New Orleans daily crescent., 1859-05-31
REPoRToRIAL SKETCHES OF THE GREAT
FLOOD OF 1869.

REPoRToRIAL SKETCHES OF THE GREAT
FLOOD OF 1862
Special to the New Orleans Crescsntl
BAYOU SARA, May 2s, 1859.
Eds. Crescent: My last contained description Of
the river bottoms affected by the overflow, from
New Carthage, Madison parish, Louisiana, down to
Natchez, Mississippi, Tensas parish being the last
district "sketched" by your rambling artist in water"
cOlors.
Concordia parish adjons Tensas on the south, and
has river front Of nearly ninety miles. The levee
protecting this parish has been thoroughly watched
night and day, and several slight nipped in
the bud and closed in season to prevent any damage
The cost Of keeping up this watch will cost the
parish about $4,000, but without it, the levee must
have broken in many places, and the loss to the
parish computed by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
As it is there are but two breaks of any con-
sequence in this levee. The first occurs about ten
miles below Natchez, on the old plantation Of Mr.. A.
G. Henderson. Mr.. Henderson has about 1000 acres
of fine cotton land under cultivation, nearly 1900 of
which is inundated. The erevasse is bad one, the
portion of the levee which gave way, having been
subjected to about six feet surface pressure for nearly
fortnight previous to giving away. The erevasss
is one hundred and thirty yards in width and has
average depth of some nine feet The surface Of the
river for several miles above and below this crevasse
averages about five feet above the bottom lands ad-
joining.
The loss to Mr.. Henderson by this break will not
fall short of $150 000 about half of which con-
ssts in the damage to his buildings machinery fences
and private levees.
Adjoining Mr.. Il. are the plantations of DR.. Stan
ton and Mr. Greene, containing about 1000 acres
| under plow. These gentlemen are almost entirely
overfowed, and their loss is relatively the same as
that sustained by the former.
| About two miles below this crevasse the levee also
gave way few weeks since, by caving, forming an
opening nearly as wide as the above, and over
flowing much greater extent of country.
| Mr.. John Miner has plantation here, containing
about 1900 acres under cultivation The water, how.
ever, only mandates corner of the place. and ren.
ders only $50 acres unproductive this season.
| Mr. 7. P. Leathers has 1000 acres next adjoining
the last of which 400 of cotton land is too much
flooded render it fit for planting this season. Messrs
R. P. and d. F. Miller, (Levee Inspectors) have
between eleven and twelve hundred acres about a
mile below the last one half of which is now under
4 water.
Mr.. j. Hoover has large plantation. containing
$500 acres Of cultivated land fully half inundated
in this vicinity.
Mr. james fOfter CnlllVateS Z5UU acres, 4UO OF
which adjon the flooded lands of Mr.. Hoover and are
inundated.
Madame st. John Elliot has plantation of 100
acres under cultivation, on Black Hawk Point, of
which $50 acres are flooded by the water from the
Henderson breaks This lady suffers still greater on
her other plantation opposite Fort Adams, where she
has 1000 acres under cultivation, fully one half of
which is covered by the water. 4"-0,.
nu1 ,tec0 nj
last, 400 of which are submerged.
Mr.. Henry Vide has 1900 acres of fine cotton land
adjoining Mr.. ST. 800 Of which are under. Add to the
! above mentioned plantations an area of about five
miles square in their rear and back from the river
and the reader has nearly the total of the damage
done to the river side of Concordia Parish.
say "nearly,'' for must add to this little freak
of the Flood King in directing portion of the water
diverted from its natural channel by means of thu
above mentioned breaks, into little bayou whcl
emptes into the Mississippi about eleven miles below
the "cave," and at the plantation of Mr.. Rober
McCray Mr.. McC has 140O acres of rich cotton bot
$ tom on his plantation, usually yielding about l2O
bales and the said little bayou in its inflated condi
ton, having "hed itself in until reaching this fn
track, let itself OUT and completely covered h
plantation. --.=-
In Western Corcorda, the parish has suffered some
what from backwater, several small bayous ant
creeks finding their outlets ia the Mississippi chokei
up, venting their superauty their banks above
Through this means 200 acres are said to b.
inundated in the back townships of the parish.
, From the mouth of Red River, Point Coupee Par
ish La, the evee is at present sound and the evee
unyielding down to this point. Several desperat,
attempts have the destructive element made to breal
through this barrier. and in one or two cases were
partially successful but the crops have sustained NJ
material injury, and at the present time the mud EN-
bankments are in good state of preservation. Th,
f break just below the mouth of Red River which, fol-
time threatened destruction to the whole of Poin
Coupee Parish, was as you aware speedily CLOSED
without doing any damage to the crops.
From Natchez, down to this point on the opposite
Mississippi side the lands adjoining the river art
protected by natural barricade consisting of ar
almost unbroken range of bluffs, following the cours
of the river and rising from eight to twenty fee
above high water wark. At point about twent,
miles below Natchez these bluffs retreat from th
river few miles, where several fine plantations hav
been laid out if defying the destructive propensl
n ties of the old Mississippi Here break occurred
few weeks since, entirely overlooking the plantation
of Dr. Metcalf containing about 1900 acres of cult
waited land, and submerging 500 acres of the adoin
r
tions below or less inundated, about 6,OO(
acres, usually planted in cotton, being rendered un
productive this season.
From this point down to the mouth of the Homo
chitto river twenty miles below, the lands are gene
: rally protected by the bluff. Only occasionally
= point of low land iutting out into the river affords
small opportunity for planting in seasons Of exceed
ingly low water, but these at present general
inundated. Below the mouth of this river, down t
the southern boundary Of West Feliciana parish
these projecting points used for little less thai
pasture fields for stock.
leave this evening to visit the new crevasse abov
Lobdes store, and in my next will give you n sketc
of things in that section. The river is falling sIowl
at this point, and for long distance above at Viek
. burg yesterday, it was reported at a stand havin
i fallen only five inches in ALL The officers Of boat
passing down to-day also confirm the telegraphic re
ports OF the steady fall in the upper tributaries
a UBIQUITOUS.
>, Later from Venezuela and Dominica.
4 Advices from Venezuela are to the 1st inst, fror
Caracas. The moment before the steamer sailed, il
tegence arrived Of the total defeat of Monagas at Art
qua, and the rout OF his whole army The General hin
+ self escaped with an escort of five men. Gen. II