Deep'n as It Come: The 1927 Mississippi River Flood

by Pete Daniel

In the spring and summer of 1927, the Mississippi River and its tributaries flooded from Cairo, Illinois to New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Gulf of Mexico, tearing through seven states, sometimes spreading out to nearly one hundred miles across. Pete Daniel’s Deep’n as It Come , available again in a new format, chronicles the worst flood in the history of the South and re-creates, with extraordinary immediacy, the Mississippi River’s devastating assault on property and lives.
 
Daniel weaves his narrative with newspaper and firsthand accounts, interviews and survivors, official reports, and over 140 contemporary photographs. The story of the common refugee who suffered most of the effects of the flood emerges alongside the details of the massive rescue and relief operation—one of the largest ever mounted in the United States. The title, Deep’n as It Come , is a phrase from Cora Lee Campbell’s early description of he approaching water, which, Daniel writes, “moved at a pace of some fourteen miles per day,” and in its movement and sound, “had the eeriness of a full eclipse of t he sun, unsettling, chilling.”
 
“The contradictions of sorrow and humor. . . death and salvation, despair and hope, calm and panic—all reveal the human dimension” in this compassionate and unforgettable portrait of common people confronting a great natural disaster.

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice short treatise on the 1927 flood of the Mississippi River, which flood is considered to be the record in terms of cost. The 1927 flood, which occurred in a day before the extensive system of levees and diversions was built, even exceeded more recent Mississippi River floods that took place in 1993 and 2011. What is most helpful with this volume are the scores of photographs throughout the chapters; these pictures breathe life into the disaster.

[Kishma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was more of a collection of personal accounts of the 1927 Mississippi Flood from individuals who had first-hand experiences dealing with the flood and its effects. I enjoyed reading the personal accounts but I do wish there was more factual information rather than personal experiences.
I read this for an upcoming Mississippi Delta workshop so it will be interesting to read and learn more about the flood to see what information was missing from this book.