The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-23
NEW ALARM MINTHEFLOOD
BAYOU SARA INVADED AND LOSS
OF LIFE FEARED.

Gov. Nichols Sends a Steamer and
Barges to Rescue the PeopIe-He
Suggests Government Aid-Raiiroad
Men Looking for Damage-A Break
Near Gardere-Houses Submerged
at VidaIia.
New ORLEANS, April 22.-Gov] Nichols
received to-day a dispatch from Martin
Glinn, president of the police jury Of Pointe
Coupee parish, dated Bayou Sara, saying:
"We have been overwhelmed by the storm
and rain. Crevases are numerous along
the front. The upper (old) Morganza leves
has broken. Send a boat at once to save the
people, or there may be great loss of life"
Gov. Nichols at once made arrangements
with owners Of the steamer Arthur LAM
bert and the barges, then at Baton Rouge.
and the boat started immediately for Pointa
Ccupee. with several barges to render as
sistance. Other boats will be sent up to-.
night.
NO INFORMATION oBTAINABLE.
No information is obtainable as yet to
the extent Of the break. Those familiar
with the locality think that the crevasse
has occurred about threo-quarters of mile
above New Morganza, where a crevasse oc-.
is from ten to thirteen feet high. "There
are. says Col. James, 'a number OF ridges
along there, extending back into the coun--
try from the river that will, in my opinion,
keep the creyasse water away from the new
levee, and If the ends of the broken Ievee be
at once protected the damage from this
crevasse will not be as great as that of 1884"
BAD OUTLOOK.
The water from this break may not reach
klx<..,
of the water and the inauspicious conditions
OF the weather, the chances are even against
this hope. The Morganza crevasse of 1884
was more than three-quarters of a mile
wide, and the water from it Involved loss
of millions of dollars. The new levee,
which was built in 1887, during the admin
istration of Gov. McEnery, was about 5000
feet in length and from ~ to 20 feet in
hight. This levee is still standing.
GOV. NICHOLAS MUCH WORRIED.
Gov. Nichols was interviewed this even
ing. He was much concerned for the
safety of the people in the Pointe Coupee
section and stated that Capt. Jackson, pres
ident of the international transportation
Company, had placed two steamers with
barges at his disposal. He had accepted
them and they are now en- route for
Morganza He stated that he had also
telegraphed TO Col. Wheeler and Capt John
A Grant of the Texas and Pacific railroad
requesting them to place the steamer
Wheeler in the same service,
Gov. Nichols then said: Considering
the extreme emergency of the occasion aud
the dire calamity of the Morganza break
have telegraphed Senator Gibson that such
great disaster was sufficient to cause an
appeal TO the government for aid / asked
him to act as promptly as possible"
RAILROAD OFFICIALS ANXIOUS.
The Tavau and Doo{fo ~asIroea <g3os.Io
this city are in great fear of overflow.
Their lines traverse the Morgauza country.
Up to the present time, however, they have
only been advised Of three crevasses along
their line. One of these is three miles be-
low Bayou Sara, on the Pointe Coupee side;
another is eight miles below Morganza, and
the recent break, which is between Nor
ganza and New Texas landings.
A break occurred this morning in the
levee near Gardere, ten miles below Baton
Rouge, on the left bank. At last accounts
the crevasse was twenty-five feet wide and
seven feet deep.
The crevasses on the Pointe Coupee front
will submerge large section Of that parish,
and the back water will probably affect
West Baton Rouge and Iberville.
HOUSES SUBMERGED AT vIDALrA.
The PicayuYse's Natchez, Miss, special
says: "The protection levee in front OF
Vidalia, La, has broken, submerging a
number of houses. This morning the large
Concordia levee gave way. At 5 o'clock
this afternoon the break was $50 feet wide,
and the water was going through like
mill race. This break will food the lower
portion of Concordia parish and cannot fail
to be disastrous.n
A special from West Melville says: "The
rainfall in the past forty-eight hours is 51<
inches. Two crevasses occurred in the
Atchafalaya levees to-day, one five miles
above the town, eighty feet wide, and the
other at Old Churchville, forty feet wide.
The water is running over the levee at q
dozen places I'm this vicinitvu