Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1843-05-22

NE 6hEalESI FRESH ON REOOkD.
The late great Fresh in James River occasioned little
reference tradition concerning the that have
red in the oldon There much conrarioy Of re-
collection and opinion the question which of the
great remembered eshes should be awarded the credit
having been the greatest. This matter decided in any
way could hardly affect the fate OF the nation and certain
y could change the current Of the ryer back towards
Its sources. Nevertheless, that very much inter
ess peope-as 1t Is propensity Of contrast and
compare things by which, only philosophers say he knows
any thing-nOt speak Of the fondness mixed up with
supershous interest, with which he regards tradition
The publications with regard the matter, started an
antiquarian friend Of the search, and in the Virgin.
Ia Gazette OF lII, he discovered, and directed
attention to an account Of great Fresh which occurred
May OF that year. We have concluded that il has inter
est enough for readers Justify its publication The
landmarks then referred TO generally oblierated
but we can understand the that the ver was for
fy feet ADORE ordinary high tide Below give the
count or rather accounts from the Gazette the famous old
Journal edited by Messrs Purdie & Dixon
From THE VIRGINIA GAZETTE, OF May 3OI77I.
\ letter foom Richmond dated Monday last saws -
" There - now the greatest Fresh james River ever
known 1t being at least twenty feet higher than that
May 1906 The warehouses Westham are entirely zone
wiih three hundred hogheads Of tobacco At Brd
houses the water is nall way up lower tier Of hogs
heads; the other warehouses ShOcko almost under wa
ter and the tobacco drifting away by thirty and forty hogs
heads time. IL is imagined there might nave been about
thousand hogsheads in the different warehouses at Shocko
Almost every umberhouse and destroyed, each
dwelling houses, BON here and ht Rocky RIDGE"
Some people who left Richmond the same day in the af
eroOn say that the then rising the rate Of two
nches an hour bat we since learn that began abate
about sunset.
AL the low grounds have been overaowed, by which in
conceivable damagc has been done. Every thing car
red OIL Farrars Island, belonging 10 Col. Thos Mann
Randolph and at Elk Island JnO Waycs Esq is said 10 have
suffered TO the amount Of four thousand p5unds-nohin
being saved hut the people and five horses.
The ships IN the TyeT the most imminen danger
from the vast number Of huge drifting down bv the
rupdity Of the current and many Of them have sustained
great damage The ships at Shirley Hundred were driven
from their moonngs over to City Point, and those al CITY
tonl down ns low rs JOrdans Capt Stevenson went
ashore at the Point, and yet got OIL Capt Conke lost
ihee Of his anchors and in very great danger six Of
capt C"Ths men, IN the yawl, clearing away the drifting
trees, &c, were OyeTSe and five Of them drowned Can't
SIMPSON, OF Bristol lost Of his men; and his ship was
driven so TAR on shore that Is feared she will got off
uglin.
Some wagoners who arrived Richmond from Augusta
say mat rainod almost since they left home which
was about ten or twelve days. and that there
mas been the greatest devastation that county Abe
MARIE by the Overlooking Of low grounds loss Of stock
houses, &c.
From the same, June 6, III.
From Richmond we learn that they receive daily nccoun
OF the devastation occasioned by the late floods From the
mountains the falls the low grounds have been .yen NJ
every thing valuable, and the soil is so much injured that il
is thought not To be Of half former value and great
part Is entirely ruined One may suffice: tract
o land where the nycr forks, which before the fresh was
Judged 10 be richly worth thousand pounds is not now
rated at 50 many hundred Fourteen negroes belonging to
that estate drowned, only one house ei ont of
forty winch were sixty by forty feet on Elk Island be.
tween six end seven hundred head Of cae hogs horses
and sheep, have been lost, and hundred houscs
besides grain, tobacco, &c. At Fauar Island which the
highest fresh never before affected above eighty acres Of
hnc land rendered forever incapable Of cultivation the
SOL being gone aud IN IT, stead 10 ~ feet deep of sand
upon which u layer Of stones as If paved MANY other
Islands have been tore TO pieces hills Of sand thrown up
channels -topt and their altered and in short the
face Of nature almost changed
Old JOB an honest and well known negro fellow at the
Tails OF james River, who is intimately acquainted with the
rnnns Of an Indian nation that has resided there for ages
says that he shown by their old men the marks of the
greatest fresh handed down 10 them by traditions and that
upon s carefully measuring II wanted fifteen feet Of
TIE late dreadful one ship Warwick sounded from the
begnmng Of the pcfccyabIc increase Of the riyer
Hu iouhn ihai me csh atis height upwards Of forty
le hghtT hnn the common tide. The lessencd value of
lands, loss Of stocks houses tobacco wheat and corn in
houses, with fencing and the crops on the ground battle nil
deception. Byrd's, Sbockoo, Richmond, Rocky Ridge
and Worwick, have suffered amazingly in loss Of Nor
chandzc and tobacco besides houses SC Between five
and six thousand hog IT tobacco arc gone from tsc
places The disirosscs oi the people If Albcmaro and
u'-e paris oi the country reach Of the fresh 10 be
described; most ~ them being left without bread 90 eat or
DWELLING, and their stock gone The trading part of the
country mas likewise suffered excessively European and
ohef goods. as well IN imports exports The losses and
very great distress Of the sufferer call loudly for
we hcrposuon and asance ofhe legislature and doubt
',c'o, body VIII take into early consideration
eUay be- and grant the immediate and cfectuaI re,of
"hch o. 20 much wanted tn some placos trees carcass
- &C ore matted together from twelve % twenty feet in
msn ana rom ho horud stencil there be coming near
enough 20 separate them. Happily IT. II this season we
csoSPe rom contagious disorder Miles n length Of trees
uhl logs came diving down the river and nothing could
withstand their force The logs were almost up to ,bs
bowspnis OF many vossc hat their anchors could NOT
o'ail mem ana were chiefly lost There were no rsns t
speak oi at Richmond and thcrcubou 20 that thew mus,
have fallen from the mounans about thirty miles aye tho
iss Prom ihe hst perccvabo rise Of the river Al tina,
place was about sixty hour, and the water ,etmes rose
nhe rnpid rate Of sixteen inches an hour. Daily accounts
are received Of the loss Of whole families; and bouscs
came floating down with people thcm oiling ior hello
though none could be afoded. Accounts are already re-
ceived Of fifty odd people being drowned.
APPROXIMATION has been little nothing affected which
proves fha the ruins must have fallen high up the county