Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-11
A ADOLEFULOUTLOOK
The Work OF Destruction Continued
Bayou Sara LeEee Still Rapidly Civ
ing Way-The Richest Sugar
Districts of Louisiana Inundated-An
Appeal for Aid from GreenVille-
Floods ia North Alabama.

New ORLEANS, March 1O.-The New Or
leans. Chicago and St. Louis railroad is
again submerged in the neighborhood Of
Water Valley, Miss. The overflow has
assumed alarming proportions, inundating
all that section of the country. Trains are
unable to proceed farther north than Coffee
vile Station, this side oisWater Valley. An
arrival from Red river reports 25O families
below Alexandria living on RATS and in
deplorable condition. s
Bayou sara ievse isstsif gisfus aasyr rrpz
idly. It is ali green earth, and crunbles as
fast as the water pushes against it. The gap
is about 1000 feet wide, and the water, as it
goes through, about ten feet deep, but rapidly
digging deeper and spreading far and wide
over the country, will overflow part OF this
parish, all of West Baton Rouge and, por-
tions of Assumption, Iberville, st. Marys,
Iberia and Terre Bonne-the richest sugar
district of Louisiana. The False river and
Grosse-Tete country will soon re inundated.
The loss OF property and the sutferInss oil
the people will be terrible. The State engi-
neer says that it is useless to attempt to stop
making braXe fight against the flood. All
the stores are closed, and every man is at
work upon the levees which protect the place,
while draining machine is working against
the fearful pressure.
The Tines Democrats Bayou Sara special
says: "This crevasse will food every place
on False river from Waterloo to the Vincent
plantation, about sixteen miles, ten places,
causing loss of about 20O0 hogsheads of
sugar, besides great loss of stock and other
property The chances are, all Of the Crosse
Tete country will go under. At last accounts
the water was on level with the levee, and
this sudden increase will certainly go over it."
The Times Democrats Yazoo City special
says: "The water is rising rapidly and
planters who three days ago argued against
an overflow, are now moving their stock to
the hills Many cattle and mules passed
through here to-day. Deer driven out by
the back water are scattered over the high
lands. The back part OF our city is unier
water and many houses have beenabandoned.
One house was carried off by the food"
In reply to a telegram from J. Floyd King
and f. John Ellis, louisiana congressman,
asking for full and authentic account OF
the destruction in Louisiana by the overflow,
Colonel Thomas L. Airey, president of the Cot
ton Exchange, sent the following: "The chief
state engineer informs me that the overflow
in Louisiana covers large part of the rear
lands Of East Carroll, Madison, rensas, Con-
cordia, and considerable areas in West Car
roll, Morebouse, Richland, Ouachita, Cild-
we'll, Franklin and Catahoula, and is
caused by Mississippi river water escaping
through the broken levees in Chicot and
Desha counties Arkansas. Below the mouth
of Red river a large territory is now being
overAowed-in Pointe COupee, Avoyelles,
st. Landry, West Baton Rouge, LafouTche
and several other parishes-and the opinion
is expressed by competent authorities
that this overflow is likely TO increase
in depth and extent. The Pointe
Coupee creVasse will add much TO
the overflow of the parishes below the mouth
of Red river; also much overflow along the
Red river bottom, and in every parish on
the Mississippi, there are long stretches of
defective and imperfect levees requiring re-
pair, and in some cases entire rebuilding.
The extent of the damage and suffering is
impossible to estimate at this juncture. The
annual product of cotton alone, in the par
ishes above named, is fully 100000 bales
valued at S15,000000. The outlook is ex-
tremely discouraging.