Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-06-24
The Great Freshrtsofrs-

For month or more the whole c,r,.
mas oeen' with more or less constancy ~;
tea oy rains unpTecedentedly heavy. na,,;,
ularly in the Western country l.
England the rivers have not risen soff,o,,,,
high to cause great damage, as indeed .,
seldom do, the natural formation 80 az!
banks preventing any serious oyere,us
the State Of New York, the iu,erIor D.. u
and canals have been Swollen So mu.b w.
cause serious foundations upon tho
lands, and some grain fields have noe,
troyed 10 the western part of the S,,,a
The rivers OF the other middle state. h.,
| also been somewhat higher than usual h..
not so high as to cause dangerous floods
beyond the line Of the Aileghanies bou.-
er, the rains have been iucessant ard :.
quentIy accom- panied by tornados and b.a
stones, which, independently Of the G5o6.
! have destroyed many lives and mpc5 -
perty. The Mississippi river began 10 ~.
nearly month ago, and creyasses ns,- -
mouth were the first fruits. Those creva..a,
have been increasing in number and =,
ever since, until there il scarcely a drr ~
tatlon on either bank below yicksbufs, q,
course the devastation OF property has bsor
Immense, and, though falling GA many in
dlvlduals, whole communities have in sor,,
cases been absolutely ruined. As the rain.
continued to fall, the smaller streams trim,
tary to the Father of Waters. became 90.
len and unmauageahle, and hardly Town
upon their banks has escaped the dan,ar.
OF the flood. The Ohio from Pittsburg n
CAIRO, has overfowcd the low lands, sud de-.
stroyed all hopes of a corn crop. The Va.
bash, the Illinois, the Missouri the Uona,
Mississippi, and the hundrei smaller streams
emptying into each of these, has added tho
force OF its own increased current 70 tba.
Of the great stream into which they f3vy
besides spreading destruction and ruin ali
along their own banks. Cairo, NJ the iunc-
ton of the Ohio and the MssissippI. has
been well nigh totally swept away, the L.
wees on either side having proved met.
ticaclOus to prevent the inrOads of the rush
ing waters. MOuod City, near Cairo, has
been in very similar situation. At the
Oluaka Junction, steamers ply on what was
recently wheat field, aud the distance
across the river is nearly ten miles. At
Dubuque and other points higher up toe
river, as well as on the Des Moines river
the water has been aIarmingly high. AZ
st. Louis the levees are all oyerhOwn, and
the opposite bank is covered TO the depth
OF several feet. Every farm in llinos,own.
with numberess acres of growing wheat, are
completely inundated. Here, as every where
else, there have been large losses Of horses,
cattle, and hogs. Several lives have been
lost by the capsizing of temporary ferry.
boats, and 10 consequence Of persons a.
tempting to cross where the water was az
parently fordable, but where the current
proved too strong. Every body will be re
joiced to know that the rivers have already
begun to fall, and that there will be a speedy
end to this fearful destruction of life aud
property. Great floods do not occur often,
and we can hope at least that another food
like that of 1858 may not be seen for many
years to come.