Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure survived two physical hurricanes, Audrey and Betsy. Audrey hit Louisiana’s Cameron Parish in 1957. Betsy made landfall in 1965. Today is the 53rd anniversary of Hurricane Betsy thrashing New Orleans. The storm moved northwest and affected Baton Rouge, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois. While the storm passed near Bayou Cove, Bill had a heated exchange with a ghost that resembled Ariel, his dead fiancé.
Hurricane Betsy began as a tropical depression on August 27 north of French Guinea. It passed north of the Bahamas, then over south Florida on September 8. In the Gulf of Mexico, Betsy strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane. Hurricane Betsy breached the New Orleans levees. Flooding occurred in Gentilly, the Upper Ninth Ward, and the Lower Ninth Ward. The further north it moved, the less damage occurred. The remnants lasted until September 13 and dissipated over Pennsylvania. In the end, officials estimated Betsy accounted for $1.43 billion in damage. It was the most expensive hurricane at the time. A total of 81 people, mostly from Louisiana, died from Hurricane Betsy. The United States Weather Bureau retired the name Betsy from the hurricane roster.
Hurricane Betsy sunk several barges on the Mississippi River. One of the barges was MTC-602. It was loaded with 600 tons of deadly chlorine gas in cylinders. It was estimated that amount of chlorine could kill 40,000 people. It sunk near Baton Rouge. Navy and Army engineers were tasked by President Johnson to raise the barge and prevent another disaster. On November 12, 1965, the barge, and all the intact cylinders were removed from the river.
Bill had to get three new travel trailers for his employees. He also replaced the siding on the house of pleasure. It didn’t take long for him to open back up and make money again.
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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book is open on my Kindle. I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read a variety of authors and topics. Currently, I’m reading the Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael series. I finished The Rose Rent as well as Ghosts of Arkansas Highway #7 by Gary Weibye. My reviews for both books are on GoodReads.com. Tomorrow, I start reading book 14 of Brother Cadfael, The Hermit of Eyton Forest.
Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure is available on Amazon, as an eBook, and in physical formats. It is also available on the Barnes and Noble website.