The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-05-06
waE mrssIssrppI OVERFLOW.
Interesting Details Of thc Great
Flood.

sissippi IN addition 10 Vne
adyices Along the levee below
Canal Street Wednesday morning
the outlook is a much pleasanter one
than that of few days since. by
the gauge at the head of Canal
Street the water is three-tenths ol an
inch below the mark of II, and IN
consequence there is a dry leyee
where was a sheet of water q few
davs ago-viz.: opposite Jackson
sonare. By the lower coast steamer
Hunter. arrived early Wednesday
morning. we learn that all efforts to
stop the crevasse at Bellechass has so
far proved unavailing, everything
giving wav before the tremendous
force Of the water At Sawyer's 1t
has been stopped, and at Greenwood
there is good prospects Of succeeding.
But at Point-ala-Hache they were
on the point Of stopping work for the
Nant of material, in which case
what has already been done VIII
probably be waste Of labor and
material. The general appearance
below is certainly not encouraging.
From the officers Of the steamer Gar
rvowen we learn that the break
there. which was on Tuesday morn
ing one hundred feet wide, has in
creased from that time to three A. NJ.
Wednesday morning eighty feet,
which makes a total of one hundred
and eighty feet The water from
this crevasse is undermining the
new embankment placed at the old
break Of 1871, and fears are enter
tanned that it will succumb to the
great father Of waters. The water
rushed through at a depth of ten or
twelve feet with irresistible force,
and already begins to pour into Lake
Maurepas. As yet the water does not
cover the track of the railroad but
such must inevitable be the case very
soon. From the officers Of the
Henry Tete, which arrived in port
last evening from the Lafourche, we
learn that the crevasse at the Moreau
plantation is still unclosed. The
rush of the water through the breach
is described as being fearful to be-
hold. The same gentlemen also re-
port that when the Tete passed
Bonnet Carre at three o'clock p W,
yesterday, the breach had widened to
two hundred and fifty feet.
The Nicksburg Herald Of Wednes-
day contains some details of the
floods. 1t saws: In conversation
with Major James, the Louisiana
leyee contractor, few evenings ago,
a representative of the HerGid learn
ed that Bass and Lookout leyees
We're hopelessly gone; that the breaks
in either were very wide, and con-
stantly increasing, and that nothing
could stop them. Major James also
expressed his conviction that a rise of
a foot more would overflow all or
nearly all the levees this side of
Greenville, and, as there is every
prospect that that foot more of rise is
sure to come, we may safely assume
that these levees will be utterly
swept away, as our last nights tele-
grams report further rise in the
Ohio of ten inches, forty-siy inches
at Evansville, forty inches at Louis
vile, and also a further rise at St.
Louis, Cairo and Memphis, and other
points on the Mississippi and its
aflluents The high water of 1867,
and probably that of 1862, will
almost certainly be attained before
We will find any relief from its subsi-
dence and from present indications
there will be few levees this side Of
Memphis, on either side of the river,
that will be able to withstand the
pressure. Already thousands Of acres
of the richest and most productive
soil of the Mississippi Valley is under
water, and the torrent is still pouring
down upon us, the levees offering no
protection whatever to the planter
Below this city, especially below
the mouth Of Red River, the situa-
tion is very alarming, and the water
is nearly even with the top Of the
banks at nearly all the places where
it is not actually running over; and
while the taxpayers are contributing
thousands Of dollars to the support of
levee contractors the only return
they receive is an inundation of their
farms and the sweeping away Of their
crop prospects by the relentless waters
of the great inland sea. These facts !
staring the people in the face, very
naturally induce the opinion among
a great many people that the levee
system is q great failure, and that the |
only means of preventing an over
flow Of this great valley is to open !
up allthe outlets and give the water
as much scope as possible, rather
than attempt to confne it to a mar
row channel that has not capacity |
sufficient to carry off the immense
volume Of water that finds its way
to the sea from the mountains and /
valleys above.
New ORLEANS, April 23.- The /
State authorities receive letter daily |
from persons in the overAowed sec
tions, asking for provisions, etc The
following extracts from them are fair,
specimens 4 letter, dated Simms-
port, Avoyelles Parish, addressed to
the Governor Isays: Please send me
some supplies, as | have large fam
lily Of nine children to keep up and
feed. The water is three feet deep
in my yard, and all over nv place.
1t is utterly impossible for me to get
anything for my family to eat with
out calling on you for assistance.
Please, for PHYS sake, do not fail to
send me some supplies by return
steamer.
The following are extracts from a
letter to the Governor, dated Big
Bend, Avoyelles Parish. The whole
of the Bayou des Glaizes and Red
River front is entirely overhowed.
All of US are bankrupt no money.
NJ credit; commission merchants all
shut down on us; have no provisions;
many in a manner starving. The
water is all over the country and
still rising. Cows not drowned are
dying for want of food; sheep and
hogs drowned by the hundreds.
Take this matter into consideration.
and see if something cannot be done