The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-04-24
Piteous Appeals Of the Suffering
People for Aid.
The Action Of the Water in the
Parishes of Louisiana.
The Inhabitants Fleeing to the
Highlands.

vniou1, 0C. Inc IOHOWlng exCractS from them
are fair specimens. letter dated Simmsport,
Averielles parish, addressed to the Governor,
Says
"Please send me some supplies. as have large
family mine children) to keep up and feed. The
water is three ieet deep in my yard and all over
my place. II is utterly impossible for me to get
anything for my family to eat without calling on
You for assistance. Please for PHYS sake do not
fail to send me some supplies by return steamers
The following are extracts from letter to the
Governor, dated Big Bend. Averieles parish =
sThe whole or the Bayou Das Glaizes and Red River
front Is entirely overlooked. All OF us are bank.
rupts We have no money, no credit; the COM
mission merchants have all shut down on US and
we have no provisions. Many OF us are in a man.
ner starving The water is al over the country
and is stln rising. The cows that are not drowned
are
DYING FOR WANT OF FOOD.
Sheep and hogs are drowned by hundreds. Take
this matter into consideration and see II some
thing cannot be done for u.s." The Governor to-day
received letter from Charleston, st. Mary's
parish, which says:-..Among the many sufferers
by the recent overflow are those who have lived
on the east side Of Bayou Teche, on Bayou Chenez,
Bayou Pigeon, on the shores OF Grand Lake and
Lake Chicot all Of which districts are now sub
merged leaving some 800 families in state OF utter
u0otksut4Vus' OoucI0l J0us THOMPSON, CnleI STATE
Engineer, returned to-day from the upper coast.
He states that the storm which commenced on
Thursday Of last week and continued until Sunday
caused the crevasses the west side OF the river
to increase rapidly In width. the crevasse near
Port Hudson, at the Longwood ana Virginia plan
tattons, is now three-quarters Of mile wide,
though only about three ieet deep, the levee be-
ing very small one, from three to four feet In
height. The crevasse heretofore reported a. hav-
ing occurred In Morgansea Bend, below the new
Texas Landing, is in what ID known as
the Van Pelt Morgansea levee between
the original Morgansea levee and the Grand levee.
The break Is now about 1900 feet wide In the
new levee, which was about thirteen feet high.
The now OF water through this is checked by the
old levee in front and dense growth OF colt on
wood between the two levees. In the old levee
there are four breaks. aggregatng about 800
feet. The Hickey crevaese. below Baton Rouge, IL
now 1900 feet wide and seven deep. the water
passing through at q velocity Of eight miles an
hour.
General Thompson reports another crevasse at
Lake Side plantation, Point Coupee parish. He
states that about ~ n
4 TWENTY SUGAR PLANTATIONS
have been covered by the water from Hickey's
and that hundreds OF poor families living on the
bayous have been drowned out. The Bonnet
Carre crevasse Is now TOO feet wide and Jour feet
deep in the centre, where tine ievee IL entirely
gone, and the water is cutting channel The
McCullen crevasse, below Baton Rouge, win proba-
bly, be closed In few days. Though these breaks
are comparatively small, water from them has
already covered many large plantations and
driven out the poor people living behind them.
NO MAIL TRAINS HAVE ARRIVED
by either the Jackson or Mobile roads yesterday.
They are detained two days by the bridges being
carried away. The Northwestern mails, now due
by the Jackson Road are coming by boat from
vicksburg. A gentleman who reached this city
to-day from the hooded parishes states that the
Tangipahoa, Sickfaw ana Amite rivers were
swollen BY rains from Thursday to Sunday, COM
pletely overlooking their banks and spread
ing over the country on either side
for miles. The people are fleeing TO
the highlands. 1t is estimated that the water is
three feet higher than ever known before. The
Amite River rose very rapidly. Several children
are reported drowned IN the streets OF Port Vim
cent, which was overlooked.
The nat country Of st. Helena, Livingston Tan
gipahoa. washington, st. Tammany and East Fell
ciana parishes are hooded for miles. The Times
says gentleman from the upper coast gives
A MOST APPALLING DESCRIPTION
OF the condition OF the people who live In the dis
trict overnowed by the Hickey crevasse. He says
that not less than twenty splendid sugar planta-
tions have been submerged from that source al
ready. That, however, was nothing compared
with the su6erings OF the people. On Sunday last
q gentleman witnessed large number or persons
wading their way out OF torrents Of water which
passed through that break; among them were
women in water up to their armptts, holding their
infants above their heads, and II was re-
ported that some had been noated away
on the rushing tide. with their little ones
In their arms. Bayou Gross Tete advfces
state that there Is now from three to four
feet Of water on the east side OF the bayou,
and It il expected that the water will overflow the
west side. The water Is backing up the Bayou
Plaquemtne as far as Durdemer's plantation, and
will probably reach the town of Bayou Goua, on
the Mississippi River. Mayor wiltz has been APP
piled to for immediate relief to be sent to the
Gross Iete country. HfM4 1906
The recent rains continue, and there are foods
in the Ouachita and Red River valleys.
Railroad Tracks Overnowed.
MEMPHIS April 23 1874
Parties arriving on the Memphis and Little Rock
Railroad to-day state that water covers the track
for several hundred yards In some places nearly q
foot deep, with strong current, and as the river
Is still rising II s hardly probable that trains Will
90 over 1t tomorrow.
A Graphic Picture OF the Widespread
A8nH Desolati0n.
NEW ORLEANS, April 10. 1874.
Poor louisiana The last decade or years has
been dark period In her history. Worn by war,
plundered by oppressors overloaded with debt,
desolated by the very rivers whence are her lie
and fertility, she presents but pittable appear
ance as compared with what she was in the days
OF her prosperity.
Among the many calamities, curses and catas-
trophies that have visited her since the commence
ment OF the OF reconstructlon the last disaster
Is not the least. This almost caps
THE GRAND CLIMAX OF HER RUIN.
It fs the great flood. which, pouring down hum
dred swollen rivers, spreading oesoation along