New-York tribune., 1871-04-25
THE MISSISSIPPI CREVASSE.
TIE GAP GROWING WIDER AND DEEPER-ALARGE
EXTENT OF COUNTRY INUNDATED NEW
ORLEANS IN DANGER.

TIE GAP GROWING WIDER AND DEEPER-A LARGE
FxTEST OF COUNTRY INUNDATED NEW
ORLEANS IN DANGER.
NEw-ORLEANs, April 24.-Assistant State En-
gneer Hatch writing, yesterday, from Bonnet Carre
rvasse saws: at from COO to $50 feet wide, and
vast volume Of water rushes through with roar Ike
thunder png itself up in the middle in the form OF an
arch OF which the center is five or six feet higher thah
the sides The torrent has cut its channel through the
front bature 80 feet while steadily, foot by foot the
great evee orumbles into its boiling waters The closing
of this crevasse is beyond the range Of possibilities so
the next best thing to prevent If possible the WIDEN
ing OF the breach continuous body Of water extends
from here to Lake Pontchartran, and for many miles
nbove and below The disaster great and deplorable
and beyond the reach Of remedy as every one who has
seen it admits"
The following telegram has been received at the Exeou
tive Office Of the Western Union Telegraph Company:
LOUISVILLE, April 2i, 1871.
Hon. WILLIAM ORTON, Prestdent: The ereyasse when
occurred IN the evee OF t1e nlssSsip hEvr & az oe h
been gradually increasing in extent until IL ~ ls & now & en-,
and IL feet deep The danger to the City of NewOrleans
the jackson Railroad and our lines is very serious
JOHN VAN HORNE General superintendent.
EXCITEMENT AT NEW -ORLEANS-THE CITY IN
IMMINENT DANGER-OTEER CREYASSES RE
PORTED.
NEw-ORLEANs, April 24.-The whole city is
filed with rumors Of cevasses and probable nundatons
Careful inquiry and personal investigation reduces the
number of crevasses from which imminent danger Is an
tcpated to Poverty Point, Wallace Plantation,
and Bonet Carre the city, and the Moraro Panta
tou below. Tonight three of these reported under
control leaving the break at BDnet Carre alone to be
combat;ed. Here the danger is great and imminent
Bonet Care is 20 miles above NewOrleans, and at the
point which the Mississippi makes nearest approach to
Lake POncharIan. II has always been point OF great
danger and should he watched with the greatest care. In
stead Of that it has been studiousy neglected 1t was
twelve hours before fact Of the known
TO the state Engineer, fOrtyeight hours before at
tempt made any adequate scale TO check 1t. 1t
then too late.
Tonight the waters Of the great river are rushing
through opening 700 feet wide, with rushing, roar
ing sound audible for miles, plowng channel so feet
deep into the vacant lands while the levee rapidly
crunOes into its boiling waters. Piles four feet deep
driven 20 feet into the ground and packed with sand
bags, swept away like reeds. No efforts now
close the crevasse, and soon the flood
has cut its way into the lake the latter will overflow the
whole portion Of the City of New Orleans. Thirteen
years ago occurred at the same point. In
18l9 New Orleans was converted into transatlantic
Venice the water being in some places four and five feet
deep IN the street The damage already done TO prop
ery amounts 10 hundreds of thousands Of dollars, and 1t
will be still greater.
The whole evee system of the State has beer % a-
pered with by legislation that any vigorous action is
impractcabe Both state and city levees were turned
over by the last Legislature 10 private company
organized for that purpose who are under no KIND OF re-
Eponsby anybody for damages but on the contrary
have great interest making as much work as possible
The latest at p. is that the Bonet Carre ere
is stin extending and that twelve miles OF the
jackson Railroad have been washed away g. McComb,
the President and Mr. sewal the Engineer of the road
set out tonight for the scene of the disaster.
LATER-1O:S0 p. m.-The engineer in charge OF Bonet
Care sends she following dispatch:
1--WE have Of necessity abandoned the idea Of closing
nlr
extension am satisfied that eXertiOn In tins dlrec-
ton viii be successful and the further spread OF this
dTeful calamity viii be averted. have used tug to
assist some OF the distressed planters removing their
household furniture Tomorrsw pony express will be
established 10 kenner, and viii communicate by tee-
graph several times day"
In communicating this dispatch the State Engineer,
Gen. NJ. JEFF. Thompson characteristically SAYS:
"Iam trying TO get steamboat 70 run excursions to
the Bonet Carre crevasse, that the people may see
miniature Niagara or the force Of the Mississippi River
when uneurbed."
Two other erevasses-one at Point MANOR west OF
Baton Rouge, and on the HcDonough estate below
the city-are reDOrfed.