The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-05-08
ESTIMATE OF THE DEVASTATION.

SCklls
The present creyasses at Hickey's and
Morganza levees, and at other places
which throw their waters into the
Atchafalaya, pass about 100000 cubic
feet of water per second, and the aver
age velocity of the crevasses is about
feet per second, equal to d miles an
hour.
The break at Morganza levee in 1857
was 5000 feet wide and 6 feet deep, with
a velocity of 8 feet per second, equal to
q current of At miles an hour.
The break of MOrganza at present ia
1000 feet wide, 6 feet deep, and the velo-
city Is Of feet per second, equal to a
current of 81 miles an hour.
The Hickey crevasse is 10 feet deep,
1900 feet wide, and has q velocity of ID
feet per second, which is equal to u cur
rent of 81 miles an hour.
Some idea may be formed of the eX-
tent OF the present inundation from the
following table of the crevasses:
ABOVE RED RIVER.
Bass place 5 feet deep, 1900 feet wide
Point Lookout, 2 feet deep, 800 feet
wide.
Hard Times, 2 feet deep, 1900 feet wide.
Buck Ridge, 8 feet deep, 1900 feet wide.
Waterproof, 10 feet deep, 1000 feet
wide.
Glasscoek, 8 feet deep, 5000 feet wide.
PoINTE COUPE.
Lake side, s feet deep, 400 feet wide.
MOrganza, z feet deep, 5000 feet wide.
Morrison, Q feet deep, 300 feet wide.
WEST BATON ROUGE.
Point Mauwa, 8 feet deep, 5000 feet
wide.
Hickey, 10 feet deep, 1900 feet wide.
EAST BATON ROUGE.
McCullom, 8 feet deep, 800 feet wide.
ASCENSION PARISH.
Cox place, 8 feet deep, 200 feet wide.
LAFoURCHE.
Bragg place, 4 feet deep, 500 feet wide.
Below Bragg's, 4 feet deep, 600 feet
wide.
ST. JOHN PARISH.
Bonnet Care, 10 feet deep, 500 feet
wide.
PLAQUEMIEES.
At Stackhouse's, Is feet deep, so feet
wide.
Greenwood, Al feet deep, so feet wide.
In and about Pointe-a-la- Hacle, 3feet
deep, 1900 feet wide.
The Ashton cravasse is running 4 feet
deep and 1900 feet wide.
From some of these ereyasses the rich
districts of Lafourche, Terrebonne and
the largest, most fruitful and
most populouS rice and sugar regions of
are over1oWed. Though ly-
ing far distant from the river, they are
its misfoFtunes, and thousands
upon thousands of acres are now being
but surely submerged by the
waters flowing through the Hickey and
breaks.
THE oUACHITA VALLEY.
We have already shown that the ed
tire Ouachita Valley is under water. It
be difficult 10Y to estimate the
number of acres covered, butitis known
the whole population is drowned
put, and that from one end of the val
to the other the citizens are living
ID RATS and the tops of their houses.
fair idea of the devastation may be
however, from the following
of the number of people at
different localities along the valley who
lre in actual need OF the means of ex-
sluding that part of Concordia parish on
Blind River, 500; Wilson's on Black
River, 400; Trinity, including Tensas
and Little River, 1900; Harrison
burg, including Bayou Louis, 1000
ne. 800; Carter's Landing, 400; Bunker
Hill, including both sides OF the river
md swamp between Ouachita and BRuf,
800; Columbia, including Franklin and
1uachita or BRuf, and between Ouachita
and Bnuf Rivers, 5000; st. Alban's in
the bottom on both sides, 1900;
and Waco, including back
swamp up to 0uachita line, 1000; Nor
15D0-total, 1900.
This extract of a letter just received
rom Monroe, givesfurther confirmation
If the gloomy story;
Everything at q stand-stlll up here.
Parg0ud's upper and loWerleVee broken,
surrounded by a sea of water
70 nowhere except in boats. Tren-
entirely under. The river higher
han ever known. Twelve inches above |
.he high water mark of 1922
An ESTIMATE OF THE AREA OF PLANTA-
T1oNs on AND AFFECTED BY THE
RIVER.
In the imperfect information before
is with regard to the number of planta-
ions destroyed and injured by the food
cannot give an exact statement, yet
lfter careful examination of all the re-
ports on the subject and referrlngt0 Mr..
8~0nchereau's sugar book, and the map
Louisiana. we submit the IoiioWlng
az sppTOAIlnaglOn a..
Onr lN~lVIllaelun AEYn SOns nv palL
~ SHOWS Dheaaeaau iVss. HDpaa5sn
y Avgyeties ~ z iii psasDA asskIae
y nigh ~ L4enes w. ~ Rsyor an5 1872 IN