The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-04-26
NEW ORLEANS SUNDAY MORNING. APRIL 90 1874


n'ghtfail our levees were safe, but the ruin
ana desoiatlon of the finest portion of oul
parish had been accomplished. The levee on
| ohe mickey place, some four miles above u.s.
had given way, and the flood was sweepinc
| over the country some ten feet in depth
through a break many hundred feet in width
This break occurred at night and many of
| the people behind it barely got away alive.
Two families-formerly residents of your city
and who were doing we'll in their new vocation
OF farming-jumpedo out of their beds into the
water, and gathering mp the clothes they had
laia aside on going to bed, hurried away to
the sugar house close by. They reached it
fortunately before the water got too deep, and
turning saw their house disappear They had
lost all they had in it, and when day dawned il
was evident their stock had been swept away
and drowned. The next day Mr.. Hickey's
residence large, two story building, with
Dick baseiEent-was carried away As far as
the eye could reach the water went, and has
since spread miles away into the interior, car
rying ruin aud desolaton it swept along.
The same night the levee mt Morganza, some
seventy'five miles above here, gave way, and
anotner flood of destruction poured over the
Mississippi delta.
rose over the country, torrents of rain de-
seconded from the heavens till the whole conn
try seemed a food. Two hydromete1s in our
parish, twelve miles apart, show respectively II
and Is inches of rain from Thursday morning
until Sunday night.
The ruin already done by these breaks is |
immense, but is far from being complete. The
waters still spread over the richest portion of
Stata vii ~
and hundreds of head of stock must be lost.
The flood is 80 great and coming SO fast that
hey cannot be secured until boats can be sent
to move them. Deer are driven out Of the
woods and killed any and everywhere almost
)ne or two have been killed within eunsbot of
,ur town.
l need not say that the distress now at orr
loors is great, and must surely increase from
lay to day. The charitable have already all
hey can do. and will need ali the assistance
hey can be given to help to save from starva-
ion the hundreds, yea may say, thousands
vho are now destitute-some not ONLY of food
mt of clothing.
The river has fallen come two feet in conse-
uence, it is said, of these breaks and is now
bout stationary. This great fall, so sudden
nd in face of the enormous food of rain
Thlch las fallen throughout our section, is a
henomenon which the cause assigned above,
iz the breaks at Hickey's and Morganza-
oes not explain. Such great and rapid fall
'as not seen in 81 when big levees-as big as
hose of to-day, gave way, and think we 6
lust look to another cause. The washing :
way Of the bar at the passes in the early part .
last week, has no doubt had much to do :
'ith this great decline in the river. :
However, the scene of ruin extends Nearly =
lie whole of the parishes of Pointe Coupee, :.
'est Baton Rouge and one half of this parish
berviiie) are under water now, while large
ortion of st. Martins, St Mary's, Iberia, La =
'urche, Terrebonne, Ascension and Assump- -
on will be flooded. Terrible is the desolation
food. Yours truly PELICAN. :,
a