Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-04-25
Latest News from All Sections OF
the Mississippi Valley-All
the Water-COurses
Booming.
The Cumberland, Tennessee, Mis-
sissippl and Ohio Rivers, and
Their Tributaries-Rail-
road Difficulties.
Terrible Sufferings Of the Plant.
ers and LabOrers-Help In
Money and Provisions Urg-
emily Called For.


SLRtement Of an Eyewitness.
A Memphis merchant, who has beer
down the river three hundred miles, re
turned yesterday, and states that tn,
condition of the people in the over
flowed sections is tenfold worse than il
generally believed. The whole cOas
country is under water, and the inhabit
ants have been compelled to leave theil
homes and flee for safety TO the highel
lands. The negroes have left the planta.
tions along the river bottoms, and con.
gregated in great numbers around the
towns and country stores. These people
have no money, and not only are il
rags, but almost on the eve of starva-
tion. In the early part Of the year the
1 merchants and stOre-keepers advanced
supplies and provisions TO the negroes
who would give them a mortgage or lier
/ upon the incoming crop. In this way the
negroes were enabled to procure cloth
ing, food and groceries to suit theil
wants, and the merchants were guarsn-
teed payment for tie same because Oi
the mortgage. As the flood prevents
planting, and will deny many negroes
the means Of making any crop, the
1 merchants cannot continue to advance
/ provisions and clothing, as they have
been accustomed to do. The negroes,
therefore, have nothing upon which to
I rely for Subsistence, and their condition
I is truly most pitiable. At many places
they have been driven almost to despe-
ration by hunger, and threaten to mob
stOTehOuses so as to get something to eat
and wear. At some places the mer-
chants and citizens are Issuing four
/ pounds of meat and q peck Of meal per
/ cdpUt a week to these unfortunate per-
. sons, allowing nothing Z children. The
I gentleman informs us that many places
] are so densely packed with refugee ne
] grOes that the citizens are in great dan
| ger of having their houses invaded and
/ property destroyed by these half-fam-
| ished creatures. All who have enough
money to pay their fare lose no time in
I boarding steamboats, in order 10 leave
the stricken country. Stock Of all kind
has been drowned in the bottoms, aud
should famine be averted for the
present, the great loss in the
future will be unprecedented from such
a source. The above state Of affairs ex-
lists from here to the gulf, aud no one
can contemplate the hardships and mis-
cries Of the people along the river with
out feeling a desire to do something for
their alleviatiOn. A Memphis gentle
man stopped st Friars Point few days
ago to attend TO some mercantile busi-
ness, but was Immediately drafted into
the river-gang and put TO work on the
levee, which was in great danger of
being broken by the strong current. The
Memphis man went TO work very cheer
fully, as ne was engaged in a good task.
nf ha
drew his rations and left for home. The
levee was sufficiently strengthened, il is
thought, to resist the action of the tur-
bulent stream.
Latest By Telegraph.
New ORLEANS, April PA letter
from planter in Carroll parish says:
"FrOm the overflow there will be TWEEN.
ty-seven plantations in this parish that
will make no cotton at all eleven places
that may make half 8 crop, and twenty
nine that are good for full crop. Wa
ter from Bonnet Care and M'Callet ere
vases has Ovelt1Owed Grand Point set
tlement, in st. James parish, forcing
many to leave their homes and seek
protection in other localities" A resO-
luton of relief meeting in the sixth
ward, Pointe Coupee parish, states that
in consequence Of the large number of
persons behind Grand levee having had
their homes swept away and saving
nothing, they being cut off from COM
municatiOn with other parts of the par
ish, it is essentially necessary that
IMMEDIATE RELIEF
be afforded to prevent starvation. The
levee cOmpany's engineer, Van Pelt, re-
ports the crevasse at Hickey's beyond
control; it is fully a quarter OF mile
wide, and about ten feet deep. Hick-
ey's residence, a twO-stOry frame cot
tage, with eight rooms, was taken up by
the flood aud carried to the back part of
the plantation, where it lodged against
the trees. Almost the entire parish Of
West Baton Rouge, and the whole Of the
parish Of Iberville, lying on the right
bank of the Mississippi river, appear TO
be under water. The following COM
munications explain themselves:
CORRESPONDENCE.
NEW ORLEANS, April p.
William kellogg, Governor OF Louisiana:
would resdectfulIy inform you that have
this d8y received telegraphic instructions
from the secretary OF war, % procure and turn I
over to the relief committee, for sufferers re-
cOgnized by you, i've hundred thousand Ta- I
tiOns Of meat, bread beans, and rice, at the I
will supply twenty thousand persons for I
twenty-five days. Please notify me Of the I
names Of the recognized committee, and /
where they are to be found.
THOMAS c. SULLIVAN,
Captain and Commissary OF Subsistence, 1
United States Army.
REPLY.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, NEW ORLEANs,l 1
April 81.
have the honor 70 acknowledge the receipt
Of your communication Of this date. In reply
I beg 10 inform you that committee OF prom
inent citizens, Irrespective Of party, has been
appointed TO distribute contributions and
~ pplies. This committee is cooperating with
the State authorities and jointly with the
chamber OF commerce and city council Of
New Orleans. II consists Of Duncan f. Ken
ner, y. r. Joubert, Thos. ID. Miller, John r.
Clay, John NJ. aandego, A. q. Ober, Austido
ON Is al No % CoTondolet street. respect
fully request that you turn over to this CON-
nication. WM. p. KELLOGG. Governor.
Five thousand dollars, contributed by
the New York cotton exchange for the
-fterers by The overflow, were received
to day.
A rainstorm this morning was accom-
panied with a wind nom the northwest,
blowing half gale. Northern, eastern
and western mails for six days are now
due. The Great Republic is due to-
morrow, with sixty-nine packages OF
mail matter. The Jackson railroad
trestle near Amite river bridge is washed
away. On the Mobile road the bridge
over Pearl river is washed away. and a
portion of the West Pascagoula bridge is
gone. No trains by either road.
THE ALABAMA RIVER.
MoNTGolIERY, Ala, April 24-Rain
all over the State for the past ten days
has raisedthe wateT-courses, overfiowinR
them for the third time within the past
six weeks The Alabama river has
flooded all the lowlands, and is still ris-
ing. Rain continues TO fall heavily, and .
farming operations are much retarded. .
II is feared that much Of the lowlsnds .
will have to be abandoned, and great
damage is already done the crops. Rail
roads east Of here are unInjured, but be-
tween this city and Mobile, and be-
tween Selma aud Meridian, c0mmuni-
cation is temporarily susptn1ed.
ST. LOUIS CONTRIBUTES.
sr. LOUIS, April 24.-Nearly two
/ thousand dollars and large quantity OF
flour, cornmeal, bacon, etc, were con-