Morning journal and courier., 1882-04-04
Price Four Cents.
CORRESPONDENCE.
From Havana to New Orleans - Key West-SmuRgIfng-At New OrIsans-OR For Memphfs-Sad Sights in the Flood ed Region.

West-SmuRgIing-At New OrIsans-Oh For Memphfs-Sad Sights in the FIoOd- ed Region.
 ON BOARD NEW ORLEANS ANCHOR LINE STEAMER JOHN 4. SCUDDR, NEAR MEMPHIS, March 27, 1882. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 closed my last as we were embarking on
 the steamer Hutchinson for New Orleans.
 Our bootbIack, little darkey of ten years,
 that had 'ishined lem up'' for us at the Tele-
 grafo, followed our party to the dock,
 where, by making himself useful in helping the boatmen, he gained ride to the steam CT. see him now as he sat astride the bag
 gage singing out when to duck heads to avoid a wave. It WAS scene to see the barefoot ed, ragged boy shake hands with and bid us all good morning, though it was p. m- He had learned few English words from hear ing the American guests converse and 'igood morning" was his best hold. The few other words he had learned from our western friends and they will not bear repeating, having been used in.the attempt to scare otf beggars and lottery fends. As the small boats return to the pier, the last recognition IS from our little black Cuban.
 After long delay by the custom house su- thorities we heave anchor and soon are cross ing the rough waters of the Gulf Stream. Within three hours from anchorage, and as the light from Moro was fading in the dis tance, fully half of our seventy jolly pas sengers were in the tolls of sea sickness. The morning sun finds us in Key West, short stay at which gives time to visit the city, the principal attraction being huge CO., coanut trees and cigar factories but life and activity prevail and growth and prosperity are apparent. The amusement at the dock though not varied, is enjoyable It consists in watching the black boys dive after coin thrown by the passengers The ladies snioy the sport as much as the men, and their pockets are emptied of small coin long before the gang plank is pulled in At Cedar Keys many passengers leave us to do Florida. The remainder of us watched with no little inter est the Bl0das 0perdndio of getting cigars ashore free of duty. One. lady, Mrs. -, she who had assisted me through the cares at Matanzas, working in the interest of her iege lord, went boldly ashore with two hun dred flor fina Henry Clays concealed under her shawl Twelve hundred high priced ci- gars were smuggled at Cedar Keys Uncle Sam had better brace up bis officials at this port The rest of our trip to New Orleans was made agreeable by watching the many phases of the ocean, and Saturday, from morning till night, we saw large schools of
 
 porpoises came close alongside and raced with the vessel for fully five miles About this time we caught g twelve pound king fish. and so gamey was he that 1t took two of us to land him.
 Soon after midnight we pass the jstties, and all the best part of Sunday we are steaming over the 11O miles to the Crescent city. Our good friend NIT. Joseph Dunbar keeps us interested by explaining the various plantations on either side, and the interest ing points as connected with the late unpleas- antness. MT. Dunbar was a stiff backed rebel, and his story of the war, told in good natured and humorous way, was the feature of the Sabbath portion of our voy- age. Later on, during our stay in New Orleans we were indebted to Mir. D. for fayors received. At the jetties we begin to find high water, and as we get above the rice fields the levees protecting the sugar estates were full to overhoEing, but as yet very little damage has resulted below the city, and DO loss of life or stock
 We land at p. m., after long delay at the ferry in Algiers, where we again witness at o'clock are once more enjoying Ameri- can civilization. We pass three days of solid comfort at the St. Charles, and at D. m. .ake the Anchor Line for Memphis, our main object being to witness the great flood The first day we have views of sugar plantations, but few of which are overAowed, but as ve enter the cotton belt the high water and all of the distress that attends it show plainly as far as the eye can reach. Yet the worst IS back from the river, in the clsarings At Point Pleasant we took on no mules, stand ng mostly in water and nearly starved At one place, standing on few feet of earth, were men waving their hats and franticaIly appealing to the captain to take on 100 head ,f cattle nearly submerged, but the boat could not land with safety md we had to pass them by. 1t nearly every place for six hundred miles below Memphis, where a slight elevation gives escape for man and beest, we have to witness sad scenes Where crowds are con- gregatsd begging for passage the boat stops f safe to do so, and Oh the poverty and Tretchedness that comes on board It vas relief to make bluf and we breathe freer IS the mules and distressed passengers are landed at Natchez-Natchez under the hill 1t seven in the evening, but as the morning suu appears the desolstion returns. Only about one house in hundred through the section from Satchez to Memphis, nearly five hundred miles, is inhabited, with the river forty to fifty miles wide Many houses are aot submerged family with perhaps their ess fortunate neighhprs, with a horse md mule on the porch, are kept from starvation by government rAtions. In not few places we see rude hut built on raft and tied to the house. for few inches more and the house must be abandoned At 3ne point the steamer runs many miles close nto the cotton woods to avoid the current. md here and there a deer up to its body in out in mute appeal for help only 70 be frightened away by our approach In ny boyhood days used to sing a song sEigger on wood pile. don't you hear him loller,n but never knew it's meaning until rounding bend below Vicksburg. where on huge pile of wood were three blacks man, woman and child. Their cries were agoniz- ng but the boat could give no relief as the pilot dare not approach God grant that some good Samaritan has saved them ere his In some places there will be fifty per Ions and numberless pigs dogs, COWS and chickens on plot of ground ten feet by thirty, and farther than the eye can reach, water, water.
 No one without seeing i. can imagine the situation. At the North we have occasional y a washout, but in few days the worst has passed, but here IS people that have been inder water six weeks, and among the poor heir all has been lost and in few instances both blacks and whites drowned. Reader, imagine log cabin submerged above the ioor, the woman and children at the hole which serves for window, watching the old nan in dug-out fishing with hand net. We watch through the glass their anxiety,
  nope that lights their countenRnces is a model Tor an artist. Now this fight for life is going on all over thIs section. while we of the North are enjoying all the blessings of up- and civilization.
 At Terrene Sunday afternoon. we land at ! floating covered dock, much like in appear lnce to picture of Noah's ark, and water ior miles on all sides There comes aboard terribly distressed crowd, both black and white. My companion discovers among the motley throng ancient darkey with a banjo. Visions of Golden Sippers' and old Folks at Home" take possession of his brain, and soon negotiations were opened for .n old fashioned darkey musicale It being Sunday and the orchestra pious soul noth- ng but church songs were allowed, much to he disgust of the young black table walters Fho comprised the chorus. As we approach Memphis the water is slowly receding, and nay it rapidly fall to it's accustomed channel s the prayer of D.
 A young man named Buckley. in Torring- on, was robbed of watch on the 2sth ut.