Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2007 - (Page 32)

The Great Ouachita Even the animals at the Monroe zoo were not immune to the ravages of the flood. situation is grave,” said Meyer. “Nevertheless, we are prepared to aid the local chapter in the work that they have already undertaken.” Operations would not undergo any substantive changes that refugees could experience. “The announcement,” noted the Morning World, “was received with feelings of profound thankfulness on the part of the people of Ouachita Parish.” FEDERAL TAKEOVER On February 3, the federal government assumed responsibility for feeding the levee workers, subsequently instituting a ticket system among levee workers for gauging valid requests. Levee workers received a ticket for their shift, which they could redeem at one of a series of feeding centers in various downtown locations. The Salvation Army, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other local groups active in feeding the weary workers remained on the job and their efforts garnered the praise of federal officials. The serving hours also changed. Five to eight o’clock in the morning and evening would be breakfast and dinner times, respectively, while lunch would be served on the job at noon. The new organization, however, came with the same old restrictions. On February 12, a woman entered the Baer Building on St. John Street, where a makeshift cafeteria had been established for levee workers, her head hung low with a man’s coat and cap covering her hungry female body. Only a ticket demonstrating that the patron had worked on the levees could garner a hot meal. The woman presented such a ticket, but women were not allowed to work on the levees. “Hey, look here,” yelled the Rev. Tom Roberts, state 32 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES\Winter 2007-08 chaplain of the American Legion and manager of the operation, “we’ve got a girl dressed like a man.” Following an encounter with the police, the girl escaped the cafeteria without food. Even as the new plan took effect, the Tensas Levee Board realized that manpower was wearing thin. It released a statement warning that a new call for men might be necessary, but that no outlying areas should send new recruits, as feeding and housing the ones already in the field was a difficult task. At the beginning of February, St. Francis Sanitarium established an emergency ward at the downtown hospital and within the week treated 490 men for colds, flat feet, and blisters. On February 7, the Red Cross cut the number of levee workers by more than a thousand. All of those employed were registered as employees, to be paid by the federal government. Each worker was provided a number, and laborers were paid with federal funds in the order in which their identification numbers were issued at staggered gatherings. On February 10, numbers 500 through 3500 received their pay. More were paid on February 24 and March 10. As workers stood in long lines for their pay, a confidence man trolled the queues, charging workers fifty cents to “put each contributor at the head of the line.” The ruse was not discovered until after the thief had escaped. Joseph McDaniel of Marshall, Illinois, however, proved far more willing to part with his income. Interested in returning home before his pay was due, McDaniel attempted to cede his wages to the Reverend Tom Roberts. The government, however, insisted that he be the one to take the pay. “Mr. Roberts has treated me fine,” said OUACHITA PARISH DIGITAL ARCHIVE, OUACHITA PARISH PUBLIC LIBRARY, MONROE

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2007

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2007 Contents Friends Editor’s Column Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Katrina: Days of Terror, Months of Anguish Paintings by Rolland Golden The Historic New Orleans Collection The Great Ouachita River Flood of 1932 Jazz Notes Louisiana Architecture Louisiana: Where Land Meets Water Louisiana State Museum Through A Lens Sharply: An Interview with Michael Lewis MR-GO: A “miracle” mired in controversy Louisiana Foodways Louisiana Association of Museums New Orleans: An Autopsy Bookstand Sound Advice Forum

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2007

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