Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-04-18
How a Mississippi crcvas.e h Closed.

How q Mississippi CFcvasse is Closed.
Correspondence Of Boston Herald.
The crevasse at Live Oak plantation broke
| through the night before we went down the
river. and two days later. on our return, we
stopped to examine the manner of closing it. A
large supply of material, SKA and AKA joints inch
boards, bales ofhay, and empty bags having been
collected, two men hayinga reputation for judy
ment, experience, and skill are chosen captains
with dictatorial powers. These divide the
forces into two gangs one for each side of the
break. First, the broken ends of the leyee are
| protected from further denudatiOn by bracngs
of lumber and coverings of tarpaulin and, when
the nature of the ground will permit it, a row
of stakes is driven outside the levee to prevent
driftw00d from washing through and hindering
| the work. Then, starting from points twenty
or thirty feet from the break, so as to allow for
accidents, four rows OF piles made from the
joists are driven firmly into the soil. These
rows do not project directly across the crevasse,
but at angle of 45 deg. from the inner side of
the levee Between the first and second row,
and between the third and fourth the distance
is about three feet. while from the second to the
| third row is six feet. The piles themselves are
driven three feet apart and as fast as driven are
firmly braced together by boards spiked on la
terally and diagOnally so as to strengthen them
as much as possible, while loose boards laid
upon these braces serve as platforms on which
the men stand while at work. In this manner
they feel their way along until the outer ends of
the two cribs are within ten feet of each other,
when the line is driven straight across and the
two are connected together,
All this time great care is taken to allow free
passage for the water between the stakes and
to disturb the bottom as little as possible never
theless, 1t often happens that the treacherous
soil gives way and big section of the crib goes
| sailing off into the field. In time, however, the
decentralization is completed and holds firm,
and the process Of filling in begins. First, the
space between the first and second row Ofstakes
Is filled with armfuls Of loose hay that is care
fully matted together and weighted down with
bags Of earth. Through this the water leaks as
through sieve but the rush of the current is
stopped. Next, the broader space between the
second and third row is packed solid with bags
filled with earth, and rammed down till not a
drop of water can ooze through. Finally, loose
earth is shoveled and rammed upon the rear,
until not only is the third compartment filled,
but the bank slopes back fully ten feet beyond
the inner row Of piles; and not until then is the
work declared safe and the Creyasse conquered.
1t is now ten days since the Live Oak crevasse
broke. 1t is not over thirty feet wide, and the
surface OF the river was not more than four
feet above the ground level inside of the levee,
yet already more than 10000 feet of lumber
have been expended. and this morning $4,000
more feet were ordered. while nearly 100 men
have been working at it daily from dawn to
dark. In the meantime the water has covered
not only Live Oak plantation and the rice fields
adjoining. but is spreading over the corn fields
beyond. both up and down the river. carrying
destruction wherever it goes
Reckless Use Of EHypoilermic Injections.
The Lancet says: "a recent painful case of
death caused by hypodermic Injection of NOR
phia directs attention afresh to the dangers of
restoring to this most perilOus mode of admins
forinp 0rnpl 6oSirnnd m Tho
public should be warned against the practice of
employing remedies hypodermically. So fomi-
dable a remedy" should on no account be used
except under medical advice, and when deem
necessary it ought to be given by practitioners.
we have repeatedly urged the profession to dis
countenance Intercourse to injections under the
skin, which is becoming general. It is prac-
tice OF extreme hazard and we are of opinion
that surgical instrument makers should refuse
to sell the requisite apparatus to lay persons,
and that medical men should forbid their use."
Baccarat-The Latest Fashion i'm Card
Gambling.
From the Hour.
In certain circles in New York baccarat has to
some extent taken the place Of our great ma
tional game, poker. Baccarat is the farest
game that can be played against a bank. There
is no zero and double zero as in roulette, nor is
there the ''splits" of faro. The banker has alb
solutcly nothing in his favor except the ''guess-
ing Which his antagonist has to constantly per-
form. There is general belief that it is impos-
sible to cheat at baccarat, but this is quite a
mistake, although in clubs and gambling places
the possibility of cheating Is reduced to mini
mum by the use of cards with monograms upon
them Baccarat is played in New York clubs
with four packs Of cards. and before dealing
these packs arc carefully shufled by the dealer
When the play begins the banker gives one card
to the right, one to the left, and one to himself
and then he repeats the operation; court cards
and tens count as zero, and it his two cards he
can get nine he wins all the stakes placed
upon the cards given to the players On the right
and left
The cheating banker puts all the packs before
him, with their backs to himself and their faces
to the players Suppose that there is three
facing the players; the confederate notices this
as the banker" moves it to the top of the packs,
and so soon as six appears at the bottom of
the pack the confederate makes sign to the
banker" who at once moves it to the top of
the packs, taking care to place two cards be-
tween 1t and the three and two cards above
it. When he deals his own two cards are con-
sequently six and three, making nine He thus
arranges series of consecutive coGps which he
is certain to win. The cards are then handed to
be cut and by trick, which consists of pinching
some cards and slipping others. which, although
impossible to explain, Is not difficult in practice
he annuls the cut, leaving his series at the top
of the pack, where he had placed it. An adroit
cheat can arrange series without any very
lengthy shutting.
The player cheats the banker in this way: He
puts nine up his sleeve; when he is given two
cards he takes the chance Of one of them being
ten or court card. Surprising that he gets q
ten and three, he takes the cards up, throws
the three up his sleeve and brings from it the
nine; then he exhibits ten and nine and thus
wins. Any one with very small practice as
cOnjurer can do this without fear OF detection.
Quite recently an officer of the British army
was detected in cheating at baccarat at the Roast
club He was In the habit of putting a five
pound note just outside the line on which the
stakes were placed If his card lost he with
drew tho note; If 1t won he pushed the note
within the line. The club expelled him, as did
another club Of which he was member, and be
killed himself. His previous losses at baccarat
had been considerable.
Sum Spots.
From the n Y. Sun.