The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-21
The Flood in Plaquemines
Parish.
Forty Rice Farms an Nine sugar Plan.
tmtions Inunda ted-PeOple Driven
from their Humes.

! From the Plaqnemines Sentinel OF the 18th,
published at st. Sophie, we take the follow
! ing interesting intelligence concerning the
ravages of the food in that section:
| The crevasses which occurred last week
urng the storm in front of the rice farms
of Etienne Dolce and Pierre Collett, about
| two miles above the courthouse. Oh the left
/ bank. remain as yet Enclosed, though Work
is now being pushed forward as well as can
be considering the inclement state Of the
weather. Not only have these breaks not
been closed, but five or six more at points
below have occurred, and the section of the
parish above and below the courthouse fol-
a distance of eight or ten miles, is more OF
| less submerged.
In this extensive inundated district there
are about forty of the best producing rice
farms of Plaguemines, including the Bohe
mia sugar plantation of Generes Il Mercer
Among the most prominent Of the rice
| farmers in this suffering regl. II are Messrs
Paul Lafrance, Pierre Vinette, Dominique
Ragas, Jacques Dragan, Bernard Savoie
Dominique Fills, Cassimire Duplesss, Sill
vain Dnplessis, Manuel Ragas, Pierre b
| Dragon, n. & n. Martin, Joseph Fontenelle
Joseph Cossee, Maximilien Martin, Edmond
Martin, Pierre Hingle, Salvatore Hingle
Isidore Cossett, Baptiste Lac, Henri Moliere
and Etienne Dolce.
| Last season there was produced on these
now submerged farms not less than 1900
| barrels of clean rice, which, averaged AT the
low rate Of SO barrel. realizes the very
| handsome sum of $4,000. These figures
| give some idea Of the damage now being in
tiicted by the inundation in that one portion
Of this parish On all Of these farms the
rice had been sown, and on number OF
~. ,l,
cellent stand, and in most fiourishing con-
dtion. 1t is now destroyed, and will have
to be resown. All the labor and expense OF
the first sowing, together with the seed
grain, is thus a dead loss. and the expense
of another sowing incurred. There will
doubtless he difficulty in obtaining seed,
and, ii obtained, high prices will have to
be paid.
The people on a number of these places.
we learn, have left their habtations, being
driven away by the water, and the dread OF
a more extensive inundaton.
VERBOIS CREVAsSE.
Through the kindness of Capt. Ed. Smith,
who is in charge of the work of closing the
lower end of the Madame Verbois crevasse,
We learn the work is progressing satistacto-
rily; and he expresses the opinion that the
break will be closed in a week from the date
of his note, the 18th inst.
The damage inflicted on the fine sugar
plantations in the vicinity of this crevasse
is alreatlK immense. These plantations are
Promise Land owned by Adolphe Reggie,
and under lease to Capt. S. w. Sawyer !;
Greenwood, formerly owned by Madame
Nerbois' estate, now nnder lease to Pierre
Bertrand Woodlawn and Fanny places,
under lease to Mr.. John Dymond; and
Belair and Fairview places, owned by Mr..
1,l, ,{,%,
are submerged with water from the Verbois
crevasse. On these six places the crop OF
1S72-73 yielded lbs hogsheads Of sugar,
and the young cane on them this year gave
promise Of a yield double that amount.
The water from this crevasse is steadily
spreading, having reached the rear portion
of the rice farms in the st. Sophie settle
ment, distance of eleven miles from the
break. The cane fields of the Union plan
tation of Burbridge & Miller, and the Monse-
cour plantation Of Lapene Il Jack, have not
yet been invaded by the water, being pro-
tectea in the rear by levees.
BELLECHAssE CREvAsSE.
Information reached us that the work OF
closing the serious break at the Bellechasse
plantation Of Mr.. William Stackhouse, is
progressing finely, and will be closed next
week. The water as yet has not done any
extensive damage at this place. having di-
rectly taken its course into the wide prairies
and bayons back of the plantation. A por-
of st. Ann plantation, Immediately below,
is partially submerged, but Concorde and
Concession plantations, below St. Ann, are
ST. ROsALIE CREvAsSE.
On Tuesday last, the 14th inst, on the st.
Resale plantation, which is leased by Mr..
John Dymond. and which is Immediately
above the Myrtle Grove plantation OF DIR. j.
Is. Wilkinson, a break occurred in the levee,
and the water has since completely over
flowed the place, there being no bayou out
let's back of the plantation. The work of
closing this break was at once commenced
under the active and intelligent supervision
of DIR. Wilkinson, and the prospect is that it
will be closed at an early day.
The beautiful Myrtle Grove plantation adj
Joining is protected against the water of
this crevasse by substantial side levee on
the upper line running back from the river.
1t would indeed be a pity for the water to
get into the cane fields of Dr. Wilkinson, for
The young plant is as fine as we ever saw at
his season of the year, being about two feet |
nigh and standing very thick in the rows |
From the foregoing facts it will be seen !
hat an extensive portion of this fertile |
parish is being swept by a desolating food. |
let it be hoped that this fearful river, which |
$ now the dread Of region of country i'm
,erial in extent and fertility, is at its worst |