though no danger to the city, on this side of the river, is possible, yet the inhabitants of North Little Rock have reason to feel somewhat uneasy. The river had risen 0.9 up to 7 o'clock yesterday morning, within the preceding twenty-four hours, and continued to rise during the day, and it is believed will pass the flood mark of 1884 over a foot. Hundreds of spectators continued to visit the banks on either side the river; many with spy and field glasses to survey the situation up and down the river. The situation in Argenta: The eyes of the majority of the spectators were turned toward that portion of the opposite bank upon which were located the plants of the Elite Furniture Company and the Little Rock Cooperage Company. The Elite plant was opposite the foot of Broadway, and fears of its being washed into the river was entertained all day Tuesday. At noon Wednesday but thirty-five feet of land intervened between the plant and the water's edge, and the bank was continually washing away. Yesterday morning the bank had been sloughed off to the very timbers of the building. A large crowd of spectators were seen gathered about the two-story structure, watching the slow devastation of the flood, and Superintendent Shinn predicted it would be engulfed in the seething waters by 3 p.m. His prediction proved a true one. By that hour the building had been undermined to the extent of about twenty feet at the west end and ten feet at the east end. As the white-capped waves inch by inch carried away the foundation earth of the building, the creaking of straining timbers could be heard for a mile distant. A moment later this immense two-story wooden structure, covered with corrugated iron, collapsed like an egg shell and slowly swung into the raging river. By this time a thousand people were on the bank on this side of the river, and as many on the other side, while numbers crowded upon the lower bridge, watching with almost breathless anxiety the advance of the great floating building down stream. It looked like a huge iron-clad moniter, with its iron deck just above the waves. It kept close to the north bank. Levees at Reed's Landing and Old River Broken: From a private source it is leaned that the levees at Reed's Landing and near the mouth of Old River have given way, and the whole of the Old River low lands are under water. This will destroy the crops on Co. Steele's, Col. Little's, Dr. Robinson's, Mr. Pemberton's, Mr. Cross', Mr. Huggins' and Bob Clark's places and many others in the southeast part of this county, the finest cotton lands of the county. Many of the negro tenants are leaving and coming to this city. It is reported that the tenants on Col. Zeb Ward's places are compelled to go about in boats to milk the cows. At Scotts, Ark.: The destructive waters are sweeping down the Arkansas River and breaking all the levees. At 7 o'clock yesterday evening the levee between Col. Steele's and the Carden plantation at the mouth of Old River broke, letting the water in Old River and overflowing all of Co. Steele's, Mrs. Ehler's and McNebe's plantations. The levee on the river between Dick Huggins' and Dr. Estes' broke last night at 8 o'clock, overflowing the Widow Scruggs, Dick Huggins, Dr. Estes, Col. Cross and Wiggins plantations. The water has been all over Col. Cal Pemberton's plantation for the past forty-eight hours. Dr. Bryson is holding his levee as yet. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com