The Osceola times., 1882-02-25


and our attention directed to n long
communication descriptive of the de-
yastation and distress in the over
flowed Mississippi valley, from which
we extract the following relative to
Mississippi county;
Every farmer has suffered more
or less, and it is safe to say that an
aggregate of 1900 head of cattle
and hogs have perished in the floods
in Mississippi county alone. Nor is
the loss of stock the full measure of
the disasters which the flood has
brought to the people of that county.
Many families have been forced to
abandon their houses, and are living
on RATS. Some of these unfortunates
have lost their stocks of provisions,
and are actually on the point of starry
alton. Osceola, one Of the largest
hamlets on the river between this
place and the northern limit of the
State, is inundated, and the inhabits
ants go about the streets in boats.
The loss in damages to property is
very great. In all this submerged
district the mails have been suspen-
ded, and intercourse between the in
habitants and the outside world is
practically cut off. As it is in Mis-
sissippi county, so it is in Crittenden,
a large part Of Phillips, Desha and
Chicot counties. Farms are under
water, stock has perishcd, fences have
floated away and the dwellings Of
the people are overHowed with the
muddy waters from the mighty Mis-
sissippi. Helena, though well situa-
ted to be protected, with high hills
Immediately in the rear Of the town,
is to-day in momentary dread of a
break in the mud barriers, which
alone stand between the town and a
destructive inundation. a slight
break has already taken place, and
no little alarm was created thereby.
y large force of laborers are kept on
duty night and day, and, with all
these precautions, there is an anxious,
uneasy feeling prevalent among the
people. a break in the levee at this
place would be productive OF an I'M
mense amount of mischief"
a note from the friend alluded to
in the Introductory to this account,
and much more of the same tenor,
which we have not room for, is by
him deemed as greatly exaggerated,
and requests that we shall give this
correspondent Of the American " a
" blowing up" That the picture is
somewhat exaggerated and over
drawn, no one reared in this great
valley, accustomed to the sight of
ovelfows and familiar with the actual
condition Of aiIars here in Mississip-
pi county viii deny. No doubt, to
one reared on the red-clay and rocky
hills in the vicinity of Nashville, as
he floats down the river on a palatial
steamer, and views the scene from
comfortable and luxurious surround
ings, his imagination leads him to be
extravagan, in the use of colors in
drawing his pen-pictures Of the
grand panorama surrounding him.
1t is grand and novel sight. Yet,
who of us, who have spent the best
years of our lives in these bottoms,
and are as much at home in dug
out as most men are on velvet couch
es, will say what the actual losses in
cattle, hogs, mules and horses are?
Men all over the county have been
searching for the past three weeks
for missing stock, without success,
and until the waters subside it is i'm
possible 10 form anything like a cor
rect estimate of the loss in this spc-
cies of property. The county is dot
ed with pounds, ridges and eleva-
tons ON which cattle seek refuge,
and many supposed to be lost, will
turn up when the waters recede.
As to the other statements, we have
heard of a few individuals living in
low places back, engaged in chop
ping timber, who were forced to
abandon their cabins. These were
few and isolated cases. Rats may
have been improvised, where skiAs
or canoes were not obtainable to pass
from place to place, but haveyyet to
learn that any one in this county
has been forced to adopt them as
places OF abode. Osceola is partial
ly submerged-all in front of the
levec- from . to Is inches, and the
people travel on the side walks,
which are generally ahoat; boats are
used by river men, and the boys,
who delight in rowing about for
amusement. With the execution OF