Telegram-herald., 1890-04-26
WOE IN THE SOUTH.
Distressing scenes In the Flood.
Sweps Sections
TIE pESaLlIIOs IS WIDESPREAD.
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TEE DESTRUCTION - COMPLETE.
BAHoU SAkA. Ia, April IS The re-
lief steamer D.coiah reached the Bayou
sara landing Wednesday evening. Shs
had made trip 70 Points CoUpee and
has come back % Bayou Sara. Her AZ.
rival Was godseni to the people whose
lives are in jeopardy. for sue has not
only already saved large amount Of
property bat number Of lives
The real coalition of things IN the
0yernowed districts is just coming 20
light- No pea is equal TO the task Of
pict0ring the devastation Of the eoun-
try or the desolation Of the peo-
pie. The entire front Of Pointe
Coepee is ander water. Most 0f
the leyees have gene. The water
back OF the levees is so deep now
that hundreds OF lives are in jeopardy.
The small stretches OF leyee still stand
ing are crowded with men. women and
children. side by side with horses,
mules and cows In an old raised gin
house 500 negroes were found huddled
together. The condition OF the unfort-
unate blacks was pitiable.
The creyssse AT Allendale will over
now thirty of the finest plantations on
the river. Is will reach the Teche
country several days in advance OF the
Morganza water. and Colonel Rivers
says when this water Joins with the
Morganza il will food the entire Atch-
afalaya. Lafouche and Teche coun-
tries. The damage is incalculable. The
distress in the oyerfowed district can
not be told.
The Texas & Pacific boat Z. B.
Wheelock succeed in saving 200 people
from the back country around Nor
ganza- Ruin and desclation meet tho
eye on every side in Pointe Coupee
parish. The destruction is complete.
Not a plantation Is left above water,
not levee unbroken, while hundreds
of families are homeless Thousands of
cattle have been drowned, and from re-
ports received from the interior il is
quite probable human life has been sac
rificed TO the flood.
Standing on the deck of the relief
steamer Dacotah as she passed down
the full extent OF the disaster could be
seen. Grouped together on little knolls
between broken levees, through which
the water rushed with ungovernable
fury, were scores Of people, both white
and black. some with babies in their
arms. Many of them had nothing left in
the world except the clothes they wore on
their backs. Whenever the Dacotah
discovered a scene like this the stage
was swung out and the stricken ones
taken aboard. Equally as sad scene
was that of the poor dumb cattle stand
ing in the water and actually starving.
Many of them had not tasted food in
days.
A family named Luke. who lived sew
eral miles above Bayou Sara, were res
cued Monday morning. There were fif-
teen people in the family. Monday
morning they were prosperous, being
the owners of a large plantation. a
well-equipped store and over 100 head OF
stock. To-day nothing remains above
water but the caves OF the house. A
crevasse sixty feet wide broke directly
in front of the house at noon on Mon
day and the family had barely time to
reach the levee before six feet of water
covered the place. The crevasse is now
400 feet wide. There are hundreds OF
such incidents.
The Dacotah is busy boat After
discharging her lumber and other ma
terial at Grand Bay she proceeded di-
rectly to OLD River and rescued 200 head
of cattle that had been in the swamp for
four days. Coming down, stock and
people were picked up everywhere, and
when the Dacotah reached Bayou Sara
she had eco head of cattle and nearly
500 people on board. They were landed
and the boat Immediately left on a re-
turn voyage.
The points of danger to life are along
the line of the crevasse and in various
interior settlements along the Fordcche,
Maringonin, Crosse Tete, and other
streams. The Fordoche country is per-
haps the most dangerous, as il is very
low. The only portion of lower
Louisiana which is now free from
water and safe from any OF the
present crevasses is the west bank OF
the river from Bayou La Fourohe down.
including the western half OF Ascension.
St James, St John, ST. Charles and
jefferson. and that portion Of La Fourche
east of Bayou La Fourche. The eastern
portions of St. Charles and Jefferson
have as yet escaped, but may be affect
ed by the Mia crevasse. There is
now under water in Louisiana about
400 square miles Of land. with pros
poets that some 1000 or 5000 more will
go under when the food spreads. The
cultivated lands already sooded and
those certain to 60 under water embrace
some $50. ooe acres. with nearly as much
more in danger If the food continues
OF course business is thoroughly demor-
allied throughout all the overfowed