The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-03-30
THE INLAND SEA.
Graphic Description of the Flood.
NV Op1rAys Nfnrch !

New ORLEANS, March 20.
So far the Relief Committee report
twelve thousand dollars in cash contri.
buttons, besides lumber and other sup
plies. They propose al present 20 raise
$50 900, most Of which sill be invested
in forage for stock, if the issue Of Gov.
crnmen. ra,ions is continued. The Lou.
,ana Commissioners have asked the
Secretary Of War for 100000 more ra-
tions, half o: them to be delivered here
By the 18th and the balance by the lst
prox. The crcyasse NJ the Mound plan.
taiOD, on Bayou Crosse Tctc, east bank
is reported doing great damage 10 the
ugar plantations in that section. The
oycrilow Of Bayou Crosse Tcte il caused
by water from Point Coupce crevassc
: dispatch from the President Of the
Police Jury Of West Baton Rouge parish
concerning the lcveea, says: The river
shows half an inch decline since last
night. We are becoming well fortified
all along the lines, and hope to hold out
against all that may come. Constant
na.cming is necessary TO prevent acci
dent. 4 letter received today reports
the washing away Of several houses by
crevasscs below Water Proof, on the
DIST"
New ORLEANS, March 2i.-The Times.
Drmocrat steamer Tensas arrived at Delhi
yesterday. Its correspondent tclcgraphs
Il graphic description Of affairs in tina:
section and along Black River. ~ the
mouth Of Red River information was
obtained that Hog Point creyasse had
submerged six large plantations The
section 10 the hills in Mississippi. On
4 ti,a )nt ,,nt, 81
up several families who were in search Of
high ground. After reaching the mouth
Of Black River the entire country pre-
sen.cd the appearance Of a vast inland
sea, not speck Of land being visible
anywhere. The houses of souattcrs or
small farmers were abandoned and al
most submerged Only the chimncys
and roofs Of the houses were seen above
the flood. The occupants had long since
removed the stock and household goods
to the high lands further up the river
These people having no credit cannot
furnish themselves with provisions. Tie
present distress will be relieved By the
ration agents at Troy and other points.
Nearly all the women and children Of
this section have been sent to the hills,
but the male population, white and col
ored, are living in gin houses and corn
cribs. the floors Of which we scaffolded
up above the water. They are working
hard to save their stock by conveying
them in fiat boats to high land. At least
eight plantations on Black River are sub
merged, with nothing to mark their
locality but the house tops. The water
in the fields was six feet deep, and the
only means of communication was bv
boats. Rats filled with frightened cat.
tie, and poultry huddlcd together on the
house tops, made the scene one Of utter
dcsolation aud difficult to describe After
leaving the town of Troy and entering
the Tensas River, no land was seen until
we reached the Bayou Macon Hills, n
distance Of IS miles, and the trip through
this section of the State was more like n
sea than river voyage. BY interviewing
white and colored people, it was ascer-
tained that, along the Tensas River, very
little actual suffering for want of food
prevails, rs the colorcd people have, so
far, been furnished with food by the
planters. The stock from this section
has generally been sent to the hills.
Prominent planters on the Tensas stated
that they were opposed to the issuance Of
Government rations, as there was no des-
titution along that river so great that the
people could not relieve. and ra!;nns
would demoralize the laborers. The
planters generally are able to feed their
hands until the flood is over The ne
groes had already refused 10 assist in car
rying out the stock, saying the Govern
ment would send them rations. Other
planters, however, said many of them
could not get the city merchants to ad
vance supplies, and unless the Govern.
mcnt furnished rations there would be
great destitution among negroes. Lieut..
Randolph. who was detailed by order of
the War Department to investigate the
condition of the people in this section OF
country, has carefully questioned those
whom he met, and from the facts OBJ
tanned, the conclusion was reached that
at present the only general dcstitution
which prevails is among the white and
farms, have no help aud have neither
credit nor money. The Times Democrats s
steamer is rendering good service in this
section, removing, etc A Delhi, Loui
siana, special says the Black and Tensas
Rivers and Bayou Macon are rising rap
idly, and fears are entertained that the
stock scaiioded along those streams will
be drowned. The loss of stock is now
estimated ut $50, 900 and the loss in fences
will amount to 100000. Fifty-cight
Thousand people live along these streams
and cultivate one hundred thousand acres
of land. The overflow in Concordia
parish extends from the Black to the
Mississippi River, distance of 35 miles.
In Tcnsas parish from Tensas River and
Bayou Macon to the Mississippi River, n
distance CT 80 miles in franklin parish
from Tensas west to the Ovachta River,
81 distance of 10 miles; in Madison par
ish from Bayou Macon to the Mississippi
River, q distance of 35 miles; in East
Carroll parish from Baynu Macon to the
Mississippi River, 10 miles; the upper
portion of Mankin parish, west of the
hills Of Tensas, in which starts Bayou
Macon, the flood extends 20 the Ouachita
River, q distance of fifteen miles. The
Tensas River, since Saturday, has risen
five feet, and is still rising at the rate of
eleven inches in twenty four hours.
Along the Tensas and Bayou Macon the
water is three feet higher than in 1874,
and the unprecedented flow is accounted
for by the breaks in the levees at Milli-
kcn's Bend and Goodrich Landing. The
rations which have been sent up in this
section are sufficient to supply the wants
of the destitute people for some time,
unless the flood becomes still more dis
astrous. Tie people are all in good
health, and say If the water subsidies by
the middle Of May they will make q full