Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-09-04
Last Iland.

We find the following description of Last
Island in the N. o Picsyune of the 18th uh.
Tho terrible calamity which has already been
chronicled, will render q description Of il a
matter of deep interest to our readers:
"No such calamity, in widespread and
sudden destruction of life, has ever been
known in this region before. An island,
twenty FIVE miles in length, and from a half
to three-fourths of a mile in width, peopled by
several hundreds of the best class of Louisiana
society, has been literally washed away by
the raging waters, and more than half the in
habitants engulfed by the pitiless waves, or
bruised and crushed to death amidst the frag-
ments Of ruined hsbitstions teasing in the
furious whirlpool which has destroyed the Is
land.
"0ur distant readers may not know where
Last Island is, which has been the scene of
these horrors. Ii is the most westerly, and
Therefore termed the Last" of q chain Of
islands extending from the mouth of the Mis-
sissippi, westward, a few miles from the main
land Its direction from New Orleans is a
few degrees west Of south, and the airline
would not be over seyenty-fve miles, rs we
estimate, on the map. Ii may be reached by
the way of the river, but since the building
of the 0pelousas Railroad. access has been
very much facilitated by that route. Travel
ers took the railroad TO Bayou Beuf, thence
by steamboat down the Atchafalsya river
into the gulf, by the bay, or through one of
the bayous From the city to Bayou Boeuf is
ssventy-three miles, and il is about thirty
miles to the mouth of the bay.
8 Last Island lies some eighteen or twenty
miles in the gulf, east Of the Capes Of Atchs-
falaya Bay, and FIVE or six miles from the
nearest shore. 1t was in a wild place sand
bank. in fact-coyered with very scanty veg
citation, but so open to the cooling breeze Of
the gulf, and with such fine beech, and
abounding with fish and oysters, that it be-
came at first an occasional resort for fishing
and pic mic parties, and of late years grew to
be pleasant summering place for planters
and their families from the Attakapas and
LafOurche parishes Several of them had
built cottages, and some buildings had been
erected of quite a durable description. Tho
railroad offered such facilities Of communica-
tion that the island was frequently visited
from this city, and grew so much in favor that
a plan was suggested, and had met with very
liberal countenance, for making a summering
place there on an extended scale, by the erec-
ton Of a very large hotel, under the charge d
Hall 6 Hildreth, of the st. Charles Hotel
The designs and elevat were shown to US
some months ago, and i: was thought the en-
terprise might be complete and in operation
for the next season This Summer, hotel
was kept there by Mr. John Maggah, which
mas nau very COuslueIdoic euppVIt, dnu
the island has had large number Of visitors.
"The list of the lost and the saved will
show anybody acquainted with this State that
there was gathering upon this little spot In
the gulf, at the time Of the storm, large rep
resentation of the wealth and intelligence of
the best classes Of the population OF Louisiana
They made the barren sand bank the seat OF
refinement and hospitality, whsre in single
day, almost within single hour, death came
IN his most hideous form and swept one bali
of then into nameless grave, and made the
whole place desolste forever. The me,pory
Of this storm, which has carried mourning into
every parish in South Louisiana, for the un-
timely fate of kindred or dear friends, will,
for many year TO come, repel with a shudder
all thought Of Last Island for dwelling place
Every murmur of the cooling surf IN its quiet
est mood, and every sigh of the summer breeze
in its balmiest breathings, will be a sadden-
ing memento of the time when happy crowd
were gathered there for innocent enjoyment,
and the storm came suddenly and heaped the
waters upon them. The sea and the winds
will seem to chant an eternal dirge for the
dead.