Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-03-23

" ~ onnAs $500 = 1ogn.
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| e.: 2 ~, :; s: lss E ! .s "a ~ "a
3.~srsShls 7lvaAet q this toGfu6 u Oonnlsy,
1,I ~nich = now subsldlnG ~ Neekqf
is,rS1IscGf - sf1fnn, expsFls1c01t ~ wh0es
ien9th q the Tennessee River, hae produc'
~ 4 nood ,Ufulyto - Witnessed EDY..lm
didut M abitant." TIE Cumberland River
| hes bsen equally flooded, and Nashville
'v1spsetty much surruundcd By WISER when
I leh there. 4 week ago. The farms and
1Ovns alonethc river have been submerged,
ana The al ructjoA Of property consequent
very serious, to an already war-impovcrish-
II arm pussang. 0DwnsAs1e wn6fiveEg
4 such I time, IL remarkable TO witness.
OCCASIONALLY it presents to view Q continu
ana mass or line Of TIA rl1lS' busheuu1a
lumber. whsse ~ Wit ~ blownli I; 10
one Seieo Of u Stresn. Ft~u1kn were to BE-.
scrn bueily &paaGed ~ ptIxe high NO.
nails and cord-wood, to prevent fIoat;n0
away by top weight. Families were elcya.
ted to second stories and lofts. and cattle
were driven to higher knobs and to the
rear bluffs
At Paducah, the Ohio River presented a
majestic appearance--was mile wide. and
dotted with drift. It's waters flowed on as
though grand lake or inland ocean had
broken loose, and was prssing by in solemn,
resistless might. The levcc Il Paducsh
had about disappeared. the wharf boats
backing well up to the main streets.
Johnsonville, 10 miles up the Tennessee.
had completely gone under, and soldicru
were amusing themselves, last Sunday, BY
mddling over it upon logs and fats. The
railrOad here to Nashville, was second
time Inundated, and several bridges were
gone, Sequivshg three 1ecks to repair it, ct
least. The Telegraph wires wese also down,
and the plncc was deaolation depicted.
Town lots were down, and the hopes Of the
speculative town proprietors considerably
dampencd, no doubt.
Here we learn IF immense losses Of Gov.
eminent property above at Eastport ffty
thousand sacks Of grain were drowned, snd
wagons, and ambulances, and Quarterinus
ter's stores by the half million Upon reach
ing Eastport, we find the landing to be
eight feet under water, and the steamers
and army headquarters moved to Chcka.
saw, once village hamlet, one mile above,
across Bear Creek and in the State Of Ala.
bama. At Chick ,saw the flood was With
In two feet Of overlooking its high bank,
~ nStt HI 10.
found for miles along this portion Of the
river. Three or four houses still remain in
the place, and arc occupied by families.
This nook was formerly quite rendez-
vous fer Tennessee River steambOatmcn,
A. well ~ the little town Of Waterloo, just
above and across the river.
The flood was 0ccz,sioned by several days
of constant and heavy rain storms and
rose with remarkable mpidity. During
one night it rose nearly seven feet The
second day of the storm February Gath.
Col. Mackay. Chief Quartermaster to Gen.
Thomas, who is located here, ordered q
detail Of two thousand soldiers, IN addi-
ton to the considerable body of civilian
employees to move the vast mountain of
grim and hny. and the immense stock Of
clothing, hardware and provisions, to safe
quarters. Then no such flood was antici-
pated. In ordinary highwatcr ,imeJ the
bottom at Eastport Landing does not over
flow. But the rain continued, and soon
the peril became imminent Steamers
arriving were detained. and each heavily
laden, and boats with loads of grain made
nasty trips to the Chickasaw Bluff. The
storm continued. the water rose, the
men became exhausted. and the soldiers
finally bolted-ani who will blame them
severely, their sixteen dollars a month con
sidcrcds About twenty thousand sacks
of corn and cats were lost. Also some
wagon beds, tents, and loose army para
phcrnalia, floatcd away. The provisions.
clothing hardware. medicine, supplies. hay
and the great body OF the grain was saved
entirely uninjurcd. Every possible exer
ton was made by the persons in charge to
preserve the property, and the people
should feel thankful that the loss was no
greater II may reach 100000 but will
not exceed that sum.
Some interesting incidents of the food
may be mentioned Suffers. laborers and
clerks, asleep in tents at Eastport Landing,
were appraised of the food by their beds
being soaked. They reached the steamers
by wading waist deep. Those traders have
sIutC sctu s'USy NJ WIN NiuS Vut thSii
goods, wares and merchandise Parties at
the landings above piled up pork barrels
several tiers high, and, by mounting them.
remained dry shod. The steamers took
soldiers ont OF trees. where they had been
for many hours. Two or three large cotton
warehouses at Eastport Landing were hont-
ell Off and our steamer met with one, sixty
| miles below. it remaining right side up,
and the roof high nlnye the water n very
ark, it seemed. floating serenely 4 ,wn the
abyss. A barge Of grain was lost, the
weight breaking down its deck, and burst
ing out its bottom. The wreck floated
down past Johnsonvillc. and when last
seen. was lodged against pier of the rail
road bridge. Eighteen miles below that
place. another barge broke loose, ladcn with
ambulances and stuff. and lodged twenty
six miles below Passport. and has been
safely returned to this landing.