Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-05-07

WASHINGTON, MAY 6.-An appeal is
I published for urgent relief of the suf-
ferers by the food in the southern
! States; that over one hundred and forty
two thousand people have been driven
from theif homes and are now without
I food or shelter, and that 10 furnish them
4 provision alone will cost twenty-five
/ thousand dollars day.
by NALL
Loss - IN LOUIsIAEIA.
/ From the New Orleans Times.1
After the dread battle comes the fear
I ful reckoning. 1t is then We attain an
[ appreciable idea of the extent of our
! loss Although it can scarcely be said
I the floods have began to sbate, stiIl their
( destructive paths are now seen and we
begin to see the ravages inflicted upon
/ our unfortunate and suffering people,
/ War has its hardships, il is true, and to
I individuals it often brings the direst
distress and suffering, yet philosophers
and statesmen allege that in the great
I after progress and development Of civili-
/ Zation, the rending of fossilated pre-
/ judices and obsolete customs which
/ operate to manscle the links of progress,
Z there is secured some compensation.
1 But in q
WAB WITH TIE ELEMENT
I there is no after-cOmpensatiOn. All is
wreck, ruin and waste which marks the
/ path of such dread monsters. Not IN
! till there has been q complete subsistence
/ OF the waters, can there be a full
measurement OF the damages sustained
/ but q survey Of the vast plain of water,
which stretches from the border of
/ Arkansas to the Gulf, with an average
width Of say fifty miles, we may at least
approximately estimate the calamity.
I Predicsting cur estimates on the best
tights now before US, the Ioss, direct and
consequential, To the people Of the State
must largely exceed
TEN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
When the flood shall have entirely
nsssed away, and absolute facts are as
certsiBed, the estimate stated may be
largely increased, but cannot be dimin-
ished, and not until then will it be pOssi-
bic to determine what the individual
suffering has been. The area now under
water IS variOusly estimated at from
,. 500. 600 to 5000, 600 acres. The esti-
mates of damage must include the labor
previously expended in the crops, the
loss of fences, cattle, mules, poultry,
and every variety and kind Of chattel
property, houses, damaged machinery,
stores OF food and clothing, loss Of pros
pecive crops, also the prospective dam
ages for a season Of unemployed time
until the sufferers can again find re-
munerative employment, the time, labor
and expense of restoring the wasted
lands, fences and habitations. InvOlv-
ed in all these estimates is a population
fairly estimated At
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND,
without considering the large CONNER
cial interests of New Orleans, which are
TO be affected by the overflow, not only
for the present year, but until these
damages can be repaired. We have
desired to be reasonable in these cal
eulgtious, ami u found them on
aseertained and appreciable facts, for in
that way only will they hsve any value
in the public mind. Suppose We begin
with the loss Of the
COTTON CROP.
Ia making these estimates concern
ing cotton, We consider the entire pro-
duet Of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mis-
sissippi. Should the flood subside by
the middle of the present month, there
would yet be time to obtain some re-
compense for the loss in this crop; but
il Is well known that late planting of
cotton is never safe for any yield, and
can not be counted on under the most
favorable circumstances, for more than
half crop. Well informed planters,
aud good Judges, with whom We have
eonversed, consider that there will be
loss Of 250,O bales of cotton on the
erop of this year, even under the most
favorable circumstances. Should the
overflow continue longer than the
ufteenth instant, the loss will be largely
enhanced, and exceed 100000 bales,
THE SUGAR LOSS.
The loss in this commodity is almost
total aud ABSOLUTE, not only for the pre-
sent year, but will attend that industry
for two more years besides the present.
Cane cannot be brought to a productive
capacity under three years, and its restO-
ration will only be accomplished grsdu-
ally. Ii will be fair to count in the
loss not only for the present year but
the consequential loss of succeeding
wears. The loss on this years crop is
variously estimated at from $1,000 to
40, 900 hhds., but we IRE persuaded that
the former figures, 80, 900 hhuS., are WIN
in the margin Of certainty. That ,~Snuid
be S3, 900, 900. Next year 10000 hhds.,
g, ,0O0, 900. and the year following that
10000 hhds., or 81, 600, 600. The sugar
loss then, directly and consequential,
must be set down at S., 100000.
THE RICE CROP.
Some Overstrong estimates have been
made of the less in this crop, and we
have endeayOred to reach the indisputa-
ble conclusions. The rice crop of the
State is written down III the statistics at
50, 2O6 barrels of 230 pounds each. The
producing parishes sre: st. James 435
barrels, not overfi0wed; ST. John 1880
barrels One-qusrter oyeTfiowed, loss 3l5
barrels; st. Charles 5402 barrels, loss
one-fOurth OF 1850 barrels; Jefferson 306
barrels, not oveIfiOWed; Orleans Y bar
rels. not oveTfiowed; st. Bernard III
barrels, not oveifi0wed; Plaquemines
30 254 barrels, loss one-third or 10,0S5
barrels; Terrebonne Il,74l, loss four
fitths OF 1912 barrels; LafouTche 1924
barrels, loss twO-thirds or Sl6 barrels;
Vermilion SS4 barrels; not oveTflowsd;
Iayisyette 579 barrels. not overflOwed.
Yehsge hear q certain loss of 5,03l $40
DO qnds, which, estimated at 6lc, aggre-
gates S3ll, ,996.
THE TOBACCO CROP.
There nas, be some loss in the crop Of
tobacco, but diligent inquiry has failed
to discover that it is material. The
crop, at best, is nOl large in this State.
A full estimate Of the loss, and we are
without facts to justify it, would be
SlOO, OO0 This brings Us to tie con-
sideration Of the most difficult part OF
this subject, the loss Of
CHATTEL PROPERTY.
such as cattle, mules, hogs, poultry.
farming tools, fences, etc. \ Necessarily
we are much at sea here, and however
] the Objectionable it may be to present
estimates with no better foundation
/ than guessing, it is for the present all
that is allowed US. The population, as
I above stated, involved in the overflow
is about l2O, 900 people, white and black,
I imulying ftom six TO ten thousand plan
tations, large and small. The question
is how much has such plantation lost by
the q pod in cattle, mules, fences and
| other chattel intefests2 1t cannot be
les than SlO0 70 each place, and there
are many persons who would unhesi'
fstinglv write it down at 500 to each
mace. aud vet Others who would with a.
httla hesitation estimate the loss a.
double that amount. We prefer to taxi
a moderate view and calculate tE9A t9i
basis OF s.x thousand ,'s@ees Il ~ we esen
which would give loss of I, ,2UU,,r