The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-11-07

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q hMs1 8 HitfSsrfG. slfissn.. Ucfober 81
The dsnfSeus uf the loxax pas4 olthis cf1y
were lately quite alarmed ~ sone decided
indicstioas hat their pan 81 tAs st4wu was
abont to leave and cool itself in the waters Of
the Mississippi. A large assure vas discov-
cred, extending from near the Warrington
Hotel, in asouthwesterly course, TO ths neigh.
borhood Of the Prentiss House, or below Il,
embracing about four blocks. Tho earth for
that whole space has fallen away several inch
e.. Wooden houses were preeipitately cantsd
10 ode side new and we'll built brick stores
were cracked and rent from top TO bottom,
and a general giving way of he foundation
real extent Of the evil no doubt made the
danger seem much greater, al 1t gave rpsis
: for the full play of the imsgisstion.
This. too, was the burnt district. and had
lately been swept over by the devouripg
flames. Now the bottom seemed to be falling
out, and the great river seemed to be ready
to embrace leyee, lots, stores, dweilingS,
people, merchandise, all--first fire, apd
then deluge. Many people moved of FROM
the crumblng bank with most incontinent
speed. In their fright lest the river should
ingulf them they stood little on The order Of
Qoing--they went. In the excitement of so
great a calamity, her City Fathers we're called
together; the best engineers were ques-
toned. and two conclusions were reached.
l. That the horrible stench from the 6ssures
indicated no inconsiderably affinity between
the physical condition Of those iafersal res
gions and the moral condition fittings abovt
ground; though it is by no means affirmed
TINT the weight of the bad morals IL thai
Gomorrah caused the landslide.
2. That the assures must be filled up, and
the wound Of the city cicatrized over, what
ever should become Of the mass Of rottenness
beneath. One of the best physicians siding
over the sinking section (which might we'll
be called ethe sink was so impressed by
the putrescence that he was compelled to
reuse, consider and-cascadc.
This secession Of that part of the city is,
indeed, temporarily arrested, but the fear,
hanging like black cloud over ths whole
tract, lest, in some unlocked for moment a
sudden and swift enlargement of this lands
slide shall plunge them into the river, and
leave only big hole where SO much OF tbs
city was, weighs like burdeno on the minds
Of most people remaining there.
The cause of the movement is a mystery
but it is well known that under the hard
b'ue clay that so generally underlies the
aIluvium at the surface there is qnicksand,
very mobile aud easily washed out by any
current striking against the bank, az is the
case ulong this landslide. Then the weight
Of this vast superintendent mass. being no
longer supported breaks of from the main
land and often tunfblrs into the river, often
with great crash, and producing a vast
coinmoton in the waters. Such an occur
renee, from precisely this cause, happened at
Davis Bend two years ago. A lot Of goods
were landed on the shore in apparent safety.
All things appeared as for weeks before. but
in short time the bank, for three or four
rods in width, and several more in length,
suddenly cracked off and fell into the river,
carrying the goods and whatever else was on
the bank down into the swift current that
scattered them around the bend for twenty
five miles. ! his process has been continued
on both sides of the "cut Off until the whole
breadth Of the clay bed was thus broken up,
and then the waoa mighty current of the
river swept through the new channel like q
milsdam, and twenty five miles Of ihe chan
mel was OF once saved 10 the steamboatmen.
1.-THE Bend is now an island.
The same thing happened at Terrapin creek
last year, cutting fla bend ofe;ghteen miles
and thus generally, is the crookedpess Of the
river increased and diminished by precisely
the same causes. Just such phenomena are
often witnessed by steamboat travellers as
they sweep around tine LARGE bends. and
wherever the bank is wearing away
Halifax, Ly city ordinance, prohibits mi
nors from smoking in public. That IL agood
Instance Of the bad spellaE srule, "NoSn,ok
irp lnnd ~ Pc