The Grand Haven news., 1862-03-12
"SAN FnANcIsco, Jan'y 10, lse

"SAN Francisco, Jan'y 10, 1862.
"Wo have had no papers for long
time. There are no mails by steamers.
The overland mail brings all letters and
papers. Until the flood wa had daily
mail; but now they are irregular. The
people here are getting out of patience,
and, as there is no prospect of our receiv-
ing letters by the overland route, for three
months, think the mail will be put upon
the steamer tomorrow. The pony ex-
press is dead. We have only the tele-
graph and overland mail, and the country
is so flooded we can get no news from ell
ther.
"You can form no idea of what Califor-
mia is suffering by the flood. Since the
10Th of November it has rained constant
ly. The whole valley up the Sacramento
and Americana Rivers, TO the Sierra Ne
vada Mountains, is under water. The
Americana River has been sixty feet above
low water mark, and the news came down
by boat last night that it was still rising
higher than ever before. The steamboats,
from here to Sacramento, Stockton, &C.,
run without reference to the river bed, the
water being from eight to ten feet deep
all over the country, and The rivers cannot
be found. 1t still rains, not a common,
moderate rain, but pours in torrents from
morning till night, and from night till
morning. Sacramento is in drowning
condition. Many of the inhabitants have
been brought down here, and, if the rain
continues much longer, the town will be
deserted.
"Cousin E. saw n lady few days
since who came down from there. She
stepped from the second story window in
to boat and sailed TO the steamboat.
A steam tug sailed up to the Capitol with
some Of the members of the Legislature,
the day Of the Governors Inauguration,
aud on Saturday the Capitol was closed,
it being so much under water the upper
rooms could not be used. Women and
children are taken from the roofs of houses,
and the San Franciscoans have opened
their public buildings to give them shell
ter and food. In one Hall there are sew
en- hundred lodged and fed. Ono man,
driven to his roof by the water, hailed the
steamboat by hurrahing for jeff. Davis.
The boat went up near him-he still
swung his hat for jeff, and the boat sailed
{ off and left him.
"Cattle, sheep, horses, &C., through
the whole Valley, are drowned. Men
who were worth thousands few weeks
ago are in this city begging for something
for their wives and children TO wear and
eat. Forty inches of rain have fallen since
November lst; and the Indians and old
Calfornians say we have not seen the
worst Of it yet. They are leaving the
Valley and going into the Mountains.
"They say California has n flood once in
thirty-two years. In 1880 it was more
severe than now, and, further, that next
, month we shall have more rain than we
have had. l think l have seen rainy
season in California. If you were here
you would have all the rain water you
want. M. A. H."
A letter of January 29th, last, says:
" wrote you some time ago, as you
will see by the date, but we have had no
mails for fifty days. The whole country
is under water. Last week l went to
Sacramento and sailed through every
street in the city, and could not touch
bottom with an oar. am going to send
this letter by express, by steamer-it is
the only way of sending il TO you, and
costs twenty-five cents to New York.
M. A. H."