The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-25
BAYOU SARA'S BIG FLOOD
STEAMERS REsCUING THE M
PERILED PEOPLE.

-
Hundreds of Lives Endangered Be-
fore the Arrival OF the Boats-Men,
Women, Children and Farm AMI
mails Huddied Together on the Strips
of Dry Land.
NEW ORLEANS, April PA special to
the Daily States from Bayou Sara, La. !,
says: "The relief steamer Dacotah reached
Bayou Sara landing yesterday evening.
She has made a trip TO Pointe Coupee, and
has come back to Bayou Sara. Her arrival
was godsend to the people, whose lives
were in jeopardy, for she has not only al
ready saved an incalculable amount of
property, but a goodly number of lives.
The condition of things in the overhowed
district is just coming to light. No pen is
equal to the task of picturiug the devasta =
tion of the country or the desolation of the
people. The entire front of Pointe Coupee is
under water. More of the levee has gone.
HUNDREDS OF LIVES IN JEOPARDY.
The water back of the levee is SO deep
now that hundreds Of lives are in jeopardy.
The small stretches of the levee still stand
ing are crowded with men, women and
children, side by side with horses, mules
1iAO CONos OlQ TdlotQ Eil nOuob OOO
negroes were found huddled together.
Their condition was pitiable. They were
afraid Of their lives, aud were piteously beg
glng to be taken to some place OF safety.
ALLENDALE's CREvAssE.
The crevasse at Allendale will overflow
thirty of the finest plantations on the river.
1t Will reach the Ieche country several days
in advance of the Morganza water and Col.
Rivers says when this water Joins with the
Morganza it will flood the entire Atcha-
falaya, La Fourche and Teche counties.
The damage is incalculable. The distress in
the overflowed district cannot be told The
Texas and Pacific boat, 4. B. Wheelock,
succeeded yesterday in saving 200 people
from the back country around Morganza.
RUIN AND DEsoLATIoN.
Ruin and desolation meets the eye on
every side in Pointe Coupee parish. The
destruction is complete. not plantation is
left above the waeer and not levee is un-
broken, while hundeeds of families are
homeless. Thousands of heads of stock
have been drowned, and from the meager
reports received from the interior 1t is quite
probable that human life has been sacrificed
to the food Standing on the deck of the
relief steamer Dacotah as she passed down
within fifty yards Of the flooded district last
evening, he full extent of the disaster
could be seen. Grouping together in little
knobs between the broken levees through
which the water rushed with ungovernable
fury were scores of people, both white and
black, some with babies in arms, while
others had dogs secured by a cord. Many
of them bad nothing else in the world
except the clothes they wore on their backs
Whenever the Dac itlh discovered a scene
like this the stage was swung out and
the stricken ones taken aboard.
CATTLE STARVING
Equally as sad scene was the poor cat
tie standing in the water, actually starving.
Many of them had not tasted food in days.
Their gaunt forms contraste strangely with
their surroundings. The Dacotah was un-
able to handle cattle yesterday. But to-
day her boiler deck is first-class stock pen.
IA family named Luke, who resided sew
eral miles above Bayou Sara, were rescued
this morning. There were fifteen people in
the family. Monday morning they were
prosperous, being the owners of large
plantation, well-equipped store and over
100 head of stock. To-day nothing remains
above water but the caves of their resi-
dences A crevasse sixty feet wide broke
directly in front of their house at noon
Monday, and the family had lively 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 tales
to be told.
THE WORK oT RESCUE.
"The Dacotah is q busy boat to-day
After discharging her lumber and other
material at Grand Bay she proceeded di-
rectly to the 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 900
head of cattle aud nearly 500 people on
board. They were landed ard the boat
Immediately left on return voyage. The
Dacotah is doing excellent work and not
only is she blessed on every side but the
corporation which sent her as well.
Maj. Martin Glinn, president of the
police jury, accompanies the boat on her
errand of mercy. Referring 20 their efforts
to hold the levee he said it was hard fight
but they had lost. He cannot estimate the
damage, but says that thirteen parishes will
be overfowed. The crevasses now number
thirteen.
Sat Grand Bay last night men were
busily engaged in an effort to hold the
Paten dyke, an immense earthwork that
protects ten large plantations iu lower
Pointe Coupee from the food. It rained
all day yesterday and last night, but the
river is falling. The worst has come in
Pointe Coupee, and the people are resigned.
1t was bitter fight all round, but the
river got the best of it. Maj Glinn last
night received check for $500 from the
police jury of Terre Bonne parish for the
benefit of the sufferers"
A BREAK AT POINT PLEASANT.
United States Engineer Douglass tele-
graphs that the Point Pleasant levee in
Tensas parish gave way this morning.
Point Pleasant is uwenty-three miles below
Vicksburg, and the levee there is one of the
most important on the Tensas front