Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-04-27
The Great Flood i'm the mississippi.

and in this regarl will affect the wh''e couu-
try. Appeals for aid are enforced by facts. in
regard to the sufferings Of families aud their
domestic animals, which are re>istless, and it
is gratifying to note that aid is prompt, and
that food and rations and money are beginning
to pour in for relief from many quarters.
The New Orleans Times says that the extent
of the damage by the overflow in Louisiana is
only beginning to be understood and that the
| flood will involve 5,0OU, 600 acres OF land and
population of l7S,UO0 In the cotton regions
i is now ascertaiued that niue of the largest
and richest parishes producing cotton have
been inundated The parishes of Carroll
Morehouse Shetland, Madison, Franklin,
Tepsas, Caldwell, Coucordia and Catahuula are
all ovelhowed. and Embrace fully 2,50O,00O
acres The amount of cotton land IN these
parishes 10 actual cultivation is ascertalned to
be quarter of million acres, besides one hui
dred thousand acres in corn. These estimates
include only large places, leaving out hundreds
of small farmers, and all estimates for cattle
hogs aud gardens. The population of these
parishes is 1874 whites and 54U33 blacks,
according to the census of 1870.
faeIs discover equal if not greater amount OF
ruin aud suffering. These parishes are Pointe
Cuupee, East Baton Rouge, West Baton
Rouge. Abervillc, Ascension, Assumption, La
! Fuurche, ST. James, St. John the Baptist, st.
Charles Terre BoDue, and Plaquemines. The
overflow iu these parishes covers nearly two
and half mlllion acres, titled aud untitled, ln-
cludiug the production of thirty thousand hogs
heads of sugar, besides a large product ut rice
and the crops Of suIall farmers, OF whom there
are many hundreds, who have lost their stock
and pretty much everything else they possess.
In all the parishes named it is believed that
more than % 0O0 people are in actual suffering
for the necessary supplies Of life, aud that In
less than sixty Jays the number OF those whose
circumstances will require alienation will To-
crease to more than $4,000 persons.
LOCAL CATHOLIC PILGRIMAGE. BY invita-
tiou OF Rev Wiget, who is well known as the
former pastor of ST. Alloys us chulch, uuu-.
Der Of officers of various Catholic societies Ut
the city met last night at Carroll hall to con-
slider the feasibility of getting up an excursion
or pilgrimage, in conjunction with slWiIar SO.
oieties in Baltimore, to Rock springs at White
marsh, Prince Georges county, Md on the
l4th Of May next. The place is about twenty
miles FROM Washington, 10 silent and beaut
iul valley between The Whitcmarsh hills and
there statue OF the blessed Virgin Mary is
placed 10 the rocks, at the loot OF which per
ennial spring of the sweetest water gushes
forth.
Ga one of the hills near by is the old Catho-
lie mission house aud the Church ofthe Sacred
Heart, The spot is historical. as Whitemarsh
is the mother. mission oithe missions all around.
More than hundred years ago the now great
city Of Baltimore with its 100000 Catholics,
was then counting only some forty Catholics,
attended from Whiremarsh fer its spiritual
wants w ashingtoe Republican.
ASTONISHING YIELD oE " ooL. Col Slaugh-
ter Bradford, of Culpeper county, has just
shcarcd his flock Of Nlcrlno sheep numbering
four hundred and thirty head, and got the
enormous yield OF two thousaud eight hundred
and fourteen pounds of wool. Over one hun
d1ed ot.this flock were last years lambs. Aver
age weight OF the entire hJck was sixty pounds
The fleece of one ram wrighed twenty pounds
When taking into consideration the fact that
this heace was only eleven months growth, 1t is
certainly remarkable and shows the advantage
Of the pure blood over the common stock, and
demonstrates beyond doubt that pure blood
is far more desirable and much more profitable
thon any stock the farmer can Craze. The
wool of the Merino sheep is worth 10 the New
York market, at the present time, from thirty
and ffty-fve cents washed Cuipeper Times
The RICHMOND FIRE The total insurance
on the stock, buildings, and machinery of Hax
all, Crenshaw & Co.'S Touring mills, as far a,
can be ascertained. is Sl60,25O as follows
Local companies, s67 500; Petersburg Savings
and Insurance Company, $500; Firemeu's
and Merchants of Petersburg, 81 500; Georgia
Home, of Columbus, Ca, $4,000; Royal In
surauce Company Of Liverpool, $50, 500; Lon
don and Liverpool and Globe. of London,
$l2, 500; Mauhattan of New York, $780,
Atlantic, New York, $1,000; Amazon, New
York, $3.50: Maryland, Of Baltic more, $4,000
National OF Baltimore, S2,5OO; Lyconnlng, OF
Muncy, PeuD., $500; Security, of New ta-
ven, $780, also SIS, 900 in three companies
at Lynchburg z, Charlottesville and Farmville.
| CONDITION OF REPRESENTATIVE STEPHENS.
"A correspondent of the Petersburg (Va.)
News met Hon. 4. H Stepens 90 the cars en-
route for his home 10 Georgia, when Mr. S.
said: Il am going homc to die. have been
a great suf rer, but this is the first time that
any vital organ has been attacked. Uulll this
my general health was better than for thirty
wears, but this has been terrible and must
soon yield unless | am relieved. hope l may
recover, but | scarcely expect it. am now IS
years OF age, and my constitution Will not stano
such a severe test" OF Pres dent Grant he
said Il regard him as a good aud consclentl-
Gus man, and believe he has the good OF the
country at heart.
TAX ON RAILROADS. The bill taxing rail.
roads, canals, Sc, has passed both houses OF
the Legislature. 1t provides that on the real
and personal property Of every railroad there
shall be tax of so cts. on every one hundred
| dollars of the value thereof estimating the said
value at not less than 200 per mile for each
mile of the completed road bed within the
State.
COURT OF AppEALs-I the Court of Ap-
peals, sitting in Richmond, 90 Friday last, aO
appeal was refused, by all the judges, to de-
cree of the Circuit Court Of Alexandria county,
in the case of the Potomac Building Associa-
ton vs.. Hill ct ais.
e 3d. Il