The Nevada Democrat., 1861-12-14
The Flood at sacramentO.

The general appearance of Sacramento
on the 10th, the day after the inundation,
and some idea of the damage done, are
thus described in the Union of Wednesday:
The morning sun yesterday rose bright
and beautiful over our city, but its beams
fell upon desolate and dreary scene. The
waters had subsidized during the night three
or four feet, leaving L street and all the
streets north of it beds ofmud, strewn with
planks from sidewalks and crossings, and
amid which boats and RATS, used 10 their
navigation the day before, lay helplessly
stranded. South Of L street, however, all
the city was still submerged, and boats and
RATS afforded the only means of locomotion
in them. The scene in this part of the city,
where the first fury of the food was spent,
was one of dismal devastation. Scores of
capsized houses lay where they had been
lodged against trees or other capsized and
topping dwellings, great piles of stray
lumber and wood were floating about, aud
carcases of drowned cattle. horses and
swine here and there disfgured the general
wreck, amidst which boats and RATS were
plying industriously, filed with people in
search of their damaged household effects
On Ninth street, between X and r, where
the bodies of fourteen or fifteen horses, and
the loss of property belonging to families,
resident there. was especially large. 1t is
still difficult TO ascertain the loss of life by
the food with any degree of exactness, Ow-
ing to the multiplicity of wild exaggera-
tions, the still continuing hustle aud con-
fusion. and the great difficulty of loCOmo'
tion.
The loss of property by the inundatiOn
is immense, probably amounting in the ag-
gregate to one million of dollars. The
principal losses are of buildings, household
furniture, and wood. Many merchants on
J and X streets suffered heavily in the dam
age done by wetting their stock, but very
generally they succeeded in piling their
more valuable goods on upper shelves and
boxes out of the way of drenching.
The breaks in the r street levee, upon
which the railroad is located, are seven.
The first at Fifth street, 100 feet, second, at
Sixth, 200 feet; third, near Eighth, 800 feet;
fourth. at Tenth, go feet; fifth. at Twelfth,
80 feet; sixth, at Thirteenth, 100 feet; sev.
enth, at Fifteenth, 100 feet. Numerous
breaks were also made in the levee from
Sixteenth to Thirty.first street. These breaks
must all be repaired, as we'll as the trestlO
bridge built at Seventeenth and Eighteenth
streets. before the cars can run into the
city. The Superintendent thinks he will
be able to make repairs 10 three or four
days so as to enable the cars to run to the
Ridge.
Gangs of men we're at work yesterday
on X street, at the corner of Ninth, cutting
passage for the water to run off from ]
and X streets. On Q street, near Seventh,
at dark last night, the water was two feet
deep and still slowly subsiding.
At nine o'clock, last evening, the water
in the Sacramento was about 20 feet, being
foot lower than on Monday night. We
Judge that the river has been falling very
slowly during the day.
II is gratifying to record that those of our
citizens who escaped toe food have exer.
cIsed generous hospitality towards the
sufferers. Gov. Downey and DR.. Nixon
took into the second stories of their houses
a large number of houseless women and
children; so did Mrs. Nan Every at her
boarding house on l. street, and 80 did
many others whom we are not able to par.
ticularize. The Howard Society took po-
session of the Pavilion, where, on Monday
night, they accommodated about 250, and
last night 300 or 400. The women and
children we're furnished with mattresses,
and all had blankets and an unlimited sup.
ply of excellent soup, prepared iD a caul-
dron, and coffee and tea. This society
promptly furnished boats for the rescue Of
such as were in danger, and many Others
volunteered for the came benevolent work.
with boats or such other means as we're pro.
curable at the moment.