The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1867-11-08
Selected Mlistellaap.
The MlSslssippt River UNDER
mining Wick shurg.
The Nieksburg correspondent Of the Gin

mining vIcksbUrg.
The vicksburg correspondent of the Gin.
cinua6 Commercial writes as follows;
The denizons of the lower part Of this
city wero lately quite alarmed by the de.
cided indications that their part OF the
town was about to leave and cool itself in
the waters Of the Mississippi. A large
hssuro was discovered, extending from
near tho Washington Hotel, IN u southwest.
crly course, TO the neighborhood OF the
Prentiss House, or below 1t, embracing
about four bloeks. The earth for that
whole space had Calea away several inches,
Wooden houses were perceptibly canted to
one side; new aud well built brick stores
wero cracked aud rent from top to bottom,
aud a general giving way OF the foundation
seemed inevitable. Mems ignorance of the
real extent of the evil no doubt make the
danger seem much greater, as it gave room
for the lull play Of tho imagination.
1hls, too, was tho burnt district. and had
lately been swept over by the devouring
flames. Now the bottom seemed TO be fall
ing out, aud the great river stood ready to
embrace levee, lots, stores, dwellings,, peo-
pie, merchandise, all-tirst fire aud then
deluge, Many people moved from the
crumblug bank with most incontineut
speed. In their fright leat tho river should
enguf them they stood little on the order
of going g--they went. In the excitement of
80 great calamity, the City Fathers were
called together the best engineers were
questioned, aud two conclusions were
reached; l. chat tho horrible stencil from
the hssures Indicated no incousiderable affin,
ity between the physical condition of those
Internal regions aud the moral condition of
things above ground; though it is by no
means affirmed that tho weight of the bad
morals of that Gomorrah caused the land
slide q That the assures must be filled
up, and the wound Of the city ccatrized
over, whatever should become of the rot
! tenness beneath. Ono of the best physi.
clans riding over the sinking section (which
might be we'll called " the sink, ~ was so
| impressed by the pntrescence that he was
compelled to pause, consider and d-cas,
! cade. ="
This secession of that part Of the city ia
indeed temporarily arrested, but the fear,
han ging like black cloud over the whole
tract, lest, in some uulooked.for moment, a
sudden and swift enlargement of the laud.
slide shall plunge them into the river, and
leave only big hole whore so much of the
city was, weighs like a burden on the minds
OF most people remaining there. a
! The cause OF this movement is q myBieI y
but it is well known that under the hard
blue clay that 80 generally underlies the
alluvum at the surface there is quick
sand, very mobile aud easily washed out
by any current striking against the bank
as is the case along this land slide. Then
the weight of this vast superincumbont
mass being no longer supported, breaks of
from the mainland and often tumbles into
the river, often with great crash, and pro
ducng vast commotien in the waters
Such an occurrence, from precisely the
same cause, happened at Davis Bend two
years ago. A lot of suffers were landed on
the shore IN apparent safety. All things
appeared as for weeks before, but ina short
time, the bank, for three or four rods il
width, and several more rods in length
sudde, ~ cracked off aud fell nte the river
carrying tlie goods and whatever eIse was
on the bank, down into the swift current
that scattered them all around the bend fol-
twenty-five miles. This process had beer
continued on both sides of the ''cut-off'
until the whole breadthof the clay bed was
broken up, aud then the whole mighty cur
reut of the river swept through the new
channel like a mill dam, and twenty-five
| miles of the channel was at once saved to
the steamboatmen. "The Bend is now al
island. yiblsf m t.a1s t @
The same thing happened at Terapir
Creek last year, eating of bend Of eigh
teen miles; and thus generally, is the crook
edness of tho river increased and dimin
ished by precisely the same, causes. Jus
such phenomcna are often witnessed by
steamboat travellers as they sweep around
the large bends aud wherever the bank il
wearing away .igsa afrt