Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1874-04-30
Women Wading with Their Chill
Clren Above Their Heads.
Children Reported Drowned.

ions, etc. The following extracts
from them are fair specimens. A
letter dated Simmport. AveriIls
parish, addressed to the Governor,
says: PLEASE send me some sap
plies, as | have large family of
nine children to keep up and feed.
The water is three leet deep in my
yard and all over my place. 1t is
utterly impossible for me to get
anything for my family to eat
without calling on you for assis-
lance. Please for PHYS sake do
not fail to send Inc some supplies
by return steamer"
The following is an extract ia
ken from a letter to the Governor
dated Big Bend, Averil!s parish ::
"The whole of the Bayou DIES Glai.
Us and Red River front is entirely
overlooked. All of US are bank
rupl. No money, no credit
! Commission merchants all shut
down on US, We have no provis.
ions. Many are in a manner star
wing. The water is all over the
CO, ntry and still rising. The
cows not drowned are dying for
want of food. Sheep and hogs are
drowned by hundreds. Take this
matter into consideration and see if
something cannot be done for US.
The Governor received a let
ter from Clarenton, St. Mary's par
ish, which says: "Amongthe many
sufferers by the recent overflow
are those who have lived On the
east side of the Bayou Teche, on
Bayou Chenez, Bayou Pigeon. on
the shore of Grand Lake and Lake
Chicot, all of which districts are
now submerged, leaving some
three hundred families in a state
of utter destitution.
Thecrevasse heretofore reported
as having occurred in Morgansea
Bend below the new Texas landing;
! is in what is known as the Van
Pelt Morgansea Levee, between the
original Morgansea Levee and
! Grand Levee. The break is now
about 4 900 feet wide in the new
levee, which was about thirteen
feet high. The flow of water
through this is checked by an ole
levee III front, and dense growth
of cottonwood between the two
levees. In he old levee there are
# ur breaks 'aggregating about 500
feet. The Hickey crevasse below
Baton Rouge, is now 1900 fee
wide and seven deep, the water
passing through at velocity of
eight miles an hour. Gen. Thomp
SOD reports another crevasse a
Lakeside plantation, Point Coupe
parish; he states that about twenty
sugar plantations have been GOV
cred with water from Hickey's
and that hundreds of poor families
living on the bayous, have beer
drowned out. The Bonnet Carr,
crevasse is now 700 feet wide ant
10 feet deep in the centre, wher'
the levee is entirely gone an2 wa
ter is cutting the chaDnel. Tn
McCullen crevasse, below Batol
Rouge, will probably oe closed il
a few days. hugh these break
are comparatively small, waite
from them has already covere'
: may large plantations, and driv
| en- out the poor people living be
/. hind them.
Several children are reporte,
drowned il the streets Of Por
Vincent which was overhowed.-.
r The fiat country of St. Helena
= Emancipation, Washington, 81
0 Tammany and East Fe iciana par
ishes are flooded for miles.
The Times says a gentleman
| gives the most appalling descrir
8 ton Of the condition of the peopl
e who happen to live in the district
!. overlooked by the Hickey crevasse
J He says that not less than twent,
= splendid sugar plantations hav
. been submerged from that sourc,
. already. That, however, wa
; nothing compared with the suffer
ing of the people. On SInda,
last the gentleman witnessed
large number Of persons wadini
, their way out of the torrents Of
water which passed through tina
break. Among them were womel
: in the water up to their arm pits
e holding their infants above thei
e heads. and it was reported tina
, some had been flooded away Ol
the rushing tide with their littI'
ones in their arms. Bayou Gross
= Tite advices state that there
I now three to four feet of water oil
: the east side of the Bayou, and j
e is expected the water will overflow
= the ives: side. The water is back
: ing up Bayou Plaquemine as ia
; as the Dardemeis plantation ant
; IL 4