Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-04-27
THE WATERS.
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION or MlssIs-
slPPI LEvEE BREAKS.
Pointe Coupce-The Great Morgansa--
Texas LaodipE-Fiooes In
Texas State.
nv telegraph to the Dispa.cn.,

early start was hlhie Ioih TIC 'icNaNSeS up
The river. The day was beautiful one.
and the trip. though somewhat arduous at
times has becn much lese so than was ex-
perted The trip has been far from an un-
olnasant one. While there are no less than
lem orevasses in the POintc Coupee levee
front there are two that so completely
overshaiow the others in magnitude and
Importance that tho other eight seem hard-
" worth mentioning, though each, wuen
scen by itself, makes very striking PIC
ture.
Starting from Bayou Sara, the FIRST Gre
vase on the opposite side Of the river "a
about a mile below town on the Taylor
place. IL broke early Monday morning. IL
Is very modcrate-sized levee, and the
break is some 200 feet wide. Next ~
smaller break on the Taylor place about
half mile up the river. About 400 yards
further up the river is another break, on
the Pecan place. Then comes long stretcn
If unbroken lovees, but about Six miles
further. up tie river Is the Fanny hlche
crevassb. which Is of more formidable
character than those below il. Here the
volume Of water IS some SIX feet deep ana
over 400 feet wide.
ROARING CATARACT.
The current Is very swift and sends q
roaring. rsgged-looking cataract through
The break and tearing through grove OF
pecans and liye-Oaks that stand Just De-
hind the levee. The back-water spreads
out IN a vast lake that touches the swamps
and meets the Atchafalaya overflow there
are many houses aud cabins standing IN
the path of the food but as vet few. II
any, have been washed away. How far tho
water from this break has been lustru-
mental in flooding the country 1t 10 lmpos-
sIble TO determine. for II ~ assumed that
even had the lower leyees held the water
from the upper break would have been
here bv this time. and tho flooding OF
these plantations would only nave been
question Of few DAYS at furthcst. AS u
ia. the whole country, from point below
TAvlor's - Old river, II not now under
water, viii be 50 soon. great deal OF
stock has been taken out, but much more
must be removed or lost al very snort
time.
About three miles MP tho river from tho
Fanny Richie creya-ee comes a small break
on the St0noWal place. The crevasse IS
about six or seven feet deep and one hun
dred and htty feet wide. The MorgaEza
proper is about hyO miles still further mp
the river. lut not the MorganZa break that
cquscd the panic when Mr.. Glynn tCle-
grabbed that the Morgauza had gone.
That break vas IN what IS known a the
New Texas Landing lovec system, and was
a very formidable one. but about half a
mile further mp the rlycr than what ls now
the great creyasse Of the Poiute COupee
front
F1EsT or TuR HIG BREAKS.
The croyasso at this MorCan2a il about
l. 800 feet wide. carrying inland over $780,
ooh cubic feet Of water per second. This
MINER break. which was the first Of the big
ones, is about 100 feet wide and il feet
deep. This break Is right in the path Of
tho Great M0rgauza cTcya2Se that has now
become a feature Of the States history and
tho batture between II and the bank
OF the river distinctly shows the path of the
destructive food at that time. / he timber
on the batture was de tToyed or swept
away, and in the wears intervening the
growth of Young trees in It's channel has
been light and scattering. vast volume
OF water nears the break IN a smooth,
sbipine torrent that swells IN the centre Is
Il gathering force FOR its mad plunge.
There is hardly nipple to break IT'S boil
inr, eddying surface. but Just rs IT sweeps
into the break curves on each side INTO
huge breakers which have chafcd the
crumblng edges of the levco even after II
has made its first wild leap on It's erraDd Of
devastation. Beyond the barrier II plunses
into wild. loDesome-looking waves.
FLOODS II NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.
NV ORLEANS, April 26.-A Fort Worth
CTex.) special says: Heavy rains are re-
uortcd throughout North and West Texas.
Atmany places the rainfall the past twenty
four hours has been thr0e inches. and nine
inches since last Monday. Railway wash
outs are reported from every direction and
on many roads trains are abandoned lndet-
nitelv. The loss of portion Of the big
iron bridge near Vernon, on the Denver,
Texas and Fort Worth road, viii necessi-
tate the transfer Of freight and passengers
there for some tima 10 come. Several miles
of the Texas Pacific track are under
water between Fort Worth and I'll Paso.
The ST. Louis. Arkansas aud Texas freight
and passenger-deBots, IN the northern
.uburhs Of Fort Worth. arc under water,
as are all tho lowlands known as the North
side. Az far as heard from, no loss OF life
IA reported, but the damage to crops, rail-
roads, and property Is enormous and Will
run INTO the hundreds of thousands Of
dollars
TIE 0BKAT MORGANzA.
NV OnLEANs, April 26.-A Bayou Sara
special referring 10 tho Great Morganza
crevasse. Says; Here the water OF the river
is only about q foot OF less below the crown
Of the levee, which, at the break was
twenty-sI1 feet high, with base of over
200 feet Tho break Is now some 800 feet
wide. and Is cay.ng of at the lower end at
the rate of $50 feet IN twenty1Our hours.
Captain KIngmam estimated the discharge
through this creyasse 0t over 10000 cubic
feet per second, and, a his calculation was
based on a breach q little over ! 200 vide. II
can readily be understood how rapidly the
discharge u increasing. The average cost
Of this levee was $40 per running foot, so
shat az the present rate OF caving the
lower end Is wasting away at the rate OF
SO COO per GGy. Every effort Will be used
10 protect what remains OF the MOrgan2a
with as little delay rs possible. The
United States steamer Ruby, with gang
OF thirty men, IS engaged IN securing
supply OF willows for mattresses.
The tow-boat Prince and tug T1lda have
arrived OF the creyasse with q barce-load
of rock from New Orleans with which to
load the mattresses. Captain kingman eX-
poets TO have the mattresses intended TO
protect the loyce at the lower end OF the
break ready to SINK tonight. The great
est difficulty and danger viii attend the
work, a. il viii be necessary 20 run barge
down close 10 the breakught IN the strong
est Of its tremendous suction and then
wear il out over tho lower side. The mat
tresses will he $50 feet long and placed
against the levee. so that as IT crumbies
away tho unsupported portion Of tho vii
low branches VIII lap the foundation of the
broken end and protect 10 whllo the oppO-
stion end ot the mattress will be securely
anchored to the sound portion OF the dixie.
TIE sIoREs OF SUFFERING PREMATURE.
INV ORLEANs. April 26.-Stories of suffer
ing and danger OF loss Of life in this over
flowed district are TO say the least. prema-
ture. That financial calamity has fallen
upon a splendid section Is, unfortunately,
TOO true, but the attempt TO color II with
tragedy Is manifestly absurd. Thus far
some stock has been drowned and is I'M
possible to cay how serious the loss of
stock may be IN the interior, but oven now
there are mauv who Will not take the
trouble 10 nave their stock removed,
though they are absolutely sure it will be
oyertaken by the rising back water within
the next few days. Fortunately the water
from the Great MorCanza creyasse falls into
M uninhabited swamp. less than one
hundred yards from the base of
ths leyee, and it il sheer nonsense
10 suppose that IL viii overtake any one
who has not had ample warning Of It's ap-
proach. It's course will lie largely through
the Atchafalaya. and the people therelong
shou by this time be prepared for any
emergency. This misfortune is enough,
but it is not a matter over which people
have any cause 20 become hysterical. The
current statement that there has been
q Ill u tsflfs