The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1867-02-28
THE MISSISSIPPI IN 1911.

country, causing villages " tull'pl0lia
ruins, an entire change in the face of
the country, and vast destruction of
property. On the line Of the Missis-
sippi, particularly, one Of these dread
full phenomena Of nature occurrcd.in
those years, which was distinctly felt
in ST. Louis and caused much alarm
toits inhabitants. .---
An eye witness, who Was on a fiat
boat at the time, on his way to New
Orleans with a load af produce, and
afterward returned to St.. Louis, dc
scribed the scene as heart-rending
and filled every living creature with
horror. His boat at the time was
about forty miles below New Madrid.
The first shock took place in the
night Of December 16, 1911, while the
boat was lying at the shore, in COM
pany with several others. At this
period there was danger apprehended
from the Southern Indians, it being
soon after the battle of Tippecanoe,
and, for safety, several boats kept in
company for their mutual defence in
case Of an attack. In the middle of
tie night there was terrible shock
and jarring Of the boats, so that the
Crews all awakened and hurried on
deck with their weapons of defence in
their hands, thinking the Indians were
rushing on board. The ducks, geese,
aid various other aquatic birds, whose
numb erless fccks were qu;etlyresting
81 the eddies Of the river, were thrown
Into the greatest tumult, and with
LOUD screams expressed their alarm
ii, accents Of terror. The noise and
commotion soon became hushed and
nothing could be discovered to excite
apprehension, so that the boatmcn con-
cluded that the shock was occasioned
by the falling in Of a large mass of
the. bank of the river near them. AS
soon as there was light enough to dis
tinguish objects, the crew were all up
tnaking preparations to depart
Drectlya loud roaring and kissing
Vas heard, like the escape of steam
from a boiler, accompanied by the
most violent agitation Of the shores,
and tremendous boiling up of the
waters of the Mississippi, in huge
swells,, rolling the water and tossing
the boats so violently that the men
could, with difficulty, keep their feet.
The sand-bars and points of the island
gave way, swallowed up in the tu.
multuous bosom of theriver, carrying
down with them cottonwood trees:
cracking and crashing, tossing their
arms to and fro, as if sensible of their
d anger, while they disappeared be.
meath the food. The water of the
river which the day before was tol,
erably clear, being rather low, chang.
ed to reddish hue and became thick
by the agitation of. the earth beneath
was covered with foam, which, gath
ering into masses the size of q barrel
floated along on the trembling surface
The earth on the shores opened in
wide assures, and, closing again, threw
the water. sand and mud in high jets
higher then the tops of the trees
The atmosphere was filled with a
thick vapor or gas, to which the light
impaired a purple tinge altogether
different in appearance from the au-
tumnal haze of the Indian summer,
or that of smoke. From the tempo,
rary check to the current, by the
heaving up of the bottom, the sinking
of the banks and sand-bars into the
bed of the stream, the river rose in a
few minutes five rsix feet, and impa-
tient of the restraint again rushed
toward with redoubled impetuosity,
hurrying along the boats now let loose
by the horror-struck boatmen, as in
less danger in the water than at the
shore, where the banks threatened
every moment to destroy them by the
falling earth, or carry them down in
the vortices; of the sinking masses.
Many boats were overwhelmed in this
manner, and their crews perished with
them. 1t required the utmost exer-
tions of the men to keep the boats in
the middle Of theriver, as far from the
shores, and sand-bars, and islands, as
they could. Numerous boats were
wrecked on the snags and old trees
thrown up from the bottom of the
Mississippi, where they had quietly
rested for ages; while others were
sunk or stranded on the sand-bars and
islands. At New Madrid, several
boats Were carried, by the reAux of
hA J. lo%