New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-05-21
raE FLOOD IN NORTH LOUISIANA.

May 10,
EDITOR REPUBLICANS:
You have undoubtedly came to the conclu-
sion by reading the many articles of differ
ent correspondents that reports of the dis
asters by high water are not exaggerated.
And certainly not half has been told. TO
commence with the Hickey crevasse, I will
state that it is pouring water at terrible
rate over the back country, while the break
at Morganza continues uninterrupted. Same
at Port Hudson crevasse. The McCullum
near Baton Rouge. is closed. and the water
had generally receded from the lands inun-
dated week or ten days ago. Crops may
yet be made on many plantations. Bayou
Sara begiLs to look little natural, as the
town is nearly free from water. pump
ing machine may account for the exit of
water there to great extent. Few stores
have reopened in their tormer houses. At
the mouth of Red river the wharfboat of
Kingsbury & Smith is headquarters for
everybody, it being about the only inhab-
tied place visible. Leaving the mouth of
substitute for terra irma until near Harri-
sonbufg, where high land is first viewed.
Along Black river the people are in
terrible state of suffering and destitutiOn.
The water is in most all Of the houses, and
yet human beings and stock of all kinds,
horses, cattle, mules and hogs occupy the
same parlors. At Alton. Catahoula parish,
our boat the Ouachita Belle, took on board
one family that had tired of the low lands of
our State and were destined for Texas.
From the same house and same floor We
received six persons and seventeen head of
stock. The cattle were poor, hungry and
| ehivering, while the eyes of our new pas
| sengers fairly sparkled with joy when safe
| ly anchored in the palace cabin of the Belle.
| and Captain Blanks kind actions afterward
| only made them more happy. All Of these
| inhabitants-now amphi6iOus-havelo lost all
prospects for crop, and portion of stock.
| In Black river the water had fallen about
three inches in the same number of weeks.
| Floors have been laid in the second stories
| of gin houses, and stock are being sheltered
there, fed principally from small limbs and
leaves of the willow tree. The only living
| objects apparently cOntented, that OBJ
4 around a platform just above water, and on
| which were eight or ten cows. Captain
Blanks left provisions at several places
along Black river for the overtlOwed.
At Trinity, where Little river, Ouachita
and Black rivers connect, there were
gathered some $50 people, black and white.
| We landed at an Indian mound above
water, and its edge was lined with small
boats numbering over l00 Cattle, horses
| and mules were gathered among the
citizens, intermingling, and apparently un-
Outstanding and deprecating the situation.
They are barely kept alive on limbs and
leaves which are cut in the woods and
boated to their correl. If sOmmething
more substantial is not provided, l fear
l I'll Id
mound. Sixteen barrels pork, one tierce
shoulders, five sacks salt, ten barrels
crackers and seventy barrels corn meal
were left for the destitute at Trinity.
Harrisonburg is built just at the foot of
a very high hill, and consequently the town
is under water, many d sserting their watery
homes for safety on The hills.
The soldiers are tenting on the hill side,
but do not appear az unfortunate and hun
cry as many citizens. The people appre-
ciate soldier here, judging from compli-
nentary remarks l heard, such as, Like
to see em all drowned Odd Yanks,'
ETC., but the boys have sign up marked
"Hell," with a red flag on either side. One
passenger thought of disembarking when
he observed the prominent sign, but find
ing boys in blue there, he remarked that
he twas positive that's LeI now" and re-
mained on board.
Relief was distributed every few miles to
the suffering as far up the Ouachita river
as Monroe, where l left the boat in
ouired of both black and white as to the
distribution of rations and they alike in
formed me it was, in their opinion, being
honestly done. At Trinity several colored
, people told me they had received some
grub, and said it vas mighty good, as they
were out of both home and provisions.
A man came aboard our craft at Wilson's
landing having waded to the boat, instead
of waiting for the stage plank to be LEI
down on his house roof. He said he would
lose NEST of his stock, as there was no dry
land. But the hogs! He had formed an at
tachment to that quadruped never to bt
shaken. There were number of his in tn
and would have, and with pork he defet
starvation. He said those hogs "rOOstet
, on logs" In the day they would swim
r around, gathering food from the branche
! | until their appetites were satisfied, AM
then get up on log and remain over night
They also ate OF decayed logs, and he re
t marked something about peculiarities sim
e lar to bears in the way of existing. but no
understanding his meaning. and knOwin
nothing of the habits OF the bad bear,
dropped the hog subject.
: Dogs. Yes, the poor mans friend
t friend to be found at your side in all hour
of prosperity or adversely. And this is tn
! country where the canine finds his 'happ
u hunting grounds" But the overflow ha
L blasted all hopes for him, and he is now
d diminutive, NANCY, starved animal, to b
found in and on top of every household
One of the poor things Ia yaller dogl wa
> standing in skiH as we steamed by. ii
closed his eyes, managed to partially rails
j his ears and, throwing up his head, endea'
ored to bark. The exertion was too grea
there was not the tajntest noise, but b
rolled over and passed in his checks.
At another landing colored man starte
il to come aboard leading four dogs. The
8 hesitated and he pursuaded; still they di
@ not move. Finally a rOustabOut jumpe
= the stage plank to come on board. He ha
in his hand piece Of roasted pork.
70 passing the dogs they scented the mea
"a and in less than ten seconds all four dOi
were in hot haste after the rOustabOut, fO
lowing him on board, but not receiving
bite-that is of the pork.
People and stock are to be seen wherev'
d there is ten feet of dry land. The usu
"a depth of the water where overflow exists
about six feet. Most houses have an exit
. floor, and l have seen white. black, dog
< cows, steers, horses and chickens inhab
a ing the same room. Many people a.
:. anxious to remove with their property, b.
:, ', not having the money, are compelled
IL live like vermin. The captain of the Bel
seems quite kind to these people, as in Sc
e eral instances heard him offer free trans
- on his excellent boat. j.
Night Express Train on the Mobile Lin
T. Commencing the twenty first the Mobi