The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-06-19
From the Chicago Times.

From the Chicago Times.
The Flood! Cairo Destroyed
Fail OF a Hotel! Immense Loss IF Proper-
ty. Further Rise IN tie Ricer.
CAIRO, June 10, 1853.
I arrived in this place at 10 O'Clock a. m
and found everything n the widest ,onfu
sion. 1t has rained almost necessarily for
the past three months, swelling the .ivers
out Of their banks, carrying desolatlon in
their pathway. Thousands upon thousands
of acres of land, above and@be,ow, has been
laid waste, and millions Of dollars worth Of
property lost. Yesterday morning a dis,icnt
shock of an earthquake was felt here, ard at
o'clock in the evening the "cross lcvee"
broke Mhen the water, which was twelve
or fifteen feet above the level of the town,
outside, came dashing, foaming and seeth-
ing INSIDE The break was SO unexpected,
that the inhabitants were taken by scrprise
and many Of them only had time to escape,
with their families to the levce, before the
torrent swept away their homes. In many
instances boats and RATS had to be resorted
to for the means of escape. To-day every
person is busil1 engaged in rescuing what
property they safely can from the floating
houses.
TAYLOR House in the second story. knee
deep in water, the culinary department be-
ing carried to the thhd. A. few families
who resided in two-story houses, renamed
in them until noon to-day. They now have
TO get out of their upstairs windows into
boats-the water bring almost en- level
with them, and rising at the rate of four in
ches an hour.
The Ohio levee is the only place Of ref.
uge left, it being only some seventy five
feet wide, and three four,hs Of a mile in
lengths and here a linked" sight is presen-
ted to the 6eholdcr-every animate and IN
aniU1uthing saved from the destroying ell
olire and kroadcloth Dutch, Irish, Negroes
and tue anglo Saxon; pigs, calves, mules
and horses; turkies, chickens, geese; boxes
barrels and bales; bedding, cooking uten-
sils, and baggage, together with many 9TH
er articles, not necessary to describe.
At one o'clock p. m, nearly one-half OF
the new (unfinished) hotels, on the levee,
fell with a deafening crash, preceded by a
repor; equal to a six FOUNDER. The build
ing was Of brick, five stories high, with at
cost nearly 100000. The remaining por-
ton was considerably swaycd. Total loss.
Gov. Mattcson's new bank building, five
stories high. also on the levee, shows signs
of falling. 1t is an unfinished building, and
cost about 75, 600.
The "Springfeld Block adjoining the
bank, still stands firm, bat Will probably
come down with crash soon, as the water
is soft.ning the ground at the foundation.
Nine tenement; are within this building. all
occupied. The post Office is in one OF them
Cost some S300.O 900 or 100000
Among a very few amusing incidents, was
the appearance Of Col. Hacker on raft,
floating around for fun. Also, Lieut.. Fax
on and Ed. Wilett on another, bare-legged,
policing aronnd the wrecks of houses, and
making an Intellectual attempt to sing the
" Boatman'S Song
A further rise OF two or three feet will
sweep silently over the site where Cairo
once stood, but here it will never stand
again, .Torercr
\ rumor is CURRENT that the levce was cut
by person living in Moud City, as he was
seen in the neigh borhood oi the break a We
nv short time after the water commenced
running in.
The railroad track has been washed away
north Of town, with considerable of the tres
tic work. Passengers on the |. c. K. K.
are transferred to the Mound City train at
the junction. at which place they take the
packet for e.is place.
Some three miles north, the Mississippi
sweeps across to the Ohio river, with strong
current, which places this fated place on an
island, in fact.
Mound City being on an elevation, has far
ed some better than her sister town, but
even there grea. portion oi the place Is
submerged. The Shelton Hotel Twas p.cpar-
ing to-day for further rise, by putting in
second floor, some eighteen inches high. \
portion OF the first floor was covered an inch
or two with water, AT p. II.
Every boat that leaves here carries por-
ton of the unfortunate Inhabitants away
from their now desolated homes. Many Of
the busigcss men are made bankrupt by the
food.
Major Rawlings, Of Mound City, informs
me that he has lived there fifty years, and
that the Ohio river is higher now than he
has ever seen il. \ simple pen SIX tch falls
far short Of conveying a correct idea of the
scene. ITO be appreciated, it must be
seeE." IEE8oR.