St. Landry democrat., 1884-05-31
The Davis Crevasse.

States, on the Davis crevasse, the same
that submerges the tracks of the New
Orleans Pacific and Morgan railroads
above New Orleans:
The Davis crevasse is by far the most
destructive single cTevasse known in
the history Of overf1ows in Louisiana.
Its waters extend in sea Of desolation
for distance of more than hundred
miles along the west bank of the Mis-
sissiDpi river. The right banks of St.
Charles, st. John and st. James par
ishes above the break, for 40 or so miles,
are wholly or partially submerged. Be-
low the crevasse the richest agricultur-
al portions of jefferson, Orleans and
Plaquemines parishes, to distance of
60 miles, are under water, which sweeps
over them in a wide waste, whose depth
varies from two to eight feet. Thirty
or 40 miles away to the westward the
great flood spreads out like
A MODERN DELUGE
to the banks of the Lafourche, above
ThibOdeaux. have obtained some of
the soundings of this accidental sea by
measuring some myself and getting
others from planters interested. In
some of the back cultivated fields OF
Jefferson parish the depth of water is
eight feet. In rear of plantations near
ly opposite Carrollton the water is nine
feet deep. In the back portions of sub
merged fields in Orleans parish, below
Algiers, from four to five feet of water
rests over cane fields which promised
good crops in March.
IN PLAQUEMINEs PARISH,
Just below English Turn, nearly six
feet in the cane fields. In Plaquemes
parish, on the front or river road of
Live Oak plantation, four feet of water
is found. Against the back leVees of
plantations in Plaquemines parish,
thirty-four miles below New Orleans,
and sixty miles below the creYasse,
there is five foot water. On the banks
of the Bayou Dupont, forty miles below
New Orleans. in the parish OF Jefferson,
the water is fifty-twO inches deep. On
the marshes OF Piaquemines, ten miles
from Barrataria bay, there is from two
to three feet of water from the Missis-
sippi river. The waters of Barrataria
Bay, one of the largest, deepest, bays
on the Louisiana sea coast, are now
greatly elevated and fresh as river wa
ter. Through Grand Pass, between
Grande Terre island and Grand Isle,
the fresh water rushes TO the sea with
a roaring current, which some of our
swiftest luggeFs and schooners cannot
ascend.
GRAND PASS,
nearly 5000 feet wide, has practically
become one Of the passes of the Missis-
sippi river. The rich sugar district, en-
bracing several fine plantations on the
hpv,S SYnvrc <N4 n%r,yI 4SAN 1V1tN
and learn will never be de-
voted to sugar again. The inundated
area from this crevasse alone in South
ern Louisiana is nearly if not quite 5000
square miles in extent, rivaling in mag
nitude the total extent of one of the
New England senatorial bailiwicks that
enjoys the political position of sover-
eign State. In the lower portions of
P Plaquemines and Jefferson parishes
this food is still fourteen inches below
the maximum height reached by the
overflow from the Bell and LaBranche
CREvAssEs IN 1858.
The water is much higher, however,
than that of the crevasses named was at
a corresponding date. The maximum
Of their food height was not attained
in this section until the middle of July
and maintained till late in August. ]
think there is very little doubt but that
this maximum will be reached by the
Davis crevasse in June, considering the
present river outlook, unless the Gre
vase be soon closed, as the flood waters
are still steadily rising in the rear in
Jefferson, Orleans and Plaquemines.
A few plantations in Lower Plaque
mines have raised their back levees inch
by inch, in the face of the foods. One
has thus made more than two miles of
levee,. five feet high, during the past six
weeks others have done similar work,
and have carried on this struggle
against the encr0aching waters with
courage worthy of a greater cause.
THE DESTRUCTION TO OUR AGRICULTURE
AL INTERESTS
30 far resulting from the waters of this
is almost incalculable. 1t has
been the cause of the loss of tens of
thousands of acres of cane and rice
INVOLVING temporarily the total destruc-
ion of the sugar industry in Jefferson,
Ind wide spread ruin IN st. James, st.
John, st. Charles, Plaquemines and La
:ourche parishes. The growing or
planted crops in these parishes were
to reach, or exceed, those of
882,- the last sugar and rice year of
which complete statistics have been
(the yields Of 1888 have not yet
,een fully reported). give the pro-
luction of the area inundated during
8S2-S3:
st. James, west bank, partially over
lowed 1863 hhds. of sugar, more than
{, 200 barrels of rice.
St. John, west bank, larger extent
69O5 hhds., about H. 900 bar
els of rice.
st. Charles, west bank, majority of
Is plantations partially or entirely
9s74 hhds. Of sugar, 81, ,087
Darrels rough rice.