New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-03-28
The Crovass. In Madison par,.n,

From the vicksburg True Southron Of Saturday.
we extract the following:
Information has reached us directly and through q
most reliable source, that Thursday evening, the
levee caved IN about the point centrally opposite the
quarters OF Col FAC. White, in the parish OF Madison
not many miles above this city.
Col. White, who is an experienced and intelligent
river planter had as early as January last got under
way the binding OF q new levee about two hundred
yards back of the main levee and extending through
his entire plantation He had secured the services OF
very large body of men, some sixty or seventy OF
whom were at work under the superintendent Of
dustry.. and faithful in all his undertakings
The new levee was rapidly approaching toward
completion, some twelve hundred yards having been
built seven hundred more sufficiently far advanced
for protection leaving about two hundred unpr0yided
for, up to Thursday morning last, when the contnu
GUS rise OF the river, with its swelling and angry
waves, betokened but too clearly the hopeleness Of
tue work on hand. So thought the contractors, and
so Col White was reluctantly compelled to determine
Nor was it long before their forebodngs were pain
fully realized by the cavng Of the levee opposite the
quarters, through which came bowling, with the fury
of wolves, the turbid waters of the Mississippi.
sweeping before them the cabins and their CONTENTS
the residence OF the Colonel, with scarcely time
enough for himself, son and family with the negroes,
to escape their wrath and find refuge on the nm
broken portion OF the levee, where the night was
spent.
Nor was the caving of the levee the all of Col.
Whites disaster Fires had been kinded to dissipate
the cold and dampness, and when all were wrapped
in sleep, with none on watch, (as the Colonel had
supposed there would beg the wind rose high and
the fires communicated to the furniture piled up on
the evee hard by the place he was sleeping and be-
fore it was discovered. bookcase containing large
amount of money, and papers of still greater value
were consumed. 1t is not true, we have some sats-
faction in saying, reported in this city yester
day. that some OF the negro children drowned.
No life was lost though white and black alike were
in imminent peril for time.
Wedeeply sympathze with Col. White and with
our friends Of Madison, who must necessarily be
sharers to extentn the losses occasoned by this
terrible crevasse We learn that within less than two
hours after its occurrence the waters had rolled back
upon the plantation OF George W. Groves Esq, two
miles above, and had driven the negroes from the
works of protection on which they engaged. 1t
is impossible to estimate the extent of the disas
ter. a...
private letter to gentleman of this city, states
that the breach, at the time Of writing was about
$50 feet wide The writer thinks from appearances,
that lake is washing out in Whites place, above the
breach, which will probably be twenty feet deep.
His plantation rretrevaby ruined, every foot of
it being under water. The gentleman to whom this
letter was written informs US that unless no other
breaks occur the swamps and bayous in the rear will
absorb and carry off the water sufficiently to prevent
very extensive damage.
A WHALE IN THE CHEsArEAKE.-OnF Friday morn
ing when near Old PoAt, the trip to Norfolk, Capt.
Pearson, of the steamer Georgia, noticed something
just ahead, which rose some eight ten feet above
the surface of the water. He supposed it was the
hull of wrecked vessel, which had been thrown up
by the violence of the sea- and, to avoid collision,
changed the course Of his vessel In few minutes
it rose again not more than thirty forty yards dis
ant from the steamer, when Capt. P. and several of
the passengers discovered that it was whale While
the surface it spouted two streams of water to the
hight of thirty or forty feet. The appearance of a
whale in the Chesapeake is of rare occurrence.
baltimore Sun.