The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-27
RUSH OF THE BIG FLOOD.
TEN CREvASSES IN THE POINTE
CoUPEE LEVEH FRONT.

A Graphic Description of the Way
the Water Plunges Through the
Openings and over the Country Be-
yond.
New ORLEANS, April ga special to
the Times-Democrat from Bayou Sara
says: yesterday morning an early start
was made from the crevasses up the river.
The day was beautiful one. and the trip,
though somewhat arduous at times, has
been much less so than was expected, and
has been far from an unpleasant one. While
there are no less than ten crevasses in the
Pointe Coupee levee front, there are two
that SO completely overshadow the
Others in magnitude and Importance
that the other eight seem hardly
worth mentioning though each, when seen
by itself, makes a very striking picture.
Starting from Bayou Sara the first cre-
vase on the opposite side of the river is
about a mile below the town on the Taylor
place. 1t broke early Monday morning.
1t is q very moderate sized levee and the
break is some 200 feet wide.
THE NEXT BREAK.
Next is a smaller break on the Taylor
place about half mile up the river. About
400 yards further Up tho river is another
break on the Percan place. Then comes
long stretch of unbroken levee. About six
miles further up the river is the Fanny
Richie crevss Sc, which is of a more formd-
able character than those below it. Here
the volume ofwater is some six feet deep
aud over 400 feet wide. The cur
rent is very swift and sends
roaring, ragged looking cataract through
the break, and tearing through grove of
pecan and live oaks that stand just behind
the levee. The back water spreads out in a
vast lake that touches the swamps and
meets the Atchafalaya overflow. There are
many houses and cabins standing in the
path Of the flood, but as yet few, if any,
have been washed away.
COULD ESCAPE BEING FLOODED.
'How far the water from this break has
been instrumental in flooding the country,
it is impossible to determine, for it is as.
sumed that even had the low levee been
held, the water from the upper break would
have been here by this time, and the flood
ing of these plantations would have bseu
question of only few days at furthest.
As it is, the whole river from point below
Taylor's to the old river, if not now under
water will be SO soon. A great deal of
stock has been taken out but
much more mnst be removed or
lost in a very short time. About three
miles up the river from the Fanny Richie
crevasse comes a small break on the Stone
wall place. The crevasse is about six or
seven feet deep and $50 feet wide. Morgan
sea proper is about five miles still farther
up the river, but not the Morganza break
that caused the panic when Mr. Glynne
telegraphed that Morganza had gone.
THE MoRGANZA BREAK.
''That break was in what is known as the
New Texas Landing levee system, and
very formidable one, but about half a mile
further up the river than what is now the
great crevasse of the Pointe Coupes 'front.'
The crevasse at this new Morganza is about
1880 feet wide, carrying inland over 150,-
upper break, which was the first of the big
ones, is about 700 feet wide, IA feet deep.
This break is right in the path
of the great MorganZa crevasse that
has now become a feature of
state history, and the batture between it
and the bank of the river distinctly shows
the path of the destructive flood at that
time. The timber on the batture was
destroyed or swept away, and in the years
intervening the growth of young trees in
its channel has been light and scattering
The vast volume of water wears the break
in smooth shining torrent that swells in
the center as if gathering force for its
mad plunge. There is hardly q ripple
to break its bowling, eddying surface, but
1
each side into huge breakers, which have
chafed the crumbling edges of the levee
even after it has made the first wild leap on
its errand of devastation. Beyond the bar
riers it .plunges into wild, lonesome looking
waves"
AS HIGH AS THE LEvEE.
The Times Democrats Bayou Sara
special, referring to the great Morganza
crevasse, says: "Here the water of the
river is only about foot or less below the
crown of the levee, which, at the break, was
26 feet high with base of over 200
feet. The break is now some 1000
feet wide, and it is caving off
at the lower end at the rate of 300 feet in
twenty-four hours. Capt. Kingman
estimates the discharge through this
crevasse at over 10000 cubic feet per
second, and as bis calculation was based on
breach little over 1900 feet wide, it can
readily be understood how rapidly the dis
charge is increasing. The average cost of
this levee was so per running foot, SO that
at the present rate of caving the lower end
iswasting away at the rate Of s.. 900 per day.
TO PROTECT THE REMAINDER.
Every effort will be used to protect what
remains of the Morganza levee, with as little
delay as possible The United States
steamer Ruby, with gang of thirty men
Is sengaged in securing supply of willows
Aor mattresses. The toWDoaC FRINGE ana
tug Tilda have arrived off the crevasse
with barge load of rock from New Or
leans with which to load the mattresses.
capt Kingman expects to have the mat
tresses intended to protect the levee at the
lower end of the break ready to
sink tonight. The greatest difficulty
and danger will attend the work,
as it will be necessary to
run the barge down close to the break,
right In the strongest part Of its tremendous
suction, and then warp it out over the lower
side. The mattress will be $50 feet long
and placed against the levee, so that as it
crumbles away the unsupported portion of
tne willow branches will lap the foundation
VI the broken end and protect it, while the
opposite end of the mattress will be securely
anchored to the sound portion Of the dixie.
THE DANGER TO LIFE PREMATURE.
;, The stories of suffering and danger of
.oSs OF life in this overfowed district are,
70 say toe least premature. That finan-
o-at calamity has fallen upon this splendid
section of Louisiana is, unfortunately, too
Tue, but the attempt to color it with trag-
eay is nnanifestly absurd. Thus far some
9s5ock has been drowned. and it is impossi-
ie ple to say how serious the
.Iss .l of stock may be in
1ne interior but even now there
are many who will rot take the trouble
70 nave their stock removed, though they
Ivr T. L. Al