The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-03-18

| FlOOded-LOsSes, etc.
DAVENPORT, Iowa, March 1.-THE ex-
citement. in this place and on the oppo-
site shore for the last twenty-four hours
has been intense, and pervading among
all classes of citizens. A good deal OF
interest is always shown by the people in
this vicinity in the grand breaking up of
the ice in the Mississippi, on account of
certain freaks of the river at such times
but this year we have been treated to an
extraordinary display, and very expen-
sive ode. Never "within the memory Of
the oldest inhabitant !" has the Father
of Waters" shown himself in this region
so disagreeably violent, or so sublime in
his majestic efforts to free himself from
the thralls of winter. He has got loose at
last but the effect of his fury will not
soon be effaced nor forgotten.
This locality is most favorable for extra
ordinary ice gorges on the breaking up of
the river. For about fifteen miles above
US, beginning at the town of LIE Claire, the
Mississippi flows with great swiftness, so
| that masses of ice once started in the cur
rent are borne along with immense force.
| Just at the foot of these rapids, on the
Iowa shore, is situated the city of Daven-
port, stretching for more than two miles
along the river. On the opposite side is
the city of Rock Island, mostly built on a
| level plateau some fifteen feet above the
surface of the water. In the river be-
tween, or rather little above, these two
cities is the famous island of Rock Island
| 1.-THE seat of the new United States
arsenal and extensive Government works.,
extending about three miles long and
averaging one-third Of mile wide.
Opposite the upper end of the island,
on the Illinois shore, is the fourishing town
Of Moline. The island is connected with
the Illinois shore by three bridges-one at
| the great dam at Moline, and two at the
| city of Rock Island-viz., the Government
bridge and the expensive bridge of the
| c., r. l., and z. railroad, which, of course,
passes on over the main channel to the
Iowa side at Davenport. The width Of the
Mississippi below the island is half q mile,
while above he island it is at least mile.
Keeping in mind the length Of the Rapids
and the obstruction that Rock Island Of
| fers to the movement Of the ice masses,
and the fact that several other islands stud
the river below Davenport, it will be easily
seen that with sufficient quantities of ice
| in the stream huge gorge would be al
| most certain to occur. What took place
yesterday, however, was unparalleled by
anything Of the kind on record in this vi
cinitv.
The suddenness with which the ice be-
gins to move is remarkable. This>is always
feature Of our breaking up" On the
afternoon of Monday the 9th the news
flew rapidly about the place that the
frozen mass had begun to move. From all
quarters people gathered to the levee to
watch the phenomenon, which, even to those
who are familiar with it, has peculiar
fascination. With unaffected interest we
watch the scene. Slowly the great fields
of ice move on as if impelled by some
gigantic force, pushing the lesser blocks
aside, or crushing them into small frag-
ments, now and then grinding against each
other, and breaking off huge masses in the
fierce encounter, but still pressing on, as
if DESTROYS of swift exit into some more
congenial cline. For while the steady
but grand movement Of thousands of acres
of ice-fields, Of all shapes and sizes, con-
tinues, delighting the eye Of each beholder,
and filling his mind with q pleasing awe.
But now it stops as suddenly as it started.
The ice has begun to gorge mile
below. The water sets back from this
temporary dam. Soon the tremendous
pressure of the accumulated current
forces vast ice fields along as if they were
playthings in the hand Of Cyclops.
Down near the islands below town these
great masses press one above another,
Sliding up and breaking off according to
their momentum and gravity, until grand
ridges thirty and forty feet high are formed,
dripping with water and flashing in the
spray dashed up by the violence of the
onset. And so, at the heads of the islands
and along the shore-according, apparent
| ", to some freak of motion-would be run
| together these gigantic heaps Of ice. Not
the most experienced observer, not the
most accurate mathematician, could cal
culate with certainty where these great
deposits would be made, or to what extent
the volume of water would be impeded by
them. Sometimes they would be run far
I'D the shore; sometimes strike building,
and break it as if it were an egg-shell;
sometimes throw out into the current RATS
and heaps of lumber or whatever was in
its way and sometimes paused just as it
seemed about demolishing some factory or
dwelling, leaving its gigantic mass almost
against the windows and doors. On Tues
day afternoon the scene became alarming.
The gorge below was evidently very firm.
For some hours the channel seemed fear
fully blocked, and the water was rising
rapidly both in Davenport and Rock
Island. The front streets were flooded,
cellars filed, and the lower stories OF
warehouses untenable. Machine shops and
factories stopped. People began to move
from their houses in boats !; general excite
ment pervaded the lower parts of Daven-
port, Rock Island, and Moline. Before
night q gorge had taken place above the
railroad bridge. A monstrous field of ice
lay obliquely against one Of the piers, and
about this other masses had accumulated.
Still the great river kept pouring down
it's torrent flood, and, unable to break
its way, was rolled back, lifting what
ever was on it's bosom whittier it listed.
At about s O'Clock Tuesday evering the
city resounded with a succession of ter
rife sounds like the explosion of several
batteries of artillery, accompanied with
the rafting of small arms and the dashing
of cataract. The gorge above the rail
road bridge had given way, and the vast
heaps of ice came crashing through the
bridge, breaking, tumbling, roaring, plung-
ing, in their mad career, against which the
force of man was like straw. The brave
old bridge, lately repaired and of massive
strength, was shaken, twisted, dislocated,
and almost overthrown. On the other side
of the river the great dam at Moline was
| brolyan and damoIished the Government