The Nevada Democrat., 1861-12-12
THE GREAT ELOO0.


Of Marysville papers of Monday, Tuesday,
and Wednesday. From these and other
sources, we learn that the late flood in the
Sacramento valley has been the most dis
astrous of any that has occurred since the
country was settled by the whites. Sacra'
mento and Marysville were both submerged,
causing considerable loss Of life, while
the destruction of property has been i'm
mense. Parties who went on top of Sugar
Loaf, on Monday and Tuesday, could see
that the whole country from the foothills
to the coast range, with the exception of
here and there an island, was under water,
but as the telegraph was not working, and
the stages were detained, we were not able
to get any particulars o! the inundation
until yesterday evening.
The water broke through the Sacramento
levee early Monday morning, from the
American river, and soon flooded the city.
From the report given in the Union of Tues
day, we condense as follows:
At about o'clock yesterday morning, it WAS
announced that the levee had given.way on the
eastern boundary Of the city, and that that por-
ton of the city was being rapidly flooded. 1t
appears that during the night the water had
overhowed and broken down the levee of the
American river east of the City Laundry, and
had flooded large area of country southwark
from that point The water commenced to
some through the openings Of this levee before
9 O'Clock inthe morning, but as the progress Of
the current was entirely checked by the em-
bankment of the Il street railroad, such mass
accumulated in the angle and along the line Of
the eastern levee that at about o'clock it COM
mencedto to flow over the top, nearly all along
the line from II street and the fort, and at va
rious points north of the fort. ALI the streets
of the city south Of were flooded by 8 o'clock
as far west as Eleventh and Twelfth streets,
and many Of them as far as Ninth and Tenth
streets. The tendency Of the destructive cur
rent seemed to be along the southern section
of the city-the Il street levee damming it up
and preventing its natural flow towards Suffer-
vile. Residents Of that section of the city,
even when notified by THAR trends, seemed un-
able to realize their danger until their houses
were surrounded by a rapidly rising current
Before 8 o'clock many women and children in
one story houses were entirely surrounded and
hemmed in east of Eleventh and Twelfth sts.,
and in many instances their calls for assistance
were distressing. There were at that hour
brought into service, and the only means Of
transporting this class to dry land, mules, hor-
ses, wagons, etc. When the water at 10 and
IL O'Clock reached the lower portion of the city,
at Fifth and Sixth streets, north Of the railroad,
its depth was so great as to set ah0at and turn
over large number Of houses in that vicinity.
From very many Of these houses, for the space
of from one to two hours, women could be seen
from the railroad, at doors and windows calling
for boats, or any means of transportation to
the higher portion of the city. Boats were at
first scarce, and for some time it seemed as
though many lives must inevitably be lost. All
the boats at the levee were soon brought into
requisition; many were placed on wagons, and
others were carried to the edge of the water
and were manned and rendered heroic service
in rescuing women and children from their
perilOus positions.
As the water arrived at the vicinity of the
Pavilion, corner of Sixth and nj streets, many
families were driven from their homes and had
no place of shelter. The doors Of the Pavilion
were locked, and there was no one present with
keys. c. l.. Knowles, with an ak, burst open
one of the doors of the upper story, and then
put notice inviting families to take refuge
During the day the Howard Benevolent Society
accommodated in their building some two hun
dred persons, men, women and children-hav-
ing kept four boats running constantly, bringing
off from the flooded district those who were with
out the means of transportation. The water
continued to back up from the II street levee,
and food in turn Nj, l., X and J streets. Soon
after | o'clock these streets were from two to
four feet under water. The inmates of one
story buildings engaged themselves actively in
carrying into the second story all movable
things. The cellars in town were of course filled
with water and large quantities of stores were
destroyed. Boats, scows, and every imagina-
bic kind Of water craft was brought into play
on our streets, Men, Woman and children,
furniture, provision and clothing, were remov-
ed by these floating crafts, and many an anu
sing incident occurred from the upsetting Of
portions ofthe fiotilla, and from foot passengers
while walking in two or three feet of water,
plnnging unexpectedly in newly washed holes
in the streets. AT about ii O'Clock in the fore
noon, the chaingang, under direction of over
seers Long and Dreman, cut an opening in the
r street levee between 9th and 9th SITS. When
the water first commenced to pass through the
opening towards SutteTville, there was a fall
from the city side of from eight to ten feet. A
large number of houses in the immediate vicin-
ity had been fairly afoat for some time, and
the discharge through the opening in the
railroad was such that from twenty to twenty
five Of these houses, many Of them two stories
high, were swept. through and dashed to frag-
ments as they passed on their way to Sutter-
vile. Several openings beside that which was
cut by the chain gang were created BY the nat
ural action of the water, and the great discharge
through them all resulted inlowering the water
on ~ and X streets, at three. or four O'Clock,
abOutia foot.