The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1908-07-04
East GOltdx Flooded.
Week Passed In Alarm Over
Breaking I6v66S.
All Records OF high Water Broken
bu the Present Flood
Crest.

| =
zens of west Grant parish living
on the low lands of Red river.
Two weeks ago nearly half of the
fifty square miles of river alluvial
lands in Grant parish were under
the flood that at that time about
equaled the previous high water
records. Since that time the wa
ters in Red river have continued
to rise from 2 to 3 inches daily,
until at noon Thursday, July 2, the
flood tide stood at mark fully
three feet higher than any hereto
fore recorded.
AS soon as it became known two
weeks ago that we were to have
such an unprecedented flood, the
planters living along the lands
from Boggy bayou north OF Colfax
to the mouth of Bayou Darro on
the south began to build levees in
the low places where it was thought
the waters might run over few
inches. This scope of country,
about Is miles long, which en-
braces Colfax and Paramount, was
above the great flood of 1892. and
has heretofore been regarded rs
above all overflow. Ten days ago
the water began to mount up on
the levees until now it stands in
some places 5 and 6 feet deep.
The greatest concern in Colfax,
Of course, has been in the levees
of Capt. &. H. Teal aud others Que
mile north of this place, the break
ing of which threatened to flood
the entire eastern portion of the
Il town. A level of the water taken
last Saturday showed that if Capt.
Teal's levee west of the railroad,
at the old Buckeye landing, was to
/ break the water would cover the
! floor in the store of j. W. Duncan
Co., Limited.
Under this condition of affairs
the citizens of Colfax and vicinity
:, united in helping to maintain these
Ilevees. On several occasions they
gave way on the east side of the
r railroad, but we're quickly repair.
= ed. Two or three times this &C.
I Cured in the night watches, and
= the ringing of bells and firing Of
Z guns brought the necessary assist
lance to repair the breaks.
:. However, it proved to be more
u than the pluck of Capt. Teal ant
the efforts of the citizens could &C
!, complish to keep up the entire
. two miles of levees necessary t.
h protect all threatened points nortl
of Colfax, and between IL and
+ o'clock on the morning of Tues
n day. June 30th, the levee to thu
= east of the railroad broke in two
y or three places, near the homes o
u Sheriff A. B. Perkins and Mr.. II
Is G. Kelsoe, and all efforts to clos
" the breaks had to be abandoned
. The water from these breaks sub
; merged about half of Capt. Teal
place, and overfowed about all O
the crops of the several parties il
that locality. From there tn
y water flowed southwark, filling al
= of the Big Pine mill and negr'
quarters and all that portion o
:, Colfax east of the railroad. Fo
:, the first "a hours this water ros
IL about one inch every hour, ant
re siuce then it has been raising q
m the rate of one inch every fou
'. hours, until the floors of the mos
x of the houses east of the railroad
are flooded and the negroes in then
l. have had to move out. The rail
y road embankment has been servin,
:" as leves to protect the main POI
:. ton of the town by keeping til
:. water on the east side.
-. The most serious and threaten