The Caucasian. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1874-1875, 1874-05-16
THE INUNDATION.


We give in this weeks Picayune a
view of the overfowed districts along
the Mississippi, situated in the three
States of Louisiana, Mississippi and
Arkansas. This map can tell much
of the story of the suffering, want
and ruin this unexpected food has
produced far better than we. Yet,
even the map conveys not the whole
truth Of the misery in this State to a
stranger. It only appears that a
quarter of Louisiaaa and large por-
ton of Arkansas and Mississippi are
under water; they know not that
the parishes under water contain
two-thirds Of the wealth, the popu-
lation, the industry and the produce
of the State.
OF the fifty-three parishes Of the
State, thirty-one are partially or en-
tirely covered by the inundation ::
Morehouse, Carroll, Madison, Frank
lin, Ouachita, Union, Richland, Cald-
we'll, Tensas, Catahoula, Ooncordia,
Avoyelles, Pointe Coupee, st. Landry,
West Baton Rouge, Ibervil(e, AS
sumption, Ascension, st. Martin, St.
Mary, st. James, St. John, the
Baptist, st. Charles, Terrebonne, La
fourcbe, St. Bernard, Plaquemines,
st. Helena, East Feliciana, Living
ston and ST.. Tammany. These
parishes contain about $4,000 peo-
ple-one-half of the whole popula-
ton, and seven-twelfths Of the agri-
cultural, laboring or producing popu-
lation Of the State-upon whom not
only New Orleans is dependent, but
also the Northand Europe itself for
clothing and supplies.
The lands overfowed are ca1cula-
ted at about 100000 acres, about
one-fourth Of which was under cult
vation in corn, cotton and sugar
when the flood began
Looking at the various sections
thus afflicted, weofnd first the Yazoo
Valley. Here the Mississippi has
broken throughaat Hushpakana and
Bolivar, and transformed the whole
Yazoo Valley into an milan lake.
Along the Amite, from its source
inr Mississippi to Lake Pontchartrain,
the lowlands are all under water
washing out a poor but industrious
class of people, almost all white.
The Pearl River overflow is more
Of freshet than n food the rains
alone are answerable for it. The
bridges between New Orleans and
the North have been washed away,
and the saw mills along that stream,
that supplied New Orleans and the
Southwest with lumber, have suffer:
ed great deal.
In Arkansas, although the Chicot
and St. Fancis crevasses cover some
100000 acres, yet they have not
caused such loss as in other parts of
the country, as, for instance, the
Ouachita and Block river bottoms.
Here the condition is most frightfully
appalling, with little chance Of re-
lief for months to come. For over
two hundred miles the Ouachita has
spread out it's stream to from ten to
fifty miles wide. When tho inhabi-
tants fed TO. the back lands with
their property, they encountered the
waters flowing from the Mississippi
crevasses. Thus between two floods
their only refuge was the housetops
where they are now living, having
lost their cattle, their clothing {, even
their power to work.
The four great cotton parishes Of
Madison, Tensas, Concordia and Car
roll are filed by quae a number d
crevasses at Bass, quarter Of mile
wide, Point Lookout, Hard Times
Buck Ridge, Glasscock, half a mile
wide all Of them averaging sever
feet in depth, and opening the coun
try to an artificial river two miles il
width.
just below the mouth Of Red Rive
occur the two most murderous Gre
vases in the State, the Morganzf
and Hickeys The Morganza, nearl,
a mile wide, running at the rate o
three. and half miles an hour thu
Hickey, third of a mile in width
ten feet deep, and pouring in at the
rate of nine and half miles an hour
After covering the river front par
ishes of Pointa Coupee, West Bator
Rouge and Iheryille, the water from
the Crevasses swelled the Atchfalaya
Lafourche and Teche to such F.,
volume as tn overflow every parish
on its course to'the sea, St. Landry
Lafourche,.. Lafayette, Terrebonne
st. Mary, and others. Here thu
waters deal double destruction, over
flowing the richest alluvial countr,
in the world, and destroying one
third Of the sugar crop Of the State
Back Of the banks dwell the small
settlers, Cadiens, and others. who ar,