The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-04-26
THE BONNET CARRE CREvASsE.

The Break 100 to no Feet Wide-Rush
OF Water Tremendous-Its Roar Heard
for Two or Three Miles.
The N. o. Times of the 22d inst. says:-
We have just received the following statement
from gentleman who visited the crevasse at
Bonnet Care on Thursday night
KENNER, April 2l.-To the Editor of the New
Or cans Tinnes:-I returned from visit to the Gre
little before IL O'Clock last night. The break
when 1 left was, should judge, aoout 100 to lao
tected in front by fine batture. The rush OF water
is tremendous-in TACT, it is a cataract-and you
may hear lis roar for two or three miles.
Whilst was there there was perceptibe attrl-
ton OF the banks, the pressure Of water seeming
help to keep them up, and they seem moreover, to
be made OF solid earth My opinion is that IL
promptly attented to the breach be closed by
driving piles and using plenty of sand-bags; but
If the gentlemen who were hers, the engineers
OF the Jackson Railroad and the State, have gone
mp, they will no doubt know what is best to be
The scene is one OF utter desolation. Quite little
village is there, but the waters are in possession;
the force of the current is such that striking the
trunks OF the trees six eight hundred feet distant
the water purls round the trunk and form bouquet
OF spray around and In their branches. There was
not living being else on this side OF the chasm
when was there b ut several were standing on the
what they could from the dwellings, and some,
more fortunate than the rest had found conveyance,
and, apparently, shelter Numbers were destined
to remain on the levee during the night. Chickens
and hogs tied By the legs and all sorts OF household
goods (and gods) We1e promiscuousy piled here and
The plantations In the ne .hborhood are already
submerged and the rows OF cane mark tender
green line down the fields above the waste of
waters, soon to disappear altogether. see nothing,
unless immediate action be taken. to prevent the
whole coast and New Orleans from being sub
merged The levee at the point OF breakage is at
least fifteen feet high and continues for four
hve miles, and OF course the whole must go unless
prompt measures are taken to arrest it. Something
should be done for the poor people, the OK teams
hurry but poor refuge. H.
We learn from the Route Agent of the jack
son Road, who arrived on the 11'3o train, and
passed over the ground on Friday morning, that
the track of the jackson Road is under water
between Premier and Bayou Labranche, dis
tance of about nine miles. All the inhabitants
of that vicinity were leaving their houses in
boats for higher ground on either side of the
inundation, and the country for miles resembled
vast lake. Cattle, hogs, and the smaller
domestic animals were seen swimming in all
directions, and many of them had taken refuge
on the track. From the same gentleman we
learn that the water is receding from the track
at Calhoun Station. This station Ia on the road
between jackson and Canton, about nine miles
from the latter village.
II o'clock A. NJ, we learn that there are two
inches of water on the track at Premier station.
Latest-Ststement of a Planter.
Mr.. Leon Godchaux, of the Reserve planta-
tion, near Bonnet Carre, has furnished us with
the following statement OF facts-
He states that he left here Wednesday last on
the steamer Pargoud which had on board lum
ber for the purpose of repairing the breach.
Arriving at Bonnet Carre, he found the State
Engineer, Mr.. Wrotnowski on the ground, with
small force. The engineer, after thoroughly
examining into the state of affairs, decided that
it would be impossible to effect any good, as il
was already too late, the breach being about
$50 feet wide, and the water rushing through a
terrific rate.
The engineer did nothing but place at ono
end of the crevasse batture of willow trees, Il
break somewhat the force of the water. Up tC
12 o'clock on Thursday night nothing further
had been done, and Mr.. Godchaux is confident
that nothing can be done but let the flood have
its way. He states that the plantations for
distance of seven miles above and four mile:
below the creyasse are submerged. He repre-
sents the scene as one of the utmost desoation
many houses having been swept away, and the
families driven to seek shelter of their more
fortunate neighboTs. Mr.. Thibaut has kindly
afforded protection to large number OF tn
homeless ones.
Mr.. Godchaux says that general apathy
seems to be exhibited by the people of the over
flowed section, and is confident that had an ordi
nary amount of energy been exhibited at tn
first giving way of the levee, the present trouble
might have been ayerted.