The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-05-28


pi River has given unmistakable evidence
that the fountains Of the great deep were
broken up. The rise is not confined to the
Lower Mississippi, but extends to the regions
of the North. In Minnesota large expanse
of country has been overhowed, and at last
accounts, the waters were still rising, at the
rate of nearly half an inch On hour. At St.
Paul, 200 families were obliged to seek
higher quarters or run the risk of being
swept of. Agood portion Of the city was
under water, though the Pioneer, says it will
take at least three feet more of water to COW
er the whole town site, or rather that por-
ion that it is built upon.
At Dubuque, the water has made sad hav.
oc with the levees, streets and side walks
D. g. p. R. r. track is rendered impossible
for some distance, and the cars are forced
to stop without the city.
The towns Of Clinton, Lyons, Albany and
Savannah, ore partially submerged.
Fulton City was entirely surrounded By
water. leaving NJ communication from
thence except by boat-the Railroad bridge
on the Galena Road having washed away
and the track for some distance being under
water. Most of the Touring and saw mills
have been obliged to suspend operations un
til the water falls.
Keokuk was flooded on tho 18th inst
The Post says of the storm aud its effects {:
"Thc rain which commenced falling at eight
O'Clock, came down in torrents almost inces.
sanity till nearly daylight. Streets were
flooded, and houses and cellars filed with
water. In some of the streets the water ran
in resis,less food, carrying off everything
movable. In Squire Recder's house the
water was foot deep in the parlor. Hun
dreds of houses in low places were flooded
and the occupants compelled to seek higher
grounds. The great damage, however, was
sustained by culvert, which is badly bro
ken in several places and damaged at least
ten thousand dollars. At the foot of Fifth
street, the large nrched stone culvert-the
largest in the cty-was inadequate to dis
charge the accumulated waters, and was
forced to succumb. 1t was washed COM
pletely out. The loss on this piece Of work
is stated at about S25 900. At the junction
of Third Street, and at the Bank the cuivert
is also badly broken. All the bridges over
the creek at the lower end of the city, were
swept away and there is no place for the
teams to cross the river at its present stage
below Twelfth street."
On our visit to St. Louis, we passed
through Hannibal, which We found partially
under water-the r. R. track in many places
about the depot being submerged. Many
houses were entirely surrounded by water,
and all communication with I" the land - was
by means of boats.
Between Hannibal and St. Louis, n vast
expanse Of water is presented to the eye, in
many places thickly studded with trees, with
nothing but the tops visible.
At St. Louis fears were entertained Of a
great Good, if the June rise of the Missouri
should be added to the volume of water now
rushing madly on to the gulf. Before this,
however, We suppose their fears have become
somewhat abated, for we learn that the
waters are slowly subsidinS. The Democrat
Of the 10th, thus discoursed of the rise:
rise in the river at this point, almost
unprecedented in rapidity, occurred on Sat-
urday, commencing ut m early hour. 1t
rose so fast, that the men who were deputed
by some merchants to remove a quantity Of
grain from the wharf were unable to do so
before the water had mounted upon the pile,
submergIng one tier and part Of another
In the course of few hours in the morning,
freight on the wharf was so disposed of as
to leave space of ten or fifteen feet as u
bed FOR the encroaching water.
We had the curiosity to measure accurate
ly, on Saturday, the amount of rise in thir-
ty-tve minutes, and found it to be two inch
es. 1t could not have continued swelling at
that rapid rate all day, however, for the
total rise in the twenty four hours ending. at
! 10 a. NJ. yesterday, was about two feet and
six inches. From ten o'clock to four
O'Clock, six hours, the rise was only one inch,
and the river is expected to be found declin-
ing, or at stand, this morning.
On Saturday, merchants on the levec,
were under the necessity Of raising goods
from their cellars and piling them in upper
stories and on the sidewalks, and others were
doing the same yesterday. A force of men
was engaged yesterday in raising the rail-
road track that runs along the river, as the
! water threatened to run over it. Some of
the minor dykes and made roads on Bio ydy
Island, were caving in, and foundations Of
low-lying parts of the island threatened.
| In addition to this, We have information
that the Illinois is swelling, not only from
the lower end, but from La Sale and the
head waters.
We are no alarmists, but when whole seas
! Of rains have fallen on the whole provinces
North,- East and West of us and when the
Missouri, the Upper Mississippi and the ILL.,
nois, and their thousand tributaries are
pouring ont their greatly swollen streams,
we do nothing more than our duty in warn
ing those interested to "lock out for
food