Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-03-30
Interesting Facts m Regard 20 the
6sreaf FIOOd at Chattanooga.


Great Flood at Chattanooga.
The Chattanooga Union has obtained
few notes Of a series of instrumental obser-
yations which have recently been made,
under the direction of interested railroad
gentlemen, with the view to ascertain the
extent and character of the late freshet in
the Tennessee valley, at least so far as the
country Immediately surrounding Chatta-
nooga is concerned, and consequently TO
determine the effects of the freshet upon
both the permanent and projected railway
interests centering at that city. The sec
ton of country to which reference is made,
is termed the Chattanooga basin," and
is bounded by Missionary ridge, Lookout
mountain, Raccoon mountain and Wal
den's ridge, Chattanooga occupying the
center Of the basin" This basin en-
braces about sixteen square miles of terri
tory, and when viewed from any point
upon its rim presents the outline of a
horseshoe BY the above description, it
is not intended to convey the idea that this
basin is surrounded by Gordon of I'm
broken mountains and ridges, for it is
known that extensive valleys pierce the
mountains on lines diyerging from Chatta-
nooga, like radii from common center
These valleys take their names from the
rivers and creeks that flow through them,
and are a. follows: Chicsmauga, Chatta-
nooga, Wills, Lower Tennessee, Grow
creek, Sequatchie, Emory, and the Upper
Tennessee. The railroads terminating at
Chattanooga are located through the val
leys, and all of these railroads have been
more or less affected by the freshet. The
Western and Atlantic railroad, leading
out of Chattanooga through the Chica-
manga valley, was entirely submerged for
distance of nine miles
The New Orleans, Mobile and Chatta-
nooga railroad, formerly the Wills Valley
railroad, which is now partially completed,
departs through the Wills Valley. The
grounds upon which its location il contem-
plated were overlooked TO distance from
Chattanooga Of nine miles. At present the
road has a connection with the Nashville
and Chattanooga railroad as far as Wan
hatchie The greatest depth of inundation
upon the track of these roads was thirteen
feet and two inches, at the mouth of Chat
tanooga creek, and the entire line was sub
merged to Wauhatchie, at which point
there was two feet and half of water on
the floor Of the depot of the Nashville and
Chattanooga railroad The bridge over
Chattanooga creek, a Howe truss of two
spans, each one hundred and fifty feet long,
although very heavily laden with cars, was
almost swept from its abutments by the
force of the current and the weight of the
driftwood The gentlemen who made the
survey cut high water mark with chisel,
thus Oh. W-l867," on the southwest
corner of lone rock situated on the south
bank of Chattanooga creek, two hundred
yards above the Nashville and Chattanooga
railroad bridge. The rock is about thirty
feet high, of a conical shape with a base of
about thirty feet.
The back-water extended mp Wills Vail
| lev 10 within mile-and-a- of Trenton,
Ga, but the grade of the road was suifi-
GENTLY elevated to prevent serious damage
TO the track from the flood. From the re-
suits Of the best information il appears, that,
| had the water risen thirteen feet and six
inches more, the waters Of the Tennessee
would have flowed over Valley Head, and
would have mingled with those Of the Coosa
river.
/ @There are some peCuliariIies in the water
| level at various points in this basin, which
are worthy of notice. At the point where
/ the high water mark was made, as above
described, the water was two feet three
inches higher than at any place in Chatta.
| nooga. This was ewing to the water piling
| itself MP At the narrow bend in the river at
Moccasin Point. The water plane At Kel-
ley's Ferry, below the Suck, and twenty
miles from Chattanooga by the river, was
ten feet lower than opposite Lookout noun
| tain. This shows that the food at Chat
| tanooga was due 10 the narrowness of the
| channel at the Suck, which did not afford
| an adequate outlet to the immense guam
tity of water produced by the heavy rains
| over so large an extent of county.
The line of the projected Chattanooga
and Cincinnati railroad was oyerfiowed in
| two places only. The FIRST point was three
miles from Chattanooga, at Stringer's, and
the second ten miles, at North Chickamau-
ga creek, on the farm of Col. James. How.
ever. in both inst Inces the road can he
placed ont of danger by a location nearer
the mountain side.
The East Tennessee and Georgia rail-
road was inundated for distance of eight
miles out Of Chattanooga, and beyond that
| was not damaged by the food.
. The rain which caused this great inun
dation extended simultaneously from the
| Blue mountains to the summit Of Cumber
land mountains, composing the entire
drainage Of the upper Tennessee, which
with the melting snow, filled every tribu'
tary Of that river at nearly the same time
| Such thing was never known to Occur
before, and may never happen again.
| Il has now been demonstrated that i
will be impossible TO raise the grades 0
the railroad al Chattanooga above the higl
water mark Of this food, but it is the
opinion Of good engineers that II the widen
ing of the Tennessee river at the suck,
can be accomplished, all danger Of sucl
another freshet as the one just subsidies