Louisiana & Alabama Hurricane, Sept - Oct 1860 - Further News

The Daily Picayune, Saturday Afternoon, October 6, 1860

Further News of the Storm – We learn from a gentleman who arrived here yesterday that the storm was very severely felt at Grand Isle and Cheniere Camanada, whose islands having been completely overflowed, the water rising, it is said, five feet in three-quarters of an hour. Much damage was done to the small craft, and the crops and orange trees suffered greatly; but no loss of life or property occurred.

The Timbalier Islands, we are informed by the same gentleman, were completely devastated and some thirty or forty fishing crafts, having on board some 50 or 60 men, who had started for the oyster beds previous to the storm, have not been heard of and are supposed to be lost.

The City
The Inundated Section – The Mayor visited the rear of the city yesterday, examining into the condition of the inundated houses and the wants of the poor families driven away from houses by the angry element, and will, doubtless, prompted by his well known feelings of humanity, as well as by official duty, call the attention of the Common Council to the scene of desolation he has witnessed, and invite them to adopt some measure for the relief of the sufferers,

Many small houses have been shaken from their foundations and made insecure, whilst all buildings large or small, invaded by the water, have suffered more or less damage. The floors and door steps have been in many instances forced out and washed away; the plastering of the walls, and even that of the ceilings affected by the dampness, have fallen in large pieces, making considerable repairs necessary. The inundated families, besides damage to their buildings, gardens, poultry, etc, have also lost much furniture and clothing, and the condition of some is quite distressing. Amidst all this suffering, we are sorry to say that human vultures have been found, who, like the birds of prey hovering over a battle field, have under the cover of the darkness of night, pounced upon the deserted buildings, and robbed the poor victims of the overflow of such little articles of value as had been left behind. We sincerely hope that some of the fiends will fall in the hands of the police, and meet with a merited punishment.

The water is still receding, and it is calculated that by tonight the inundated section will be so far drained as nature can make it. The openings will be cut in various parts of the levee, by which all remaining water will run out in 48 hours. The levees will have to be consolidated at much cost and labor. It is apparent that the people allowed to remove the mud thrown out of the canal when it was cleaned, have dug further and attacked the old embankment itself, considerably reducing its thickness and solidity. Notwithstanding this criminal imprudence, the breaks in the levee could have been stopped, were it not that the water rose so high that it overflowed the Metairie ridge, an event of which we have had no example since 1831.