The Portland daily press., 1893-10-28
TRAGIC STORY OF LAST ISLAND.
Terrible Fate of Louisiana Summer
Resorts a Generation Age.

which destroyed SO many lives, wildly
recalls an incident that will ever live in
the memory of the Gulf State residents,
the destruction of Last island, off the
Louisiana coast, by a cyclone and tidal
wave, September 10, 1856. Last Island
was long, low streak of green, bound
around the edge with a line of dazzling
white sand. Seen in those days from
the louisiana mainland-15 miles away,
the lower end of the parish of Lafourche
1T seemed but slender bit of green
floating upon the bosom of the summer
sea.
The island, though one long sand pit
(only few feet above the highest tide
level of the seal was very Eden of flow
ers. The falling leaves of the live oaks
for centuries had created in their decay
bed of rich alluvium, which artificial
means had greatly increased. The ever
warm air from the further south seas
had given to the shrub growth an ex-
traordinary richness of verdure. The
orange and lemon trees, the olive. the
oleander, which in louisiana is a tree 80
feet high; all of the tribe of japonicas.
that scented summer flower, the jasmine,
yellow and cape, and hundreds of others
unknown to the North, made the island
coruscant with brilliant colored blooms.
1t seemed that all that was rich and love-
ly and beautiful in the vegetation of the
semi-tropics here found it's most ,congen-
ial home.
It was watering place, with the most
splendid surf bathing on the side next
the open sea that ever was. The men
who gathered there were not strangers
to each other. for in Louisiana then
everybody knew of his social equal, if
he was not a personal acquaintance, no
matter IN what region he lived. So here
was spot, not very much known to the
outer world, where could gather, when
summer days becameslong and the dog
star ragged, the great cotton-planting
magnates of Louisiana, Mississippi, Ar
kansas and Alabama, or the rich, courtly
creole sugar-growers from the Bayou La
fourche country or the Cote dor, on the
Mississippi river, and their congeners, the
American sugar-growers from the Fell
cianas and wealthy, aristocratic Rapidesj
The season of 1856 at Last Island was
one of the most charming ever known
since the famous watering place had
been established. Never did brave men
and charming women congregate at this
delightful rendezvous in greater num-
bers, or in fuller, finer spirit OF happi-
ness4and hopeful expectation The season
was at its height Not only was the
hotel proper filled, but the dozen or SO of
cottages-generally known as "the
bachelors quarters"-were all occupied
by as high bred, as gallant and as gay a
company of gentlemen as the entire South
COIL Id show If hot
number of representative Louisiana, Ala
bama and Mississippi men and women
never had been gathered together at any
Southern watering place before
There was to be the evening of Septem-
her 10 the grand ball of the season, for it
was the last. The band of the French
opera house was there, then uneuualed
no wind instruments in it, except a
cornet, no flutes and similar sweet sound
producers. The others were strings. The
ball room was distant from the main
hotel perhaps 20 yards and was reached
by covered way cheated to the level of
both buildings 1t was built very near
the sea, and set upon brick pillars six
feet above the surface of the earth. The
hotel was constructed in the same fash
ion, so that the breezes could elbow I'M
der both edifices and produce better ven
tilation.
Toward noon of the 18th the sun shone
out for an hour, but it was dull
orange-hued or surrounded by yellow.
misty haze that changed constantly, AS
night came on the sky was covered
with cloud.
At 10 o'clock the dance was at it's
height Outside the storm was raging.
The intense blackness of darkness was
broken only by the constant broad flash
es of lightning and the phosphorescent
blaze Of the sea. A terrible wind blew
with torrents of slanting rain, that was
as warm as newly drawn blood. The
band was playing one of Gottschalk's
sweetest dreamy waltze Che was Lousi-
anan) Creole Eyes, when girl screamed.
Her White satin bottine had been wetted
by water coming upssssthrough the floor.
Terror then beset all. A rush was made
for the hotel, but the covered way was
gone. 1t had been carried off by a ire
mendous wave from the raging sea,
Mothers had left their little children
asleep in the other house. How shonId
they get to them? 1t was utterly impossi-
bic, unless one had wings, to pass
through the tossing, boiling flood of
madened seasthat rolled between.
OF the horrors that followed no living
tongue could ever tell. But about mid.
night the strange sea moan became a roar
that grew nearer and louder, until #
was like 10000 laundering Niagaras If
was tidal wave 1000 miles long. 10 miles
wide and 20 feet high. And as it rolled
resistless, hotel, ballroom, ali were
swallowed up in the nav of the pitiless
sea. Men, women and little ones were
parted never again to meet until that