Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-05-02


| Times of Sunday, and will be read with
interests
The subject of the Bonnet Care Gre
vase is now almost household word.
Yet after all the very lucid and lengthy
| information upon the subject, no true
convention can be formed Of the nature
of the calamity, and the appearance OF
the locality. Feeling desire TO view IN
propia persona, what we had heard SO
much about, we left by the steamer Wild
Wagner on Thursday, bound, with quite
n marty of excursionists, for the great
break. Nineteen miles from the city, at
Fairyiew Plantation, was discovered the
first intimation that the Father of Waters
had broken the bounds Of his confine-
ment. for far back could be seen a stretch
of the water element, extending be-
yond the reach of the eye in one
direction, and swallowed by the woods
in another: The distance Of TINS
second stream from the river varied
as we progressed, at times three-fourths
of a mile distant, and again but
few yards. When within about FIVE miles
of the crevasse we came upon what was
apparently q valuable plantation, but
now covered by water to the depth OF ten
feet; sugar-house, negro quarters, dwell
ing house, all standing in the midst OF
the wild water, presented a desolate pic
ture saddening to behold. AS we adj
yanced the wilderness Of waters seemed
to spread, until rounding a bend in the
river, the mighty rush and roar was be-
fore us in all its grandeur. Quickly land;
ing, tour Of observation soon convinced
us that the sight presented must be seen
to be fully understood. The levee at
Bonnet Care is very high-perhaps
twelve feet or more-and extends for
several miles up and down at the same
altitude, Sanding on the broken edge
of the levee, one can gaze down
upon the huge volume of water as
it rushes through a gap twelve hun
dred feet wide, foaming and seeth-
ing, while its angry roar impresses
a sense of fear upon the listener. Very
near the break is a small collection of
houses, back of them plantations, and
still farther removed long lines of forests;
over and through all the flood pours with
a resistless force, rushing up and down
the country as fiercely' as if in search of
something upon which to satisfy its ven
peance. From the village all light and
life have fed, and the deserted houses,
with their open doors, told too truly the
painful story. We were informed by
Mr.. Hatch, Assistant State Engineer,
that the current of the water rushing
through the break is fully eight miles an
hour, and that on Thursday about fifty
additional feet of the levee had been
washed off, although the day previous
about two hundred feet gave way. 1t
needs no second view to convince the
behplder that no mortal power can ar
rest the flow of the water, but there is
employed q large force Of laborers, who
are engaged in constructing bulkheads,
the purposes of which is TO prevent
further damage TO the leyee. The
unfortunate cooper, to whom is at
tributed the direful mishap, has
evidently taken unto himself wings;
his aforetime cooper shop IS now
made to do duty as hotel for the sons
of toll engaged upon the works, and hap
pening, as we did, to look in at supper
time, we we're particularly struck by the
reflection that the amount Of provisions
that crowd could consume in one short
day would be fearful to see" No
words can convey the desolate appear
ance of the village of Bonnet Care,
abandoned as it is TO the watery waste,
which covers, as with garment, the
once pleasant spot; when the people Will
again be permitted to return to their
homes is matter only Of conjecture,
for even after the water shall have ceased
to flow from the river, the flood will re-
ouire many days to subside. In some
places the water is twelve feet deep,
reaching beyond the second story OF
many houses. We were informed by o
gentleman residing near the flooded
section. that when the unfortunate
coouer discovered the water in the
river rising to the level Of his road
way in the gap through the leyee,
he placed a board across it to bar
old Niche Sepe out. When the board
was no longer useful, and the water con-
tinued to rise, several Of the inhabitants
hit upon the happy expedient OF BARR
cading the crevasse with an old flatboat,
but like the formal people Of Pottsville,
they disputed about the manner OF plac-
ing it; while thus engaged, the object oil
their solicitude was captured by the
raging element, and swept through the
break like the blinded lightning; what
was done after that was just what had
been done, and the result is what VIZ
know. Had the maker of barrels but
remembered the little story about the
acorns and oaks, the citizens of Bonnet
Care might still be in the possession o.
their once happy homes, and the ere
vase not a nine DAYS sensation. "A