The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-04-19


The GREAT FREsHET.--In Sundays pa
per we noticed the extraordinary rise of the
Mississippi river at this point, which has
continued ever since, although at less
rapid rate. St. Paul proper, is situated on
plateaux from forty to one hundred and fifty
feet above low water mark, and affords a
splendid situation for an observation of the
awful torrent that rolls along it's front.
The river bottoms, at the upper and lower
ends of the town are the only portions over
flowed. On these are several saw mills and
the shanties of laborers, who have been
compelled to remove with their household
furniture to more elevated situations.
On the levee also, the water on the east
side of jackson street, has entered the base
ment stories of the warehouses, and the
railroad Office, but the goods were removed
to the upper stories without damage, and
the business men will only suffer Temporal
ry inconvenience. There is still abundance
of levee room to land goods into Jackson
street and on the levee to Robert street,
and above.
But the most sad effects of the food in
this vicinity, are seen in the condition of
the chartered city of West st. Paul, in Da-
kota county, on the west side of the river.
At the last census, it contained popula.
of about six hundred, and somewhere in the
neighborhood of one hundred buildings
some of which were of good size, and cost
ing at the time they we're constructed a
large sum of money. This town is almost
entirely submerged, the water being in some
instances up to the roofs of the houses and
Shanties. Some of the streets could be
easily navigated by light draught steam.
boats.
In anticipation of the food, large por.
ton of the people packed up their goods on
Friday and Saturday of last week, and re-.
moved to the higher plateau in the rear,
while others came over to st. Paul. Many,
however, were unable to do so, and on Sat-
urday and Sunday were engaged in trans.
porting their families and furniture in boats
to place of safety. Others took refuge in
the upper stories of the highest houses, driv.
ing their pigs, cows, and chickens into the
same quarters. There they looked out up.
on the food, with the same anxiety for its
abatement, that possessed Noah of old, when
be sent out the dove from his ark, --occa-
sionally varying the monotony of the scene
by a boat excursion to learn the condition
of their neighbors.
On Sunday and yesterday the ST. Paul
bridge, Burbank's Hill, and every other
good point of observation was thronged
with people, who gazed with wondering
awe at the magni6cence of the scene, and
with hearty sympathy for the unfortunate
inhabitants of West st. Paul. AS long as
there was no immediate danger of drowning,
their circumstances were not entirely re-
moved from the ludicrous, which was shared
in by those who escaped before the over
flow. One man said he was thankful that
the water couldn't get high enough to wash
away the "cupolas" (mortgages) on the
buildings, and that those were safely an.
chored down at Hastings.
The width of the Mississippi just below
st. Paul, at the present time cannot be less
than three miles, with quite a strong cur
rent outside of Its legitimate channel.
The damage as yet, has been comparative
ly light. Men were engaged all Sunday in
rigging booms to prevent the sawed lumber,
railroad ties, etc., from washing away, and
in getting everything snug for still greater
increase of water.
The Mississippi at st. Paul has not yet