The Concordia eagle. [volume] (Vidalia, La.) 1873-1890, 1883-04-12
A MODERN DELUGE.

Yesterday was our champion day,
as far as water was concerned. New
Orleans beat its best record with the
heaviest rainfall and the highest riv-
or il has known since Bienvillo select
ed this spot for the capital of the Mis-
sissiprt Valley. 1t raincd nearly all
dav Iony. and it raiued hard. In tho
morning the fall was at tho unprece-
dnnfod rate of halt an inch an hour
and tho total for the day was nearly
nine inches. With such n rainfall, it
is not TO he wondered at that tho riy-
er rose four inches, touching the maxi
mum height ever known hero, the
great flood of IS74. 1t is astonishing
only that it stopped at this. Tho
gauge is taken at o'clock. At that
hour the river was still rising it is
therefore, certainly ovor tho high
water ofIS1Ith morning, with every
probability that it will mount still
higher.
As for the rain, to say thatit was
utterly unprecedented ia TO state the
case very mildly. Every portion of
Now Orleans was more or less flood
ed. In some sections tho water in
vadcd the houses, while in others the
street cars were stopped for hours, and
the cross-tics and even thorails wash
ed away. business was virtually
suspended until n late hour i'm the
day; the markets were silont, deserted
and flooded, and many people break
tasted very sparingly because it was
impossible to reach the market or
corner grocery from home. Back Of
town, the situation grew worse and
worse. The rear portion Of the city
is still under water this morning, and
will hardly he clear of 1T before Mon
day. The draining machines are not
prepared for such q flood as this
thrown on them, though they have
been working their hardest, the wa
ter continues to accumulate. Fortu-
nately, tins temporary food of the
city, while very inConvenient and
and trOublesom, and interfering ma
torially with the business of the day,
caused little damage. Tho city sus-
tains some loss I'm the bridges and
crossings washed away. The street
railroads will lose some ties and suf-
fer some injury, and the market gar
deus back of town will be damaged
by the overflow; but the pecmiary
loss will be but slight.
Unfortunately, the situation on the
other side of the river is not so good.
The OrevRsse at Gouldsboro is I'M
doubleday n bad one, interfering with
the railroads, causing them consider
able loss and flooding n largo portion
of Gretna and Algiers. The water
stands in these towns from two to six
feet deep in the streets, having inva-
ded the houses, causing much loss
and suffering to those unfortunate
people in the line of the crevasse.
There is no doubt that the break is a
very bad one, but every effort will be
made to close it. The city has large
force of laborers over there, and both
the Morgan and Texas Pacific rail
roads are doing their utmost to close
tho break. The engineers in charge
express n hope that they will be able
to do this. They have in their favor
the very peculiar course Of the crew
asse, which runs up stream, and the
large body of mon at work on it.
Should this break be closed Louis'
ana may well feel proud of the earnest
fight she has made against the high
est water over known here.-N. O.
Times-Democrat, sunday,