St. Landry democrat., 1882-03-18
THE INUNDATION AT THE SOUTH.


Some Accounts of the Widespread Dew
astation Caused by the Overflow of the
Mississippi Notwithstanding Copdi-
ton of Many Sections of Country.
Riverton (Miss.) special of the 4th yia
Helenaesth. to the Chicago Tribune, says:
From the scene of desolaton wire YOU to-
night, the best and latest report | can gather
of the true situation. Riverton is small
place of four or five business houses, and
about twenty residences. Rosedale is two
miles above, and is about the same size. The
latter place is the county-town of Bolivar
County, Miss, and the home of the Hon. Mr..
Montgomery The break occurred about five
O'Clock Tuesday morning, and the crevasse is
now 200 yards long and growing all the time.
The alarm was given by DR.. Dulaney, who
rowed ten miles in rough boat to arouse the
people. When the current struck the town it
was impossible to pull boat through, and the
people took shelter upon the housetops and
upon floating pieces of fences, sides of build
ings, etc.
1t was about an hour before Rosedale was
flooded, and the people there had time to save
some of their clothing and the most valuable
of their light personal property. AS soon as
possible the ladies and children were removed
to the Wharf-boat at Terrene, where a tenn
.porary shelter was found the men staying by
their property and homes, seeing all they
possessed swept away by the torrent Of angry
waters The colored people Jared the worst,
and many were lost in the immediate vicinity
of Riverton. tn't.sl h'tts3t 80 -.1#ssl3s sz.tt
The loss of life will probably not exceed
seven or eight, but there are many missing.
In one Clubhouse cache route were more than
hundred negroes, and there were others
begging for admittance. The cattle and mules
are out upon little piers Of the levee, or float
ing about upon temporary RATS OF logs and
rails. H gle
[ saw many scenes of sorrow, and the field
for charity here is indeed very wide At most
of the landings were crowds of half-drowned
eolored people, swearing eternal vengeance
against the Mississippi and rivers in general.
The town of Arkansas City is simply afoat.
The Water is in every house, and there is not
spot of earth to be seen from the pilot house.
The drowning of Mr.. Haynes was the sad
dest incident of the food He was an En-
81 shman, about thirty-two years old, and un-
married, very much thought of by the people,
and very deeply regretted by all. He was try
ing to cross the creyasse in small boat, in
an effort to save helpless lady, Mrs. Brad
shaw, when his boat was caught in the cur
rent and capsized. He went down, and moth
ing can be found of his body. Long after the
flood has disappeared and the flowers have
bloomed where he fell will his name pc re-
inembered with blessing and tear.
AtRivertonis an incident to show how Gosent-
minded and frantic men are when danger and
Il 4hap r }n1I Mr
Duncan, who is postmaster, refused to come
out of his house, which was rapidly going to
pieces. At last, just as his house went down,
he went out with an old shotgun and the mail
bag, leaving hundreds of dollars worth of
light goods
1t is a gloomy subject to think of-what
must become of the people who are thus
thrown out of homes and property, and it is
even more dark to think of what can be done to
get the levees in shape when the flood goes
down. The people are unable to repair the
damage, and unless the levees be put in good
order it is waste of time, and there is no
seed to plant an acre. The time is short and
something must be done soon if this country
is going to produce a pound Of cotton or
support any of its $4,000 people. Is the case
oas of such Importance and need that the
general Government would be justified in
doing the work! The wisest political heads
think it must be done by Government aid.
Shre it u.s. something must be done, and done
AsstG if this country is to take care of herself
feFEeveral years to come.
At Helena this morning at two o'clock the
levee gave way about the city, near the fair
grounds, and soon there was "a violent rush
from the great stream into the section beyond
Walker street and outside of the city limits.
The volume of water was SO great that it was
not a great while till it had risen several feet,
and the dawn showed general hustl.ng out
of the people resident there in one-story
houses. But for Walker street, running east
and west, separating Helena proper from this
section we would have had repetition of
1S62-'63, and the business portion of the city
would have been under before daylight, but
sby seven this morning the rise had been so
great that, unless Walker was added to, there
would be a terrible flood upon us, and Cap
5tANh j. c. Barlow and. ,Messrs. j. T. Ramsey
:aff0 j. w. Clapton combatted some time with
a small force after the water begun to flow
over. These gentlemen did splendid service, |
and the flow was stopped. Later fully one
hundred men were thrown III the worK, ana
rthe situation was greatly improved, and now
we may hope forthe best If the labor of this |
morning be keptup.
t LITTLE Rock, Ark, March 6. i
kilograms and letters which reached the
city, to-day add another dark page to the story
of suffering and death caused by the floods