The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-05-25
r;,e river Situation.

There has been a decline OF hloie
t,,an two feet in the stage OF tue We
~. ~ This point since the river ps
yan fal,ine. the official gauge reau-
RIO +,ls morning being 32.o feet, a.
aa7,,,arad with the record Of $40 feeo
~, f ,si.fed Nav II. The previous
aigh water record for DonalaaonSl ~
vas 32.75 feet, which was set Wy tAa4
sreshet of 1897 on May 10 " e'i'''
year. oi,,r over
looked or omitted, it is the collsen.
s,1s of opinion; expert and otherWise'
| thst comparatively little danger OIL
break in the leyee system EXISTS AZ
this section at the present time ailu
If the. river continues to decline al
tha rate recorded this week all Tear
of overflow will have been removed
within the next few days. me
weather is warm and dry, ana tle
lleyees everywhere appear TO De DIP
solid as a rock. ro,,,,,s
The flood water from the Iorfas
/ erevasse is encroaching steadliy on
many Of the plantations on the flSle
9 descending bank of Bayou LaIourcle'
and q large territory has already peeh
Inundated. II is reported that nearly
1900 acres of fertile land on the Du-
gas e. Leblanc plantations near falh-
courtviile are covered with "aUe 80 ~
depth of from two to four Ieel'
land the murky flood is still spreaa-
ling over the fields. On the doo-
Il chaux Companys Elm Hal planla
: tion. all the land back of the 1852
{ levee, comprising some loOO acres CT.
i is said to be under water. The 1lsh'
c to hold the protection levees is De
1 Thinning to be a desperate one, ane
G Il is feared that unless the flooe
II ishorld subside soon many OF THESE
# hastily constructed barriers VIII glVe
n Way under the immense strain I'M
g posed upon them, resulting in the III
undation of thousands of acres Q
i crops.
FL The flood water has made its aP
e. pearance in Brusly Sacramento an
II other sections in the Interior OF III
); second ward of Ascension parish, an
T is stated to be gradually approacnlh
g fine rear fields of various sugar plal
II tations in that locality Protecio
IN ieyees ere being hurriedly COZ
structed, but Notwithstanding tn
le Iprecaution a great deal of land WI
te Be submerged and heavy propert
le loss will ensue.
The second break IN the Atchat'
OF Iiaya river levee system on the We'
III side Of that stream occurred
IA about 8 O'Clock last Sunday mornln
S; al Alto, some twenty miles apoN
to Melville. The latter place will be |
undated by water from the crevasf
ID Ito a depth Of six feet or more. ar
ne nearly all the women and chlldre
er as well as many of the male CT
nc Gems. have departed from the doomf
isl town. The creyasse is more ths
Is. 1000 feet wide, and it is not like
is. that any effort will be made to clio
rs it.
is The Burton-Swartz Cypress Coz
lee many has "a large force of Lahore
at work filling sacks to be used
inI closing the IIymelia creVasse. me
It'll sacks. will be bGought to Donaldso
he. t4Yille# viasIhe Texas and PACIFIC ia
on way. and will be loaded on TO bafg
" at the coal loading station OF
ne West Kentucky Coal Company
&c. short distance above this city. y
Ga, barges will be towed to the crevas
st by vessels under charter to the fe
,lls aral government.
en- A family of refugees, consisting
an a man and wife and their four Ct
the dren, arrived in Donaldsonville i
,ity Monday from the section inundat
the by the Torras crevasse waters. III
were in destitute circumstances, a
upon reaching this city appealed
Capt. r. H. Lomax, in charge OF
government relief station here,
lpls assist them in reaching Burnside,
ooc man having a brother residing be
vef of that place who, he said, Wo
oe- take care of them. Capt. Lomax
mes spatched the family to Burnside
oi the tug Vanguard.