Los Angeles herald., 1890-04-25
NO PEN EQUAL TO IT.
The Creole Flood Cannot be
Described.
Its Real Condition Just Com
ing to Light.
Words Fail to Express the Awful
Devastation.
Hundreds of Human Lives in Jeopardy
and Thousands of Cattle Perishing
in the Waters.
Associated Press Dispatches. |


BAYOU SARA, April 24.-The real con-
dition of things in the overflowed dis
trict is just coming to light. No pen is
equal to the task of picturing the devas-
tation OF the country, or desolation OF
the people. The entire front of Pointe
Coupee is under water. Most OF the
levees are gone and the water back of
the levees is so deep that hundreds OF
lives are in jeopardy. The small stretches
of levees still standing are crowded with
men, women and children, standing side
by side with mules, horses and cows. In
an old raised gin house 500 negroes were
found huddled together. The condition
of the unfortunate blacks is pitiable.
They are piteously begging to be taken
to some place of safety.
The crevasse at Alendale will overflow
thirty of the finest plantations on the
river, and will reach the Teche country
several days in advance of the Morganza
water Old river men say when this
water joins with that from the Morganza
break it will food the entire Atchafalaya,
La Fourche and Teche countries. The
damage will be incalculable.
The distress in the overfiowed district
cannot be told. A Texas and Pacific
boat succeeded yesterday in saving two
hundred people from the back country
around Morganza.
Deso1ation Complete.
LATER--Ruin and desolation meets the
eye on every side. In Pointe Coupee
parish the destruction is complete. Not
a plantation is left above water; not
ievee is unbroken, while numerous fami-
lies are homeless. Thousands of stock
have been drowned, and from meager
reports received from the interior it is
quite probable that human life has been
sacrificed to the flood.
Standing on the deck OF the steamer
Dacotah last evening, the full extent of
the disaster could be seen. Grouping
together on the little knolls between the
broken levees, through which latter the
water rushed with ungovernable fury,
were scores of people, both
babies in their arms, while others had
dogs secured by cord. Many of them
had nothing else in the world except the
clothes they wore on their backs.
Whenever the Dacotah discovered
scene like this, the stage was swung out
and the stricken ones were taken aboard.
Equally as sad a scene was the poor
dumb cattle standing in the water,
actually starving.
Reports From New Orleans.
New ORLEANS, April 24.-The break
in the old Morganza levee is now 400
feet wide and Is feet deep. A cargo of
stone has been sent from this city and
an effort will be made to mattress the
ends and thus prevent it's further de-
struction. The overflow water from the
lake which has caused much incon-
venience to the people in the rear OF the
Seventh and Eighth wards OF this city
since Sunday, is at last gradually reced-
ing. 1t is reported at the Texas and Pa
citic Office that the water is gradually
overhowing their tracks between Baton
Rouge junction and Melville. The
Louisville, New Orleans and Texas
railroad, better known as the Mississippi
Valley, has been the greatest sufferer so
far by the overflow. Other railways
have not been affected to any great
extent.
United States Engineer Douglass tele-
graphs that Point Pleasant levee, Tensas
parish gave way this morning. The
water from it will no doubt overflow the
greater part of the parish.
Themselves to Blame.
Captain John A. Grant, superintend-
ent of the Texas and Pacific railroad,
speaking OF the Morganza crevasse, said ::
"This is one of the worst calamities that
has ever happened Louisiana, but could
have been avoided if the people had only
made an effort. They are to blame for
it. Now they are creating a big hubbub
about sending relief up there, and all
that sort of thing, while before the
disaster occurred they seemed utterly
unaware of the impending danger. ii
need be, they should have raised
$5OO,OOO to hold that levee, and it could
have been done too, and we'll invested,
as there is 500, 900, 900 worth OF property
that will now be irretrievably damaged,
which little display of energy would
certainly have averted.