Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-11-08
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a7'aaAo CINCINNATI, OoTosER %, ls45.


Monongaheia, facing the windings of the Ohio
The river was now low, and began to understand
the reason OF the inquiries which meet every ira.
weller in this region to the stage Of water and
the anxiety with which the annuncation q listened
to that " il has fallen three inches since san,rday
morning" The Ohio is, in fact, capricious tor.
rent, swollen by every heavy rain and shrunk awav
by every ong-contnued drought and this to such 4
degree that, at the spot, its depth will vary
from three to thirty feet. When the water is low.
navigation becomes difficult, the larger boats are
laid up, and even those of less draught of water are
not unfrequently caught upon sandbanks in the
channel. To meet this danger they are furnished
with strong spars, shod at bottom with iron, and
rugged with strong ropes these lie over the bows
in santing direction, ready to be let down into
the water, and, as the boat is found to
hang" on shoal, if backing the engine proves in
sufficient to back her off, these heavy poles are APP
plied and by dnt of heavy pulling, assisted by the
energy OF steam, she is got afloat again if not
she must wait rise in the river in which case her
passengers transferred to the next boat which
comes along. To prepare for this varying depth
of water, the landings opposite to all the important
towns on the Ohio graded to slant Of about
thirty degrees, sometimes more, and strongly paved
AT different distances up this bank heavy rings are
set for mooring the boats. Sometimes they lie along
almost at the bottom Of the slope, fastened in a
slantng direction, and often so close to each other
that you may step from boat to boat. AS the water
rises they rise with it UP the bank, and remove the
ropes by which they are attached to it to higher
rings, and thus they proceed, till sometimes the wa
ter climbs to the very top of the bank, and even
overhows it, in which case these enormous river
monsters may be seen advancing into the streets of
the town. and delivering and receiving cargo through
the windows of the warehouses. This however,
occurs but once in course of many years. We
were shown, both at Cincinnati and Louisville, wa
termarks on the second story of some of the ware
houses which front the river. You may conceive
what vast volume of water is at such times accu-
mulated along this river valley, and how extensive
is the devastation it occasions in its outbreak toward
the sea. The turbd bosom of the stream is at such
times covered with wrecks of overturned houses and
BARNS stacks of hay and grain, cattle, sheep, swine
rails, gates, trees rafters, and household furniture
of all descriptions, which rush along together like
the various arms in routed army, presenting a
scene at terrible and grand They tell Of era
dies from which sleeping infants have been rescued,
and beds out of which the sick have been taken, to
say nothing of the dead bodies which sometimes,
though more rarely, swell the horror of the specta-
Gle. Could this long and noble stream, passing as it
does through of the richest and loveliest Of val
leys, washing the shores of so many States, and
bearing every year countless mass of wealth from
city to city, be rendered of one uniform depth Of
water, its value would be incidentally enhanced to
all who navigate it or dwell upon its banks As il
is, it owes more than half its value to the introduce
ton of steam navigation, without which it would be
dangerous to navigate, tedious to ascend and DUR
ing much OF the year altogether impossible. Now
il is fast becoming one uninterrupted street; there
are, in most places, roads upon either bank, and
cities, and towns, and hamlets, and farm houses
and ron-works, and coal-yards, and boat-landings
follow each other in such rapid succession that one
feels surrounded as if by constant company Of his
iellow-citizens, and such progress Of human i'm
provement as can no where else be Witnessed
The collection Of passengers on board one Of
these western boats is curiously miscellaneous Tn
the same cabin, and often side by side in the same
state-room, you see the cool, wde-a-wake, caculat-
ing adventurer from down East" with an eve
like hawk, and features 50 strongly indicative of
shrewdness, selfpossesson, penetration, and an in
stinctive perception where individual interest lies
and how it may be promoted the lofty and luxu-
rious planter, with countenance which the sun has
tried TO make brown, malaria TO make yellow, and
good old madeira to tinge with rnddy carmine
his light hat and summer dress, his massey gold ring
and diamond shirtpin, with manners in which hau-
teur and polish bespeak the man of the world: and
then the settler, with his stout limbs indie
pendent, bold, and reckless bearing, good-natured
laugh, coarse jokes, frank communications abrupt
class and readiness and to defend his rights
per fds ant nefas, and without breath's delay
and then we have the German, with his broad face
and blue eye, his heavy limbs, bushy beard and
Saxon tongue, his crooked pipe and iron-bound
chest Creole, jabbering bad French the planta-
ton negro, merry, talkative, without a cent and
without care, waiting with an awkward readiness
on the slightest command of his master But who
shall paint the fairer department of our travelling
microcosm! The city lady, curious yet shrinking,
little doubtful of some Of her less genteel asso-
ciates leaning and looking to her husband or her
brother, with thousand questions and thousand
fears; the round and ruddy farmers daughter, on
board for the first time, SILENT watching every thing,
but ashamed to show her wonder or to disclose her
ignorance by asking questions; the successful ira
ders wife, raised by money from the lowest origin,
and obviously believing that its possession supplies
the place Of knowledge, manners, beauty, grace,
and all other qualifications whatsoever her voice
is loud, her bearing pretentious her airs of conse
quence and constant illusions TO property enter
tanning, till they become wearsome and offensive.
All these, and others more than can describe meet
and mingle at the same table, and exhibit motley
picture OF human nature which il is interesting and
edfying to study. Between these groups within,
and natures rich pomp and ever-changng beauty
without ones mind is never for moment wanting
for pleasing excitement. love travelling, every
where; but here, on these western waters, one en-
joys it to perfection, and without fatigue. Blessed
be the memory Of FULToN His modest, gentle
manly, intellectual image presents itself to my mem
DRY every minute, and long for him from the grave
that he might see with his own eyes what he has
done for us all But he shares the fate of n HIGHER