14 May 1927
Page 1
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Newspaper
Monroe News Star
Location
Monroe, Louisiana, United States of America
Date
May 14, 1927
Page
1
A massive muddy flood from northeastern Louisiana deluges Bayou De Glaize and Bayou Roup, forcing hundreds from homes near Mansura and Cottonport. Red Cross trains move evacuees to camps while coast guard boats and relief teams fetch residents and deliver supplies. Continued coverage on page five.
Sixteen of forty oil companies at Tulsa meeting today approve a resolution to curb Seminole crude production as discussed in New York. The plan seeks to limit output to stabilize prices and maintain market balance.
Dixie track and field stars prepared to attack Southern Conference records in the finals of the annual meet at Baton Rouge under clear skies. Preliminaries were held yesterday in four events due to a sloppy track hindering others.
May 14 New Orleans dispatch reports a massive crevasse at Moreauville driving refugees toward higher ground. The flood swells into a 225 mile long lake across 50 to 100 mile width, inundating 1,000,000 acres of Louisiana and threatening major agricultural losses estimated in the millions. Army engineers say 100 square miles flooded in 18 hours, with Melville and Tenens basin areas moving southward. Coast guard rescue crews operate along the levees as evacuees flee the rising waters.
Cornelius Vanderbilt of New York travels with the Hoover special train to Monroe to cover flood relief efforts. The Yale graduate and noted newspaperman says his role is incidental while Hoover attracts attention. Vanderbilt, formerly publisher Behaeday Lab ak Abe, now on the Daily Mirror payroll, sends 8 000 words daily and is writing a Saturday Evening Post serial.
Monroe eyes a major construction surge as high water delays ease. Sig Masur plans a brick two story on Catalpa Street with three shops. a Monroe Battery building at Sixth and Hall. Pauline Bernhardt to start an eight story downtown office block. Ben Lieber’s Grand Street project. other plans include St John Street offices, a possible hotel, and hotel annex expansion. A sale of 201 Wood Street by Mrs. Hodges to S. D. Hunter signals future commercial development. Builders remain bullish on a season of large-scale construction in Monroe.
A package containing dynamite addressed to Gov. Alvin T. Fuller was intercepted by postal authorities in Boston on May 14, marking a foiled plot against the governor.
Tunica Oil company Whatley No 1 in LaSalle parish completed at 801 feet shows excellent oil sand but low pressure. Operators plan pumping to produce about fifty barrels daily with a nearby L A Oil Co No 83 also at similar depth. New tests planned near Whatley No 1 could open a new exploration area south of Jena.
Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover arrived in the valley on a special train to inspect flood relief in the Mississippi basin. He and Red Cross leaders pledged continued rehabilitation efforts, noting rescue and camp setup precede long term recovery. Hoover compared the flood relief to wartime devastation and stressed coordinated nationwide support.
Lieutenant George G. Finch of Greenville South Carolina and Lieutenant F E Cheatle from Wright Field Dayton landed at Smooth Field Monroe after escaping a fiery crash near Edwards Mississippi yesterday. Finch heads to San Antonio Texas by train this evening while Cheatle proceeds to Monticello Arkansas to continue mapping flood levels for the United States government.
In Bastrop and surrounding areas the refugee total has fallen to about 4000 from 7000 at the flood peak. A Morehouse Flood Committee was formed at a Bastrop courthouse meeting to guide parish rehabilitation. W. T. Smith chairs. T. H. Milliken is vice chair. W. A. Pate secretary. ward representatives named. bankers and Red Cross join efforts with health and sanitation officials urging disease prevention.
A record Derby attendance of about 75,000 witnessed the fifty-third Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Favorites Whiskery and Bostonian led the field of 17 three-year-olds with odds at 5 to 2, while Osmond Kiev and other entries trailed in bets and pari mutuel pools opened for Derby wagering.
Secretary Hoover authorized a Ouachita Red Cross committee led by Charles J. Smith to form a rehabilitation board with O. R. Morton John M. Breard W. G. Haynes and E. R. Strahan advising. A fourth member will be named by John Parker. The board will provide seed supplies and support to aid stock farming and cotton surplus, with Memphis headquarters coordinating. Leonidas Barkdull Faulk Post No 18 American Legion also forms a rehabilitation board C. F E. McKenzie D. Garrett and C. M. Mitchell. A carload of clothing from Omaha is en route and the region will stock a receiving and disbursing depot.
Governor Simpson's trip aboard the Louisiana reports Harrisonburg and Jonesville as the most critical areas. Jonesville floods reach seven to fifteen feet, with cave entrances submerged. The Hawk conservation boat aids from Harrisonburg to Jonesville and Sicily Island to restore communication. L. B. Faulk American Legion plans a rescue expedition for lives and stock in Catahoula parish.
Secretary Hoover arrived by special train after a sudden change of plans spurred by the Bayou De Glaize dyke failure. Officials had requested a Monroe visit, but the disaster redirected the itinerary toward Little Rock and Alexandria, with trains delayed to 9:15 p m by high waters.
Dr. Lyman E. McDonald 35, veterinarian, drowned when a skiff with outboard motor caught fire while refilling gas six miles south of Monroe at Lyles Bend. The negro helper Raysfield Davis swam to shore as McDonald jumped into the river. Recovery work continues amid swift current and deep water.
The News-Star invites new readers and flood history followers to subscribe. It highlights comprehensive flood coverage and offers daily home delivery in Monroe and West Monroe, with agents listed for readers outside the Twin Cities in North Louisiana.
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