The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-05-03
The Mad Waters OF the Lower
Mississippi Making Much
Misery.
Unfortunate People Gather on
the Highest Ground and
Plead PitifulIy.
Thousands Of Acres Of Fine
Farms Under Water-Live
Stock Suffering.
Words Cannot Express the Fear
ful Distress OF People I'm
Flooded Districts.

Bayou Sara landing on the Gath inst
She bad made the trip to Pointe
Coupee and had come back to Bayou
Sara. Her arrival was a Godsend to
the people, whose lives had been in
jeopardy, for she had not only already
saved an incalculable amount OF prop
erty, but q goodly number OF lives.
The real condition OF things in the
overfiowed district 10 just coming to
light. No pen 10 equal to the task oi
picturing the devastation OF country
desolation Of the people. The entire
front Of Pointe Coupee Is under water.
Most OF the levees have gone. The
water back OF the levees is so deep
now that hundreds ot lives are In jeo.
pardy. Small stretches OF the levees
still standing are crowded with men,
women and children, eide by side with
horses, mules and cows. In the old
raised gin house, 500 negroes were
found huddled together. The condi-
tion OF the unfortunate blacks was
pitiable. They are afraid OF their
ives and were pitiously begging to be
taken to some place OF safety. The
crevasse at Allendals will overflow
thirty OF the finest plantations on the
river. 1t will reach the country sew.
eral days In advance OF the Morganza
water and Col. Rivers says when this
water joins with Morganza it will
food the entire Atchafalaya, La
fourche and Teche countries. Dam.
age is incalculable. The distress in
the overfiowed district cannot be told.
The Texas and Pacific boat, f. b.
Wheeler, succeeded in saving 200 peo.
pie from the back country around
MorganZa.
Ruin and desolation meets the eye
on every side in Point Coupee parish.
Destruction is complete. Not plan.
tation has been left above water.
Not a levee IS unbroken, while hun.
dreds Of families rehomeless. Thou.
sands OF stock have been drowned and
from the reports recieved from the ip-
terror 1t Is quite probable human lie
has been aacrafced to the food
Standing on the Geek OF the relief steam
er Dacotah as she passed down with
in fifty yards OF the flooded district
last evening the full extent of the dis.
aster could be seen. Crowding togsth.
er on little krolls between broken le-
wees through which the water rushed
with ungovernaple fury were scores Of
people, both white and black, some
with babies In their arms, while Others
had their dogs secured by q cord.
Many OF them had nothing else in the
world except the clothes they wore on
their backs. When the Dacotah DIS
covered q scene like this, the stage was
swung out and the stricken ones taken
aboard.
Equally as sad scene was the poor
dumb cattle standing in water actual.
ly starving. Many OF them had not
tasted food in days. Their Raunt
forms contTasted strangely with their
surroundings.
The Dacotah was upable to handle
stock. A family named Luke, who
resided several miles above Bayou
Sara, were rescued. There were fifteen
people in the family. A few mornings
before they were prosperous, being
owners OF large plantation, we'll
store and over one hundred
head OF stock. At present pothing re-
mains above water but the caves OF
their residences. A crevasse sixty feet
wide broke directly in front of their
house at noon and they had q lively
time to reach the levee before six feet
of water covered the place. The Gre
vase 10 now four hundred feet wide.
There are hundreds OF such tales to be
told. .aa
The Dacotah Is q busy boat. After
discharging her lumber and other
material at Grand Bay, she proceeded
directly to the old river and rescued
two hundred head OF cattle that had
been In ths swamp for four days.
Coming down, stock and people were
picked up everywhere, and when the
Dacotah reached Bayou Sara she had
one thousand head OF cattle and near
" five hundred people on board.
mediately left for return voyage.
1no DdCObdu W uOink oNCcil0ilb WOrk
and not only is she blessed on every
side, but the corporation which sent
her as we'll. ,....a.... ....
Mayor Martin Glynn, president OF
the police jury. accompanied the boat
on her errand of mercy. Referring to
their efforts to hold the levee, he said
il was hard fight, but they had lost.
He cannot estimate the damage, but
says thirteen parishes will be over
flowed. The crsyasses now number
thirteen.
At Grand Bay, men were busily
engaged IN the effort to hold
Paten Dyke, an immense earthwork
that protects ten large plantations In
lower Pointe Coupee from the food.
It rained all dAy and night, but the
river is f;.lling. The worst has come
in Pointe Coupee, and people are re-
signed. Mayor Glynn received q check
for $500 from the police jury Of Terre
Bonne parish for the benefit OF suffer.