Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-03-10
SET BACK TEN YEARS.
TERRIBLE TALES OF THE FLOOD
Further Breaks IN the LeVees-PeO-
pie Feeding on Drowned Cattle
An Appalling OutlOok-GOVernOr
Churchill ON the SfsuaIIOn-The
Cumberland Again ON the Boom
A Costly BIuDdeF.

| COuHIly lOO lut1CS III lCHe bA8 buC QCbtlluGlOu
is beyond description. The water has
reached an unprecedented height. Scarcely
farm house or residence on the bottom
has escaped the inundation. The people
have been compelled to build false floors In
| their houses, or to seek safety on the higher
lands, where, in rudely constructed camps
of brush, bOughs and cane, they sit and wait
for starvation and death. 1t is appalling,
and without government aid literally and
quickly bestowed there is no telling where
1t will end. Many persons have been feed
| Ing on the carcasSes or drowned cattle.
Personal investigation, as we'll as the as
surances OF respectable gentlemen, con-
vinced Mr.. Harris that not less than six
hundred families, averaging six persons to
each, in Desha county alone are dependent
upon the charity of the government. He
! believed it to be no exaggeration to place
the gross number, old and young, at 3 500.
Indications point to long continuance of
the overflow. The most sanguine hardly
dare to hope for its subsidence. There is
every prospect OF repetition Of the Jan
uary food.
A dispatch from Alexandra, La, says
that the levee gave way this morning at
o'clock.
NEW ORLEANS, March 9.-In response to
numerous letters received from planters and
others representing the danger caused by
the waves Of steamboats,, Major II B. Rich
ardson, Chief State Engineer, makes an Off
cial request that pilots and Captains pass
their steamboats, as far away from the levees
at exposed and threatened points as posi-
| BILE, and to run slowly and carefully when
passing near such levees as are unstable.
1t has also been specially requested that, If
possible, steamboats, cease running Alto
| gether in Bayou La Fourche for the present.
A dispatch from Capt. NJ. L. Scoville, Of
Shreveport, reports that the weather at
a. N. was clear, but that previous to that
time rain had fallen for forty hours and the
river was rising rapidly.
A dispatch from Bayou Sara reports that
two bad breaks have occurred in the Point
Coupee levee, between Red Store and Red
Church, endangering large district of val
liable sugar plantations.
The Times -DehdaFat's Bayou Sara special
says: "The Pointe Coupe leVee, three miles
above here, on the west bank of the river,
gave way last night. This is a new leVee
cut the old levee in front of the new work
for the purpose of letting the water
against the new levee. No danger
was apprehended, but the cut
became some two hundred feet
wide, and the water rushed with such force
against the new levees that about 50 feet
| was swept away. The break In the new
levee to-day was 300 feet wide and widen
ing. 1t would be waste of money to try
and stop the erevasse. This will food a
| portion of the False river country and will
affect the best lands of Wess Baton Rogue
The cutting OF the old levee was fatal
mistake"
CHICAGO, March "a special dispatch
from Little Rock, Ark, says: "Governor
Churchill was found this morning in his
private office, examining letters which had
been received from sufferers by the recent
floods, and debating dispatches IN response
to kilograms for immediate aid. The ex-
tent Of the disaster can hardly be measured
He said, In answer to an inquiry, i feel
greatly depressed over the situation. re-
ceived this morning number OF letters
from prominent men in the over
flowed districts in Arkansas, who
drew gloomy aud graphic pictures of
death and suffering around them. | am
also in receipt of numerous kilograms every
day, applying for aid. The situation is ap-
palling. Ashley county reported one thou
tiOn, aud Chicot and Desha have
each as many, II not more. Cross, Crit
tenden, Mississippi, Lee, st. Francis, Mon
roe and Phillips counties have thousands
of sufferers in destitute circumstances.
should judge that there are nearly, II not
fully, fifteen thousand persons needing aid
in the State to-day. They are tenants and
their all by the overflow. Houses, farming
implements, stock-evtrything, has been
swallowed up in The food. To them
the outlook is gloomy, for no mat
ter how industrious they may
be they cannot Immediately get
employment, and lust therefore be fed
at the public txpers, for the time at least
fear that manv will die of actual starva-
tion. The relief boards are busy distributing
rations at all available points throughout
the overfowed districts. The work is going
on as rapidly as could be txpe cted, but the
trouble is that there are 50 many needy
that it will be almost impossible
to supply their wants in time to
prevent suffering, If not actual
starvation. Judge Mangum, whom 1 ap-
pointed commissioner on the relief fund, is
working zealouslY. He has appointed sub
agents for all the counties and is continuing
his work effectively. A considerable guam
tity Of rstions have been distributed.
hardly think the amount voted will be suf
ficient.n
Congressman Dunn is of the opinion that
an equally large quantity will be needed. 1t
be many weeks before the sufferers will be
able to help themselves, and the threatening
aspect of the weather indicates that the
worst has not come. 1t may be that the
generous people Of the whole country will
be appealed to for aid. No one without
experience of such disasters can form any
correct conception OF the present troubles.
general d. McRae, Assistant Secretary of
State, said to-day that the overflow had set
Arkansas back ten years. It would be i'm
possible, he thought, to raise crops on the
overfowed land this year other than Cotton
and that could not be done unless the waters
subsided shortly and allowed the ground
to dry out somewhat In time for
spring planting. Experience demonstrates
| hot will not H.,
succeeding an overflow, and thus thousands
of acres will be rendered wholly worthless
| unless the water recedes and gives the plan
ters an opportunity to plant their lands in
cotton. Gen. McRae also said that the
effect of the overflow must be to drive hun
dreds OF people from the State, that the
colOred people IL the overhowed districts
were already beginning to migrate to Ten
nessee and Missouri in large numbers, and
others would follow whenever they could
get boats to take them away"
VICKsBURG, March 9-The weather is
clear and cold The river rose 4M inches,
The gauge reads forty-fEe feet This is
the highest water since 1874. A special
| from MaYersville says that the stock from
plantations on Steel's Bayou is being driven
into that place for safety. The water is
rising In that stream at the rate of onesnch an
hour. "The impression is that all the low
lands and lakes this side of the creVasses
| ABOUT GreenV1lle have been nlIed, and that
the water is now coming down the bayou.
II this is the case, we know not the extent
Of our danger.n
| WAsHINGToN. March Captain Lee, one
OF the officers detailed to inspect the flooded
district in the State OF Mississippi, arrived
In Memphis to-day, and telegraphs to the
Secretary OF War that from all the informa-
tion obtsinable there he is satisfied that the
present overflow is the most disastrous and
widespread that has ever occurred, and the
resulting destitution is correspondingly
great. The very lowest estimate as to num-
Der of the destitute Is placed at
lS,OO0, distributed as follows: Tuniea
county $500, Cooshoma 5000.
Bolivar 5000, Warrington $500,
Quitman county 1000. Everything shows
that the destitute must be cared for at least
thirty days from this date which will re-
| quire an additional twenty days. rations for
$1,000 persons, making a total of 800, 900
rations. The rations should consist of meat
and corn meal, nothing else.
CINCINNATI, March "a special to the
IImeS-StGr from Nashville says that the
Cumberland river rose five feet last night,
and continues rising with alarming rapldity.
Free Church Agitation I'm TtaIv