Sauvé's Crevasse
Encyclopedia
Sauvé's Crevasse was a Mississippi River
levee
failure that flooded much of New Orleans, Louisiana
in 1849.
In 1849 the Mississippi reached the highest water level observed in twenty-one years. Some seventeen miles (27 km) up river from the city of New Orleans in Jefferson Parish
lay a plantation
belonging to Pierre Sauvé, in what is now River Ridge, Louisiana
. There, on the afternoon of May 3d, the levee gave way. At once it was seen impossible to stem the raging waters. At first the people of the city hoped that the flood would find its way into Lake Pontchartrain
by some channel or the other, before reaching the city. But the swamp rapidly filled; the water approached the outskirts of the town; and it was then too late to throw up any adequate defenses. By May 15 the water was at Rampart Street
. The First Municipality went to work on a small levee which lay along the lower bank of the Carondelet Canal
, and raised it sufficiently to shut out the flood from that part of the city, allowing some of the water to drain via the canal into Bayou St. John
and thence into Pontchartrain, and saving much of the city below the Canal. This was a significant success, which kept the flooding out of the Faubourg St. John, Marigny, and other downriver portions of the city, and by providing an outlet for the waters prevented even deeper and more widespread flooding above the Canal. However most of what is now Uptown New Orleans
and the New Orleans Central Business District
were badly flooded. The water spread from the low-lying "back of town" into the higher ground closer to the River, and attained its highest point on May 30. In the CBD it reached Bacchus (Baronne) Street from the upper limits of Lafayette to Canal; and sometimes, where the ground was low, it ran over into Carondelet. Further Uptown, between Louisiana and Napoleon Avenues the flooding stopped just short of Magazine Street. In Carrollton, Louisiana
, above Canal Avenue (Carrollton Avenue) the waters reached to Forth Street (Oak), and below to Burthe.
Waring & Cable (Social Statistics of Cities, Reports on New Orleans) reported, "About 220 inhabited squares were flooded, more than 2,000 tenements were surrounded by water, and a population of near 12,000 souls either driven from their homes or living an aquatic life of much privation and suffering." This figure may be only for the city of New Orleans as then constituted, with its upper limit at Felicity Street; much of what would later become Uptown New Orleans was then the towns of Lafayette, Bologny, Jefferson, and Carrollton.
For weeks the efforts to close the crevasse had proven unavailing. Then two engineers, George T. Dunbar and Surgi, undertook the task, and with carte blanche as to methods and materials, succeeded after seventeen days of heroic exertion, in staunching the flood on the 20th of June. The waters, however, did not disappear till nearly a month later. By June 22d the principal streets were clear again. Then heavy rains fell, washing away the flood deposits, and the city began to resume its normal aspect. Public property had suffered extensive damage, particularly in the Second Municipality (what is now the CBD and Lower Garden District). Pavements and gutters and gutter-bridges had to be generally replaced. In 1850 the Second Municipality found it necessary to levy a special tax of $400,000 to offset "actual expenditures on streets, wharves and crevasses." Somewhat tardily, the council of that municipality erected a levee on Felicity Street, from the point where the Claiborne Canal intersected the New Basin Canal
, to the corner of Apollo (Carondelet) Street.
While New Orleans has experienced numerous floods large and small in its history, the flood of 1849 was of a more disastrous scale than any save the flooding after Hurricane Katrina
in 2005; see Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans
. Katrina flooded a larger total urban area. However much of what would become the city of New Orleans and its suburbs in Jefferson Parish was still swampland when it was flooded by the Crevasse of 1849. The water level of Mississippi River which flooded the city in 1849 was higher than that of Lake Pontchartrain which flowed into the city after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This is particularly evident in areas of Uptown where higher water levels were recorded in 1849 in places which flooded again in 2005. Also, the flooding of 1849 extended into a significant part of Uptown that remained dry during the flooding after Hurricane Katrina.
New Orleans has not experienced flooding from the Mississippi River since Sauvé's Crevasse, although it came dangerously close during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
.
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
failure that flooded much of New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
in 1849.
In 1849 the Mississippi reached the highest water level observed in twenty-one years. Some seventeen miles (27 km) up river from the city of New Orleans in Jefferson Parish
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
lay a plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
belonging to Pierre Sauvé, in what is now River Ridge, Louisiana
River Ridge, Louisiana
River Ridge is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 14,588 at the 2000 census.- History :...
. There, on the afternoon of May 3d, the levee gave way. At once it was seen impossible to stem the raging waters. At first the people of the city hoped that the flood would find its way into Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
by some channel or the other, before reaching the city. But the swamp rapidly filled; the water approached the outskirts of the town; and it was then too late to throw up any adequate defenses. By May 15 the water was at Rampart Street
Rampart Street
Rampart Street is a historic avenue located in New Orleans, Louisiana.The upper end of the street is in the New Orleans Central Business District...
. The First Municipality went to work on a small levee which lay along the lower bank of the Carondelet Canal
Carondelet Canal
The Carondelet Canal, also known as the Old Basin Canal, was a canal in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1794 through 1938.Construction of the canal began in June of 1794 on the orders of Governor of Louisiana Francisco Luis Hector de Carondelet, for whom the canal was named. The 1.6‑mile long canal...
, and raised it sufficiently to shut out the flood from that part of the city, allowing some of the water to drain via the canal into Bayou St. John
Bayou St. John
Bayou St. John is a bayou within the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.The Bayou as a natural feature drained the swampy land of a good portion of what was to become New Orleans into Lake Pontchartrain...
and thence into Pontchartrain, and saving much of the city below the Canal. This was a significant success, which kept the flooding out of the Faubourg St. John, Marigny, and other downriver portions of the city, and by providing an outlet for the waters prevented even deeper and more widespread flooding above the Canal. However most of what is now Uptown New Orleans
Uptown New Orleans
Uptown is a section of New Orleans, Louisiana on the East Bank of the Mississippi River encompassing a number of neighborhoods between the French Quarter and the Jefferson Parish line. It remains an area of mixed residential and small commercial properties, with a wealth of 19th century architecture...
and the New Orleans Central Business District
New Orleans Central Business District
The Central Business District is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the French Quarter/CBD Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Iberville, Decatur and Canal Streets to the north, the Mississippi River to the east, the New Orleans Morial...
were badly flooded. The water spread from the low-lying "back of town" into the higher ground closer to the River, and attained its highest point on May 30. In the CBD it reached Bacchus (Baronne) Street from the upper limits of Lafayette to Canal; and sometimes, where the ground was low, it ran over into Carondelet. Further Uptown, between Louisiana and Napoleon Avenues the flooding stopped just short of Magazine Street. In Carrollton, Louisiana
Carrollton, Louisiana
Carrollton is a neighborhood of uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, which includes the Carrollton Historic District. It is the part of Uptown New Orleans farthest up river from the French Quarter...
, above Canal Avenue (Carrollton Avenue) the waters reached to Forth Street (Oak), and below to Burthe.
Waring & Cable (Social Statistics of Cities, Reports on New Orleans) reported, "About 220 inhabited squares were flooded, more than 2,000 tenements were surrounded by water, and a population of near 12,000 souls either driven from their homes or living an aquatic life of much privation and suffering." This figure may be only for the city of New Orleans as then constituted, with its upper limit at Felicity Street; much of what would later become Uptown New Orleans was then the towns of Lafayette, Bologny, Jefferson, and Carrollton.
For weeks the efforts to close the crevasse had proven unavailing. Then two engineers, George T. Dunbar and Surgi, undertook the task, and with carte blanche as to methods and materials, succeeded after seventeen days of heroic exertion, in staunching the flood on the 20th of June. The waters, however, did not disappear till nearly a month later. By June 22d the principal streets were clear again. Then heavy rains fell, washing away the flood deposits, and the city began to resume its normal aspect. Public property had suffered extensive damage, particularly in the Second Municipality (what is now the CBD and Lower Garden District). Pavements and gutters and gutter-bridges had to be generally replaced. In 1850 the Second Municipality found it necessary to levy a special tax of $400,000 to offset "actual expenditures on streets, wharves and crevasses." Somewhat tardily, the council of that municipality erected a levee on Felicity Street, from the point where the Claiborne Canal intersected the New Basin Canal
New Basin Canal
The New Basin Canal, also known as the New Orleans Canal and the New Canal, was a shipping canal in New Orleans, Louisiana from the 1830s through the 1940s....
, to the corner of Apollo (Carondelet) Street.
While New Orleans has experienced numerous floods large and small in its history, the flood of 1849 was of a more disastrous scale than any save the flooding after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in 2005; see Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans
Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans
The effects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans have been long-lasting. As the center of Katrina passed South-east of New Orleans on August 29, 2005, winds downtown were in the Category 3 range with frequent intense gusts and tidal surge. Hurricane force winds were experienced throughout the...
. Katrina flooded a larger total urban area. However much of what would become the city of New Orleans and its suburbs in Jefferson Parish was still swampland when it was flooded by the Crevasse of 1849. The water level of Mississippi River which flooded the city in 1849 was higher than that of Lake Pontchartrain which flowed into the city after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This is particularly evident in areas of Uptown where higher water levels were recorded in 1849 in places which flooded again in 2005. Also, the flooding of 1849 extended into a significant part of Uptown that remained dry during the flooding after Hurricane Katrina.
New Orleans has not experienced flooding from the Mississippi River since Sauvé's Crevasse, although it came dangerously close during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States.-Events:The flood began when heavy rains pounded the central basin of the Mississippi in the summer of 1926. By September, the Mississippi's tributaries in Kansas and Iowa were swollen to...
.
Sources
- Much of this article was adapted from History of New Orleans by John Kendall, 1922. This work is now in the public domainPublic domainWorks are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
from expired copyright.