The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-05-21
the CONFEDERATION OF ST. LOUIS.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY.
THE BURNT DIaYRIcY.
." Gc &c. &c. -

%" DC. &c. &c.
1t is singular circumstance in the history Of this
eventful year-eventful we mean thus far, in judg-
ments and fearful disasters-that have to record
almost at the instant the destruction, to great
extent, by fire, the other by water two Of the
greatest and most commercial cities Of the Union both
of them situated upon extreme points OF this isssip
pi river While New Orleans is threatened with being
submerged by water st. Louis is suffering from the
effects of of the most extensive and destructive
recorded The origin of this fire very
That part Of the city where the steamboats,
thickly crowded together, is called the Levee The
steamboats, thickest and most crowded this point
Of the river from the foot of Locust street to the foot
of Market street The space between the river and
the fronts Of the stores and warehouses on this
Levee is, believe, about hundred and fifty feet
1t is therefore, most extraordinary that the fire,
accountsshtherto describes, should have COM
municated from the burning steamboats, to the houses
the levee thus producing general connagraton of
the city. Perhaps surprise at this circumstance
ought to cease when reflect that the whole space
the Lcvee, during busy season. is crowded with bales
of cotton, barrels of -four, goods, merchandise and
packages of all kinds, some Of them OF a most nlam
matory character. Again, surprise is excited at
not being able for the that these steam
beats, being the water, not immediately cut
loose and taken out sent adrft into the open river
away from proximity to the houses and merchandise
We can hardly account for this by saying that they
had no steam up, and were laid up for the time and
the hands not on board, because it that very
little effort would have been sufficient to carry or push
them out into the stream Be this as may, the burnt
district constitutes the wealthiest and
part of the city We regret this dire calamity exceed
ngly, as doubtless many who have hitherto lived In
wealth ard splendor will be found plunged into po-
amt will a1s Ofak lima oro
city rise up again from its ashes to its former
rshipg condition
Saint Louis is the largest city in the Union of
the Aneganes, with the exception Of Cincinnati and
New Orleans Its rapid growth and its steadily in
creasng commercial prosperity render it perhaps the
most important and interesting point in fhe great
West. e,'
The location is most admirable one in everv pont
of view Its commercial advantages Of position have
placed St. Louis in high rank among business places
and it is now universally acknowledged that the
Mound City" must eventually become the "New
According to the Western Metropolis Saint Louis
Is in 80 degrees 81 minutes 2s seconds north lati-
tnde; 10 deg IA min. Is sec. west longitude from
washington and 30 deg 10 min 80 west longitude
from Greenwich 1t is situated the centre Of the
Great Valley on the western bank of the Mississippi
river seventeen miles below the mouth of the Missouri
hundred and eighty above the mouth of the Ohio
twelve hundred and thirty eight above New Orc ans,
eight hundred and sixty below Saint Anthonys Falls
and eight hundred and fifty by the mail routes from
Washington City The ground on which the city is
lies on the the form OF semicrcle
and was originally bold rocky bluff which has since
mostly disappeared From the river the ground rises
in two benches to the height of nearly eighty feet
above the level of the water at ordinary stage At
Fourth street, or the top Of the second bench wide,
level plain commences, which sweeps to a great dis
lance, west, north and south, forming an abundant
space for an immense city. The natural advantages
OF this site are entirely unsurpassed. Unlike the
"Queen City'' of the Ohio which is already tearing
down the hills to make room for her teemng popula-
tion St. Louis offers almost lmitess space for i'm
provement Hundreds of buildings are annually going
| fppnh nu hradA md %
| room The present city limits embrace 1--WE miles on
the rivers bank, and from one to two miles west.
distance Of more than two miles on the river Is now
entirely occupied by substantial buildings and In the
western direction the ground is thicky covered
as Tenth street; and beyond this even to Sixteenth
street. good and handsome dwellings by means
rare and this West End' is fast becoming pleasant
and fashionable quarter for private residences
The selection Of this admira Bile locality was the re.
suit OF mere accident, will appear from the follow
ing anecdote. Some Of the older inhabitants of our
city relate that when Lacede and his party first set
foot on what is st Louis, their encam pment
made in consequence of there being plenty Of wood
hand-nost Of the formerly Included within the
city limits being then dense forest Their
being made the leaders of the party set themselves
about hunting place for a new settlement They ex,
pored for distance down the river aud then up
as high as the mouth Of the Missouri The result Of
"North Saint Louisn selected, and to this point
the commander Of the expedition intmated that it
was his intention at once to remove. But to this
an objection was raised by the ladies Of the
party They were tired Of moving about had ut
length become comfortably fixed" in their new quar-
their lords wanted to settle elsewhere they could do
So but as for themselves they satisfied and de-
men Of gallanry the ladies had it all their own way
Tall oaks from little grow" and the settle
ment originated by the we will, and WON'T Of a
few ladies, Is now st. Louis, the metropolis Of tho
West.
The population in 1910 was 1,6oo; in 1920, 4,5es in
$780, 6694; and in 1s4O le,469, Of whom l. 53l were
slaves But by far the greatest increase Of population
in st. Louis has occurred within the last five years;
and while the increase during the ten years last pre-
nVIy ahnnf forf nous aud In
taton since that time has been not less than twenty
FIVE thousand, showing present population Of between
forty and fifty thousand Such increase in short
time as five years. is almost unprec edented in the
annals Of any city, but it is universally admitted that
forty thousand and the prevailing estimate forty.
five thousand. At such rate who shall set bound
to the future greatness Of the Young Giant City?"
And this rapdity OF growth not the result Of undue
excitement, Of over-wrought mercantile calculations,
Of chmerical specuati0ns; the contrary the ship
Is well provided with ballast St Louis Is the business
centre of vast extent Of country and is the grand
depot for the great Missouri river country the Upper
part of the States of Missouri illinois, for iowa and
Wisconsin, &C. This wide area is in a great measure
country becomes filed up, (Which Is being done with
vast rapidtyD the growth Of St. Louis must keep pace
with that Of the surrounding region. No site could
have been chosen better adapted for the transaction OF
business with the different parts of the far West
Lying as it does near the confluence of two mighty
rivers gives 1t the command of the commerce of the
countries those streams and their tributaries, and
renders 1t the depot for all the mineral and agricu
tufai Wehltn OF those productive regions westward,
the star OF empire takes its way and this great valley
is fast becoming peoped by Industrious and per-
manent population, st Louis being the general head
quarters and rendezvous for all The river is seldom
closed by ice below this point that st. Louis may
be said to be accessible the year round by steamboats,
\ from the Ohio and the far South. An exception to
this general rule occurred the last winter when nav-
cation was suspended for some weeks in November,
December. and January. Another advantage in the
location Of this city is the elevation Of its site such
an altitude as to throw mostly out Of the reach of
the great freshets which occur on the Mississippi
river Much damage however, done to this
| place by the " Great Flood' of 1871 a short ac-
count of which will here introduce The year
1914 will long be remembered "t.1n6e des Grandes
Eau1,p or the year Of the great freshet whose d.
vastations and deplorable consequences almost defy
calculation. This tremendous overflow has had n,
parallel within the memory of the oldest inhabitants
Of the Mississippi valley. The greatest previous
rise record, was in 17s5, when. in the month
Of April the waters of the Mississippi from fifteen
to twenty feet above the highest mark they had ever
been known to attain at St Louis and some arrow