The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-05-02
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THE MISSISSIPPI FLOOD.

ippi may, at former exceptional periods, have
been as high as it is now, the country was
never so poorly prepared for food. Up to
the commencement of the rebellion, great
care had been taken of the levees, and in
times Of an extraordinary rise of the river,
abundant forces were held in readiness to
rush TO any point where breach was threat
ened. But during the war the levees were
neglected, and since then the country has
been too poor TO repair them. The consebuece
is, that now, when the greatest food of a
quarter of century is.upon them there is no
protection, and ruin and devastation are ram
pant everywhere. The destruction begins
at Cairo and extends all the way to the mouth
of the river. Some idea of the nature and
extent Of the ruin may be gathered from a
a few Of the many columns Of narrowing dis
patches in the daily papers:
A despatch from Memphis April Goth, says
Accounts from the overlooked country
above and below here beggars description
Hardly boat arrives that does net bring per
sons picked up from RATS or skitfs, to which
they have been driven from their halfsub.
merged dwellings. One boat up on FRIDAY
found seven entire families huddled together
on RATS, and carried them to Cairo Not half
of the distress will ever be known. |, is es
timatcd that now there are &c, 900 farm hands
with families, in destitute and starving CON
dition below here In some sections they
collected at settlements in the interior and
are living in the woods in rudelyconstructed
huts, and begging for food to prevent them
fr<Np py,t l~,.,
stores from being invaded the citizens and
country merchants are dealing out scanry
ratiOns, but enough to keep them alive
Abandoned homes are seen everywhere in the
valley, and even on small streams in the in
terror, where the creeks have swollen to an
unprecedented height and swept away every
thing.
The road to New Orleans runs through one
lake Is miles wide, the water being up to the
second stories of houses IN some cases The
only route from New Orleans here is via Mo
bile, Montgomery, Birmingham and Deca-
tur, and along the entire route the country is
flooded and planting interrupted. The streets
of Montgomery are partly covered with water,
and from there TO Birmingham beck water
from the Tennessee covers everything. Tres
ties have been washed away, and trains
ditched, and the current of small streams in
several cases reversed by the back water from
larger ones
The result of the food.in the cotton raising
states will be the loss of nearly a million
bales of cotton, worth $6000O,OOO, to say
nothing Of the immense loss in the sugar
producing sections of Louisiana.
A despatch from Monroe, La, says:
1t is impossible to give an idea of the ex-
tent of the overflow here. The water is
higher than has ever been known. The town
is an island 212 miles long by half mile
wide, from where there is no exit except by
boats or swimming. From the crossing off
the railroad and Desard street back, is one
wide sea; boats come and GO from Oakley's |
The people in the rear have been driven in. |
All the vacant houses are taken, and several |
families are living in the Court House. Bus |
mess is almost completely suspended, but the
houses are open. Fully one thousand people |
in town have not rations for three days nor |
money to buy one meal. Stock Of every de- |
is gathered in towns and starving.
The Louisiana state authorities receive let |
tiers daily from persons in the overlooked
sections, asking for provisions and other
forms Of aid. A letter dated Simmsport,
AvoyellcS parish, addressed to the Governor,
says:
"Please send me some supplies, as | have
a large family-ninc children-,o keep up
and feed. The water is three feet deep In my
yard and all over my place. 1t is utterly i'm
possible for me to get anything for my fami- '
ly to eat without calling on you for assistance
Please, for PHYS sake, do not fail to send mo
some supplies by return steamer"
A letter TO the Governor, dated BIZ Rerd
Avoyelles parish, says
The whole OF the Bayou DIES G ,,.;yes and
Red river front is entirely owe" anwnJ All
OF US are bankrupt. We have no moncv, no
shut down on us and we ,or,, mn n,,,,';.ions
Many of us are in IN" .rnor storY;nr Tbe
water is all over the untry and is still rising.
ne cows mat are i at drowned are dying for
W. h ol soTu' 2' .ecp and hogs are drowned
W nuI''t'eG'' lake this matter into cOnsid-
Cl"'oli anu - e if something canine; be done
MI .,unlap, the Rural" Of the Chicago
L ~ Farmer n