The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-18

much OF It the most productive portion OF tn
Southwest, was laid under water for man.
| weeks
Think Of it, Mr.. President; think Of It, Sen
ators ponder 1t well 100000 acres Of pro
ductive -15,000,000 acres embracing
large proportion Of tho rich cotton and corr
and sugar districts of three States, were
flooded by this great national highway, th
magnificent stream, which is the property 0
| the nation and over which the nation claims
and exercises supreme and exclusive control
| Consider it we'll. and then tell me, II you can
that such calamityis local as to its character
local as tn ttS consequences. local as to th
duties which it imposes and the responsible
ties which it entails. In further illustration
of the disastrous nature of that great food
the overflow If 1874 may say that il inun
dated, IN Arkansas, the counties Of Chirot an
| Desha. IN Mississippi the counties Of Tlni
ca, toahoma, Bolivar, Sunflower, Washington
IssaqUena and Warren; and in Louisiana tn,
Parishes Of East Carroll, West Carroll Madi
son, Iensas, O0nc0rdia, Morehousc. Rchland
| Onachta, Franklin, Caldwell. Catahoula
Avoyelles, Pointe Coupec, st. Landry III
partl, East Baton Rouge lin part. West Ba
| ton Rouge Ibervilln, st. Martin. iberia. st
Mary, Terrebonne, Assumption, Ascension, st
James, st John the Baptist, St Charles, La
\ tOurehe, Orleans. jefferson. st. Bernard anC
Plaqueminrs thirty counties and parishes
And to exhibit moro Conspicuously the de-
struction caused by floods like that of 1874,
present a series Of tabulated statements
| showing Ine amount ana Valne o1 III" ptOduc-
t1ons aud the number OF acres of improved
land, with its cash valuation, in the region
liable to overflow in the present contli-
ton of the Mississippi levees. | shall not
challenge your patience, Mr.. President, by
reading the detailed statement but | shall
give the aggregates, which will be sufficient
for my present purpose. In the sugar and
rice growing districts Of Louisiana there were
under cultivation, in the year 1860 Sls 75s
acres of land. he cash value Of the planta-
tions was s93,227,s77; the. number of hogs
heads of sugar produced was 321 2lO; the
number of gallons of molasses produced
was 1907 46s; the number of pounds Of
rice produced was 6,252,05i. IN 1870
the number of pounds of rice was
1905, 7G1. In the counties of ChicOt and
Desha, in Arkansas, and the parishes of
Madison, Carroll, Tensas and COncordia, in
Louisiana, In 1860, the improved acres were
535 i97; cash value Of plantations, 500, 900, 900 ,
number Of bales Of cotton produced 3S7 900 /.
number OF bushels OF corn, 5000, 900. In the
alIuvial region Of Mississippi and Tennessee,
In the same year. the improved acres were
1,O2f,62S; the cash value of the plantations,
$50, 000n0O, number of bales of cotton pro-
dnced, 10000: number Of bushels Of corn,
90 100000 I'm the basin Of ST. Francis fAr-
kansas and Missouri,) in the same year, the
improved acres were 2i5, 36t, cash value of
plantations, Sl1,00n.000; number Of bushels Of
corn produced, 100000; number of bales of
cotton, 10000. SO that in 1860 the cash value
Of the plantations In the aluvial region was
S230.bOo,0nO.
have said, sir. that during this great flood
the alluvial region was laid under water for
period OF time extending over many weeks
Such may saw is the case in all seasons of
overflow The sIIhsidence of the river is n far
slower process than its rise In many cases
the duration Of the inundation is to be meas
ured not alone by days or by weeks but by
months. The record from 1919 to 1860, inclll-
sivc, shows the duration of high water in par
tcuar years to have been as follows: In is4g
at Carrolton. (adioinng New Orleans,l 300
days; 1850, ut Carrollton, 172 days; 1851, of
Lake Providence, ~ days; ut New Carthage
loi days; at Red River Landing 50 days; at
Donaldsonvile 81 DAYS: at Carrollton. 1876
days; 1862, at DonaIdsonville. 6s days: at
CarroIton, 1Os days: 1853, at Carrollton, 40
days; 1854, at Carroton, III days: 1853 at
Memphis, 81 days. at Napoleon, 100 days. at
New Carthage, l2a days. at Red River Land
ing llS days Mt Donaldsonville, 12g days: at
Carrollton, 1872 days, 1859, at Memphis, 50
days; at Vicksburg. 1903 days; at Donaldson
vile. l23 days; Mt Garrollton. ia days. Five
OF these years were nood years; that Is TO
say, years ~ Wnieh th9 hll'Flal region was
oVefHoWen III Whole or IN part
during the period from lsG5 to 1877 the same
phenomena nave fecurredIln several years
ana, owing To the impaired condition OF the
leVees. TO the lInpoVerlShnent OF the riparian
pophlations' anu me inapllIy OF tne state
governments Or Inc county or parish organ
protection the eonseduences have been even
more disastrous, because more severely felt
man u those auehaanI upon me great oyer.
IioWS WhIch nhppeleu uuling Tue peiloh lliSt
sscleIred -. ~ s''ell tiihes lne Whole country
ior hundreds 81 1nlleS - converted into q
mimic sea Inc adventurous explorer who
plletialeS these ureary wastes lihdS, instead
Oh Widenihg leioS green Win the corn ana
cane OF gay WIN the blossoms OF the cotton
plant only . wilderness OF turbid waters a
n