The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-06-15
FLOOD SITUATION CRAVE.
Large Area Inundated, and Crevasse
Water Still Rising = Godcf'aux
Places in Lafourche Abandoned,
Many Acres Submerged Near
LauderdaIa and in Assumption.


LauderdaIe and in Assumption.
The back water from the Hymella
break continues to rise. ana mas lnaoe
It's appearance in the rear OF various
plantations in upper st. James par
ish and on the east bank OF Bayou
.4afourche in upper Assumption, near
he Ascension line. The water IS
said to be within close proximity to
inc Texas and Pacific Railroad tracks
/ IN the vicinity of Lauderdale, anu mas
encroached to within q short distance
Of the tracks Of the T. and t. La
fourche branch line near Platten-
Vile. Pumping plants have peen
| Installed and protection leVees hur.
riedly constructed in the rear OF
all plantations threatened by the
flood, and as a result OF these pre-
cautions only a comparatively small
area has so far been inundated ID
| tits section Every effort is beng
made to keep the water back, Dul
| the fight is a desperate one, and Will
prove unsuccessful in many localities
| unless there should be an early ces'
sation of the flow through the lily.
nelia breach.
| The situation is further compllca
Ted for those planters whose places
| front Bayou Lafourche owing to the
necessity for closing all the drain
age bitches emptying into thai
stream, because Of the rapid rise IL
| the bayou during the past few days
| With all outlet bitches damned, botf
IN front and behind, drainage OF the
plantations is seriously impaired, ant
:. grave situation will arise in the
event of a repetition OF the heaV5
rains which fell last week.
Fifteen four-mule carts from the
Godchaux company's plantations neai
Raceland, each loaded with from tel
to fifteen field hands, passed through
| here this week en- route to the same
company's Reserve place in St
John parish. All Of the Godchauz
I plantations in the vicinity OF Race
land have been flooded by back wa
ter from the Hymelia crevasse, oW
ing to the breaking Of protection leVee
during the past week, and the Ia
horers are being removed to tn
: other plantations Of the Godchau
company in Assumption and st JONI
parishes.
Hal Alleman, a wel1-known can
planter of the Lauderdale section, L
; st. James parish, states that az
proximately 80 acres of his land hav
been submerged by back water fror
Hymelia. and other planters in tn
neighborhood are sufferers to eve
: la greater extent The water
spreading on both sides of the !
and P. enbankment, but pumps haV
been installed, and now that tn
protection levees have been con
pleted the water will soon be pump
led out and the submerged land y
r Claimed.
1t is feared that a great deal {
q the cane which has been under W att
: Tor the past few weeks in the teri
tory inundated by the Torras CT
vase will, prove d total loss.
Well-knoWn planter Of upper Assum
ton. whose back fields have bee
! submerged for little more tina
S three weeks, pulled up a number
9 stalks Of cane last Saturday al
found them all rotten. As IS con
Lmonly known, cane will live undf
G water for three weeks or more, pr
J. Ivided the water is cool, but this CO
) dition has not obtained in the-grea
er portion of the flooded area, o.
ing to the unusually warm wealth.
/ curing the latter part of May.
S some sections a part Of the cre
J. may be saved, but in places Whe5
there has been little current and II
water has stood for more than thrt
y weeks, the loss will prove almo
g total.