The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-06-23

WARAsHAW. June L..

water, it may be supposed BY you and some
Of your readers that Wabashaw has also
suffered some from 1.-The general deluge."
| have the honor therefore, to state that this
elegant spot has been exempt from this
trouble The old" town Of Wabashaw is
on an island, properly speaking, with the
Mississippi 10 front and an arm Of the Zum.
bro commonly called the slough" in the
rear. 10 shape it is like tongue "beers
tongue" for instance-only that it is wider
proportion, at the root, than beef tongue,
though, to carry out the ideas Of proportion,
not longer than wopans tongue.
The best criterion OF its height above low
water in the great rain, is the depth Of the
wells, which are supplied from the Missis.
sippi by percolation; so that the surface Of
the water in the wells is always on . level
with the surface Of the river. In the highest
part Of the surveyed limits OF the city, the
depth OF the wells is fifty-fve feet. and in the
lowest, towards the point or Tip Of the
tongue" j, is twenty feet. From the height
to the point where the slough unites with
the river the descent is so gentle and gradual
as hardly to be perceived, aud the point,
which is not built upon within q hundred
yards of its extremity aud is gradually over,
flown in the spring for 4 short distance, 10
seven feet above low water. The slope from
the centre to the sides Of the peninsula is
crowning-very much like newly paved
street and during heavy rain the water
runs of as last as it falls, 80 that after tue
rain is ove-, the streets are dry, and pcles.
trians are not troubled with mud.
The steamboat, landings extend the whole
length of the town. and during the late high
water it was up hill from steamboats, deck
TO the landing in all places along the levee,
and oil parts of the town were high and dry
except the "point aforesaid where an ice.
house was invaded BY the water and some
Of its contents dissolved, and except, also,
" the old chapel" a log structure which was
built long time ago and is nearest towards
the point, except the i0e.house, and which
was just surrounded by water The ends
Of the bridges across the slough, which con.
meet the city with the interior were over
down, but the bridges remained intact, and
teams were ferries over in large boats, 40
that travel was uninterrupted all the time.
The slough is an arm of the Zumbro, as
aforementioned, and is pure living water.
From the Zumbro to its junction with the
it is about four miles, and when
he Zumbro is high and the great river is
ow, as sometimes 10 February and March
$ the case, the waters Of the Zumbro come
caring through the slough at such rate az
o break up the " thick ribbed ice OF win.
er as though it were mere paper. Then
gain, when the Mississippi is high and the
,umbro low, the water flows back towards I
he Zambro, but not enough to cause cur
ent, il merely" backs up."
From the Zumbro to the Mississippi the
Tough runs in Q northwest direction and the
curse OF the great river a. II runs by our
evee is about east forming one the most
p leDdd town sites in existence. The late
Ugh water has set il of to the greatest
ossible advantage, and steamboat travellers
ave given verbal certificates 10 its favor
Ihich were q" like apples Of gold in pictures
{ silver.
On the opposite side Of the slough is &
esutifu bench or plateau which is about
wo miles long and three quarters Of a mile
tide, as level as need be, and about thirty
st above the level Of high water, and which
xtends a mile and hell above the point"
the old town, is part Of the surveyed
lot Of the city, and is a fine place for pri-
ate residences. Several professional men
eside there, ADD the county buildings con-
aiming the Register, the District Clerks
nd the County Clerks Offices are loo lted
mere. The DIstr,c. Court holds It's sitting.
bere also
Last Tuesday morning, at about elk
clock, we had most tremendous thunder
torn. which lasted nearly 40 hour. To say
nat the rain fell in torreots, a. the Old say.
,g goes, would be ike saying tbs, tbe
iisslssippi at New Orleans 10 Z" considerable
. stream which some downeas,fr nigh,
oss'biy say. II literally poured down, and
there were any drops. they we're not such
, are used in large numbers to gu bucket
nth, and are called singly and Ipd vDdasiy
a drop in the buckle, = 6r each drop was
,rger than . bucket. Imagine q cubic
-, OF ICE TO be Ie, loose from high pace
!, the cIOad. and 10 met before il struck the
Nth ali IN one hmm and fbe, ,..a hsv,