Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-05-07
The Southern Floods.

Accounts rom Louisiana, Arkansas and
other Southern States continue to give par
ticulars of the the widespread devastation
caused by the floods in the valley of the Mis-
siseippi. A telegram from Monroe, La, dated
April q. says: cit is impossible to give an
idea of the extent of the overflow here. The
water is higher than was ever known. The
town lie an Island two and half miles long by
half mile wide, from which there Is no exit
except by boats, or by swimming. People liv
ing in the rear have been driven in. All the
vacant houses are taken, and several families
are living in the Courthouse. Business is
almost completely suspended, but the houses
are open. Fully 1000 people in the town have
not rations for three days, nor money to buy
one. Stock of every kind is gathered in the
town and starving. Trenton is under water
from Crossley's residence up beyond the bust
ness houses of the town, from six inches at
the foot of the principal street on the river
bank. to eight feet in the rear. There are no
crops to speak of, and there have not been
FIVE days work done along the river in four
weeks. What the people are to do, God only
knows"
Capt Blanks, an old Ouachita river steam
hoatman, in letter to the New Orleans Relief
Committee estimates the number Of people
in actual want on the Ouachita alone at
II, 800. This number have been under water
over three weeks. They lost all their
hogs, and nearly all their cattle are either
lost or starving. The people themselves have
neither money nor credit, no place to go to,
and nothing to do. But this estimate by no
means discloses the distress of those residing
on small bayous and creeks, which have been
overflowed by the backwater and floods of
rain. These, too, must suffer or receive as
sistance. If these be added. the number
needing help is lot short of rs, 900 people in
the district referred to.
The New Orleans Times says the extent Of
| the damage which has resulted from the great
overflow is just beginning to be fully under
stood; that it was vast was readily con-
ceiyed. but that it should involve 5000, 900 of
| acres and population of 1854 600 was appar-
emily beyond reasonable calculation; yet
such is really the case in the cotton regions.
q now ascertained that nine Of the largest
been inundated, embracing fully 9, 100000
acres The amount OF cotton land in these
parishes in actual cultivation is ascertained to
be $50, 600 acres, besides 100. 900 acres in
corn. These estimates include only the large
places leaving out hundreds of small farms
and all estimates for cattle, hogs. and gar
dens. The population of these nine parishes
is 90 39i whites, and 81, 033 negroes, according
| to the censusof 1870.
In the sugar-producing parishes, ascertained
| facts discover an equal, If not greater,
| amount of ruin and suffering. The overflow
in the sugar district covers nearly 2, 500 600
acres, titled and untitled, including produc-
ton of $4,000 hogsheads of sugar. besides a
| large product of rice and the crops of small
farmers, of whom there are many hundreds,
who have lost their stock and pretty much
everything else they possessed. The popula-
| ton of these parishes, according to the census
Of 1870, was 50,368 whites and AZ, 241 blacks,
making total of 122, 609. In the sugar-pro-
Gucing district, embracing about twelve
pari shes, it is believed that more than $4,000
people are now in actual suffering for the
necessary supplies of life, and that in less
than GO days the number of those whose cir
cumstances will require alienation will be in
creased to more than so, 600 persons.