The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-04
THE GREAT CREVASSE.

The Destruction Mt Bonnet Carre- How
the Crevasse Occurred and How 1t Looks.
The N. o. Times of the 30th ult. has the fol-
lowing:--
The subject of the Bonnet Carre crevasse is
now almost household word. Yet after all the
very lucid and lengthy information upon the
subject, no true conception can be formed of
the nature of the calamity and the appearance
of the locality. Feeling q desire to view in
propri1 persona what we had heard SO much
about, we left by the steamer Wild Wagner on
Thursday, bound, with quite q party of excur-
si0nists, for the great break.
When within about five miles of the crevasse
we came upon what was apparently valuable
plantation, but now covered by water to the
depth of ten feet; sugar-house, negro quarters,
dwelling-house,. all standing in the midst of the
wild water, presented desolate picture sadden-
ing to behold. AS we advanced the wilderness
of waters seemed to spread until, rounding 4
bend In the river, the mighty rush and roar were
before us in all their grandeur.
The levee at Bonnet Carre is very high
perhaps twelve feet or more-and extends for
several miles up and down at the same altitude.
Standing on the broken edge of the levee, ene
can gaze down upon the huge volume of water
as it rushes through gap twelve hundred feet
WIDE foaming and seething, while its angry roar
impresses a sense of fear upon the listener.
Very near the break is 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 fierce
ly as if in search of something upon which
to satisfy its vengeance. 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 cur
rent of the water rushing through the break is
fully eight miles an hour, and that on Thursd ay
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 condince the beholder that no mortal
power can arrest the flow of the water but
there is employed large force of laborers who
are engaged in constructing bulkheads, the pur
pose of which is to prevent further damage to
the levee. The unfortunate cooper, to whom is
attributed the direful mishap, has evidently
taken unto himself wings; his aforetine cooper
shop is now made to do duty as hotel for the
sons of toll engaged upon the works.
We were informed by q gentleman residing
tunate cooper discovered the water in the river
rising to the level of his roadway in the gap
through the levee, he placed beard across 1t
to bar old Niche Sepe out. When the board
was no longer useful, and the water continued
to rise, several of the inhabitants hit upon the
| happy expedient of barricading the crevasse
with an old fatboat, but they disputed about
| the manner of placing it; while thus engaged,
| the object of their soicitude was captured by
| the rising element, and swept through the break
| like the blinded lightning; what was done after
that was just what had been dene, and the result
| Is what we know. Had the maker of barrels
but remembered the little stery about the acorns
and oaks, the citizens of Bonnet Carre might
still be in the possession of their once happy
| homes.