The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-04-08
OUR NEW ORLEANS LETTER,
Items of Interest from the Crescent City
by Our Regular Correspondent.
NEW ORLEANS, April 4, 1882

Items of Interest from the Crescent Cit
by Our Regular Correspondent.
NEW ORLEANS, April A. 1882.
EDITOR CHlEr:
The overflow subsiding above seems t,
be venting its wrath upon the countr,
west Of the river in the sugar-bowl dis
trict. at Washington the water ha
risen to four feet above the high waite
mark Of 1874 and is still coming up. Th,
whole basin between Alexandria, til,
lower Teche and Atchafalaya and til,
Mississippi river is more or less covered
with water from six inches to eight ant
even ten feet in some places, and a ris.
of two more feet is confidently expected
What were smiling fields is now a watery
waste, and the people and the stock arr
being removed to the high lands of St
Landry. Washington and Opelousas are
filled to overlooking with sufferers and
refugees, and hundreds of men lately
well-to-do are dependent now upon char.
ity for support. The Morgan trains can
not run beyond Tigerville, and Morgan
City is thus cut off from her connection
with New Orleans by rail. There is nc
doubt that the road-bed prevents the es.
cape of the food to a great extent and
more or less protects the parish of Terre-
bonnie, although back water has made its
appearance in the vicinity. of Houma
Great fears exist that many acres Of cane
will be destroyed, though some one has
expressed the opinion that two or even
| three weeks Of submersion will not de-
stroy it. The work Of relief goes bravely
on and very little actual suffering will
occur.
The burning Of the Golden City on
Thursday, OH nearing the wharf at Mem
phis, is another chapter of horror added
to the long list Of disasters caused by
negligence in handling fire among in
flamable material. It appears that early
in the morning Of that day the captain
Of the watch OH deck was waking up the
crew and deck passengers, prior to land
ing at Memphis, and incautiously put his
lamp down upon bale Of new Louisiana
jnte which Immediately ignited and rap
idly filled the boat with flames. The
pilot Immediately headed her for shore,
and the officers quickly made fast to the
pier, and by their exertions saved many
passengers. About % persons are esti-
mated lost aud a number of ladies and
some children are among the number.
Captain Kouns Of the we'll known Steam
boat line loses wife and three children,
and Mrs. Stowe Of the circus company is
among the lost. The second Engineer,
Robert Kelly, with as brave heart as
ever beat i'll human bosom, heroically
stayed at his post to the last aud per-
ished in his efforts to save the lives of
others. Had he left his engine one mo-
ment to save his own life the boat might
have become unmanageable and drifted
into mid-stream, an explosion took place
and the list Of deaths greatly augmented
The fire department. Of Memphis turned
out, but to no effect, and after the first
rush ofpassengers ashore, the boat burned
her ropes and driftcd down stream, clos
ing the earthly career Of many an unfor
tnnata- She became Il total wreck and
sank i'll deep water near the Tennessee
shore, close to Presidents Island.
Twenty-four thousand boxes of Levant
and Sicilian oranges arrived yesterday
and will be sold at auction on Tuesday
A large cargo Of lemons will also be put
on the market that day.
On Saturday Victor Eloi, the wife
murderer who on Mardi Gras met his
wife near her home in the Garden Dis
trict and stabbed her to death, was
called before Judge Roman to receive
the sentence Of death. The Jury con
victed him March 20, and no counsel
appearing to file motion for new trial or
arrest of sentence, the Judge in his calm,
cold, impressive manner accorded the
death penalty at the pleasure of the
Governor.
Judge Roman has sentenced Paul Mi
nor, the colored man who shot Officer
Driscoll who had arrested him, to fifteen
years IN the penitentiary. On the way
to the station after the arrest Driscoll
took Minors watch, and in the struggle
for possession the latter shot Drscoll,
int1icting a slight wound 1t does not
look like progression i'll civilization when
man can not protect his own property.
Upon hearing that the Mint at New
Orleans was soon to be closed, and also
that /, son of the Third District had been
cashiered, your correspondent yesterday
visited that building to take items, but
met with little success. The doorkceper
was sour as crabapple, the bookkeeper
answered i'll monosyllables, and the only
gentleman at all affablc was the present
coincr, Mr.. F. K. Jones, who was very
kind, gentlemanly and polite, and will
ling to talk politics and any other sub
ject but the one at issue in respect to the
Mint. We left with feelings of regret,
hopeful that, for Mr.. Jones' sake as we'll
as for that of the State, the affair may
be tid4d over and the Mint kept in oper-
alton.
The joint conference committee of tie
Republican party Of this parish met last
night in Gen. Badgers office to canvass