The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-05-03

L
NumerOus Crcvasses and extended
Overfl0Ws-DePloEab Condition 0i
| the River TOgnss
Our latest advices in regard to the high water
In the Lower Mississippi are Of an alarming char
acter. From the officers Of the steamer Mon
| arch We learn that the numerous crevasses have
resulted 10 the overflow Of large tracts Of the
| lower country, and the destruction of stock,
crops and improvements to an almost incalcula.
BILE amount. From Memphis down, the river ID
described ~ spreading on either hand like sea,
| and the marks Of desolat:on are everywhere
| visible. Scores Of plantations and villages are
| either overAowed or rendered almost uninhab-
liable by the mould with which the surrounding
| moisture has covered every dwelling. The
houses which are built on pillars, thus suffering
| the water to run freely beneath, are still occu-
| pied. Flat boats are usually moored to such
habitations, which serve the double purpose Of
stables for the cattle and quarters for the ne
groes who guard them.
The anxiety to learn the news from above
respecting the water is described as intense,
and the people exhibited great depression on
being told that the upper rivers were still
rising.
At Helena the levee has successfully kept the
town from overflow. Napoleon is also well pro.
tected, the levees along both the Mississippi
and Arkansas rivers being in good condition,
the seepage water, however, keeps filed the low
grounds in the rear Of the place. The grave
yard on the banks of the Arkansas, and between
the river and the levee ie submerged, and the
gravestones and monum ents just peeping above
the flowing waters. At Lake Providence the
water is excluded, but the town is muddy and
extremely damp and noisome. At Vicksburg
the water is sixteen inches higher than during
the food of last year. so that the steamers tie up
sOho ooH hu rvv" Vpskh ., <,fx he
awnings Of which they have knocked down. 1t
will be remembered that Vicksburg stands upon
. very high bank.
We also learn that there is often no land in
sight, and that the steamers in order to reach
the SO called LANDINGS" are compelled to push
al ong trees and logs and buried levees to de-
posite mail bag or bundle on log or in q
skiff.
The following extracts from New Orleans pa
pers will give some idea Of the work of destruc-
tion going on in the immediate vicinity of that
city. The Delta of April 10th says:
On Sunday the river at this point attained the
height of the memorable food OF last year, and
at 4 o'clock yesterday evening, was about half
an inch above that mark and continues rising
steadily. Our planters cannot be too vigiiaDt.
The crevasse just below the mouth Of Red
river has been closed. A crevasse occurred on
Saturday morning at the plantation of NJ. De-
logmy, opposite College Point. The planters in
the neighborhood concentrated their forces, and
succeeded in closing the break.
The old chute, designated on the Mississippi
river chart at the Nutlet, or Fogleman's BAYOU,
is fast working itself into stream. The chute
cuts off Brandywine Island and Thirty ty-nine,
saving nearly nine miles. The foods of the
past and present year have given passage to
every steamer, from the City Of Memphis to the
sLs -
in and the bed widening out, and if the timber
is only kept of, to prevent it from choking up
the channel, we predict that first class steamers
will pass through it five months in the year.
Fogeman's bayou is two and half miles thr0',
and has but one bend in it, being a natural Ca
nal, unsurpassed for the regularity of its shore
and smoothness of its bed by any cutoff Or
outlet on the river.
The Crescent of the goth reports:
The evee on the other side OF the river, at or
near Bonnet Care, gave way yesterday morn
ing, breach occurring through which the tide
Of the river poured resstless volume. 1t is
probable that the adjacent country was very
soon inundated, as the Opelousas Railroad track
washed away, or at any rate the cars were stop
ged. a boat was started up to bring down the
passengers.
A crevasse has also occurred at Raceland, on
Bayou Lafourche, which threatens damage Of
most serious character, as the plantations of
several OF the largest planters in the State lie
adjacent thereto, b. sides the smaller tracts of
large number OF poorer citizens, who suffered
severely from the Labranche crevasse of last
year. A call has been made upon the Opelousas
Railroad Company for aid, which, we learn, will
be promptly responded to by the President of
the Company.
The following we copy from the New Orleans
ficayuGe, of Sunday, the 10th.
The officers OF the D. r. Carroll, from Grand
Ecore, 18th inst, report that On the night Of
the l4th inst, the levee al the mouth of Red
river gave way, a short distance below the
wharf boat and at half past ten A. N. when the
Carol passed that peint, the break extended
some fifty feet, through which the water was
surging with force that, if not soon checked,
bade fair to enlarge the crevasse uutil 1t should
equal any that has heretofore been known on
the river. Negroes were rapidly assembling from
the neighboring plantations, but little had been
done when the boat passed to stay the flood or
to prevent the devastation which it threatened.
Bags filed with earth were hastily thrown into
the chasm, but they had produced no sensible
check on the rushing waters.
Below this parish, we believe there is yet lit
tie destruction by the present food. 1t is a
little singular that the river at Vicksburg and
above, in the immediate neighborhood of most
extraordinary crevasses, should now stand sew
eral inches above the food Of 1858, while be-
| low, in this lower valley, and above Memphis,
| the same hight of water has not been attained.
| The work of strengthening the levee at Car
rollton!proceeds quietly, those in the immediate
vicinity entertaining no fears. The force on the
point just below Aoey are performing the work
which is called planking the levee, or staying il
by the accumulation Of earth on the land side
and fascining.