The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1874-04-29
The EfO0I.

. ----.-, - The Flood. -
MONROE, LA, April 25.-It is I'M
i possible to. give any idea Of the extent
! of the overflow here. The water is
! higher than .c4ac- knewn~ before. The
; ;owu is an island, two and 4 half miles
! long by halfa mile wide. from which
( there is no exit, except by boats or
swimming" From the crossing Of the
; railroad and Dcsard streets back Is one
wii. sea. Fnny 1000 people have not
raiions tor three days, non money to
| b " with. Stock of every description
gathered in town are starving. On
Des:sri Island, almost Ill the planta-
tiouS are under water.
New ORLEANS. April 25.-lcttels
from planters in Carroll Parish say that
from the overflow there will be twenty
seven plantations in this parish that will
make no cotton ut al, eleven th"t may
make huff II crop. and twenty-nine that
are good for 4 full crop. Almost the
entire parish Of West Baton Rouge. and
the whole of the parish Of Iberville. ly-
ing on the right of the Mississippi river,
appear to be under water.
MONTGOMERY, April 24.-The rains
ball over the State, for the past ten days,
have raised the wafer courses to over
howing-for the third time in the last
six weeks. The Alabama river is all
over the low grounds. and is still rising,
with rain still falling heavily. FARM
ing operations have been greatly re-
taried. and it is feared that much low
land will have to be abandoned.
WASHINGTON. April 25.-The secre-
taly OF wars communication to the
House to-day, says no commisSary
stores can be spared from military STA
tons Oh the lower Mississippi. After
verbal conference between the Presl-
dent and the secretary of war, the COM
missary- general w;ls directed to prepare
5000 rationS Of meat, flour and beans.
These rations will feed 10000 people
for twenty days. The secretary Of war
asks for 10000 of these rations from
Congress. The details from the flood
of the Mississippi show the situation ap-
palling. Ninetv-three of the richest
cotton producing parishes are Hooded,
and $1,000 people are needing relief
from starvation.
NEW ORLEANS, April 26.-Thirty
thousand dollars are in bank to the
credit of the relief fund, but the cal;,ni-
ty will require aid from every quarter.
The New Orleans Times tells us:
The coUdit;nn Of planters il PORTIONS
OF the oyerRowed territory ofthis State
is heart-rcndiug l.. tho e1treme.-
Thousands have not only been driven
tro:l their homes, but lost everything
which they possessed! Their fences
are swept away; their eattle are de-
st4oycd; their crop prospects are
big shtc.l. %:id thcr are lit. w.ihoat the
:::vans OF Subsistence. Ti,is is e$p.-
ci:liy tic cas- IL. the valley Of the
Od4,!.ita. where lad crops last year,
ao'.". this Year. and every movable
thing swept ;~at by the Hood leave
s:!e peop!.: utterly sscsolatc" From the
lcycunt> OF Iur tivpi VIZ gather tAat
th:: Mississippi has ,:irr"dy re"c:!sI
seven inches above the Highest point
If the inundat:on vi tSIi! 'aAd th;. ris.
i greater than has bean knewn tor
Aai; century. The river is swollen
iy tremendous foods coming trom It's
tributaries, which have made miles Of
crpvasses in its banks, and poured i'm
mease volumes of water into the
swamps. whose overflow, swelling the
lower river, has engu!fcd \ vast extent
of territory. Thequartity of water III
the swamp reservoirs is already so large
that e7en if there should be fall in
the river above Memphis, the food
will be maintained for several weeks:
so that there appears to be need OF
Immediate efforts to meet the uppall
ing emergency. The crevassss extend
for many miles along the banks Of the
river, ten thousand square miles of the
State being already submerged, and
the lcvecs in various places now
Threatened are in great danger Of add
ing enormously to the destruction al
ready occasiored. The utmost efforts
are required to keep the embankments
yet secure from being broken down
and to close the breaches already made
in the lcvees in Baton Rouge and
other places both above and below
New Orleans. The lower part Of the
latter city Was at the latest accounts
in imminent danger Of iuuudstlon, the
water having found its way. over the
levaes in some places. \ train Of dirt
cars used in connection with large
force OF laborers has been employed IN
throwing up an embankment in one
quarter, which has the effect et com-
ple:ely blocking the railroad, and IN
various parts Of the country steamers
can ROW navigate where steam cars
were lately used