Terrebonne County Louisiana Archives News.....The Cyclone in the Country September 24, 1877 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Savanna King savanna18king@gmail.com August 16, 2023, 2:14 pm The Times-Democrat September 24, 1877 Houses Blown Down, Crops Destroyed and Men Killed Terrebonne. [Terrebonne Progress.] The first tidings of the disaster that reached us came from Canal Bellanger, nine miles below Houma. At this place six houses were blown down and shattered to pieces, as was also the bayou bridge and a great portion of the sugar-house belonging to Mr. E. Hotard, Sr. In the fall of his house Mr. Dalferes Guidry was struck by a large beam, mortally wounding him in the breast. This, however, did not prevent him from walking over to the house of his neighbor, Mr. Eugene Bellanger, a distance of about 400 yards, where he put on dry garments and went to bed, and died a few hours afterwards. This young man leaves a young wife, whom he had married but a few months previous. Mr. Demetrius Hotard and several others were seriously but not dangerously injured, while others were but slightly wounded. On Bayou DuLarge the damage sustained was still greater than at Canal Bellanger; nine or ten houses were entirely blown down and shattered to pieces. Not a building was left standing in the yard of Wm. H. Knight, Esq., whose family narrowly escaped being smashed to death by the falling timber. Not a piece of Mr. Knight's furniture was saved; everything a total wreck. A portion of his sugar-house was blown down. Messrs. Cook and Turnbull's cane shed and purgery were also blown down and smashed to pieces, the cane shed in its fall breaking all their wagons and carts. At this point were also destroyed the store of Messrs. Richou and Robert Boudreaux. The names of the other parties on this bayou, whose houses were destroyed, are Messrs. Albert Randal, who was badly injured on the shoulder; John Hanagriff, whose head received a severe contusion; Lange Fremin and LeBlanc. The sugar-house steam engine chimney of Mr. Connely was partly blown down. On Bayou Black, on Tuesday night, Messrs. Nalle & Cammack's sugar-house cane shed was blown down, but not much damaged. Mr. David, their agent, tells us that $50 will replace the damage. Mr. John Boykins had one of his sugar-house chimneys prostrated. On upper Bayou Terrebonne, the only damage done to buildings, is the blowing down of Mr. Piedra's sugar-house purgery. We learn later that on Tuesday night L. M. T. McClung's cane shed at Cedar Grove, on Grand Caillou, was blown down, breaking in its fall two wagons and a buggy. At the Four Points, in the lower portion of Bayou Grand Caillou, every shanty and house, and nearly ever tree, was blown down and smashed to pieces. We heard semi-reliably that Mr. J. Narcisse Robichaux's sugar-house is partly damaged by the storm. Mr. Robichaux is of lower Terrebonne. So far as we have heard, Bayous Little Caillou and Black are the only bayous in the parish which have sustained no loss in buildings. From close observation we find that the tornado, which caused all this damage, traveled from Bayou DuLarge, through the swamps, jumped over Bayous Grand Caillou and Little Caillou, and then swept across Bayou Terrebonne, below Canal Bellanger. Through the swamps on the left descending bank of Bayou DuLarge at Cook's and Turnbull's, the tornado swept every tree before it, making a clean road; more than fifteen hundred large cypress trees were destroyed. The greatest damage inflicted, is that inflicted on the cane crop; not a stalk is standing up. The cane, having been thrown on one side, then on another, and on another again, is completely shattered, some of it entirely broken to the ground. The general belief among our planters is that the yield of cane will fall short at least one-fourth. And many believe that the damage done to the cane will not only be felt this year, but will prove injurious to the stubble for next year. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/terrebonne/newspapers/thecyclo806gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/lafiles/ File size: 4.4 Kb