The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-05-04
DOWN The MISSISSIPPI.
Or Beard LOw-Pressure Richmond.
NEAR MEMPHIS, ApriI g.

- NEAR MEMPHIS, Aprif29-
Editors Journal.
At Mound City, Illinois, are to
be seen those mementos of the ma
tons s~tupendous folly or foresight,
the monitors, one Of which was nm
ished at Evansville. There are seven
or eight of them, conspicuous only
for their white towers and smoke
stacks. Behind them lie two Of the
old i~ron-clads. 1t is extremely doubt
full if these costly vessels will ever be
Of any service to. the people that have
to pay for them. Mound City is
barely out of water. Since the wal
closed, the town has ceased to grow,
and about the only vitality it pos
sesses, Is the presence of a few troops
to guard the monitors-for fear they
60 of-and the Government property
stored here. I'll
.Iairo is growing Of course, but Is
ne / making those giant strides pre-
dicted By the Times, about the time
il established a branch in New
York and illustrated Our Situa-
tionp by an elaborate map, in which
Cairo was made the centre of the
universe, with multitudinous railroad
lines diyerging on paper in all pos
sible directions. During the brief
time the Richmond laid there, we
cautiously approached the inner edge
of Front Street, and, holding TO a
post, looked far down into the
midst Of the city, and discovered
that Cairo is not entirely devoid of
"seip- water"
We never saw such an air OF dull
ness pervading the public landing at
Cairo, as on this occasion. There
was no freight except a few barrels of
potatoes. The Marble City, Dora,
and Princess had Just arrived from st.
Louis with full cargoes for Memphis,
Arkansas and White Rivers; and the
J. II. Groesbeck which left New Or
leans within the present year, was
just leaving for Cincinnati. The
Richmond made the run from Padu-
cab to Cairo in just q hours. She
left Cairo at 5:15 and arrived, at Co
lumpus at 6:35. Columbus is noted
as being the northern terminus of the
Mobile IL Ohio Railroad, and for.
having been a place hard to pass by
Federal gunboats a few years ago.
Navigation here, as well as at
Island No. 10, has vastly improved.
since then. The bluff remains much
the same as it was then, but. all traces
of the Notifications have disappeared.
"A Eo- orehno ~ Anhaaan Ill
the freight obtained at-Columbus.
While the Upper Mississippi is com
paratively low, the Lower Mississippi
is bank full, and large sections Of
country overhowed. We met the
Belle Memphis at the foot Of Wolf
Island, and passed Island No. 10, at
10 O'Clock. The clouds had disap-
peared, and the moon, as it sunk to
rest behind the dense forests, cast a
sombre light-upon the once famous
but now rapidly happening Island.
At least tWO-thirds of 1t IS already
gone, and old river men consider it
only a question of time as to when It
shal@e =reckoued no more than a
" two head" twill never again inn
pedethe free navigation Of the Missis-
sippi at high water. g. st III
The u rose bright and clear this
morning as we neared Fort Pill
low, - miles below Cairo, Which.
we passed at z o'clock. The bluff
once so formidable Is also rapidly dis
appearing, much Of the front Of the
nights having already plunged head
long ihto the mad waters of the
mighty father of waters. May it not
be that the. great Ruler, by the opera
lions of his immutable laws, wills it
thus to blot out all those mementoes
of a wicked rebellion ? Here
we met the Mary Erwin. She,
the Belle Memphis and a tow
boat are the only boats we have met
since leaving Cairo, a distance Of 1T6,
miles another evidence Of the ddlf-
ness in steamboating. The wind has
been blowing quite fercely to-day, and
is rather chilly, but this nObld steamer
meets it bravely and keeps steadily on
her way, and vii land Us at Memphis
less than q hours out from Padu
cab. As she glides swiftly on not the
slightest sensation of motion is felt,
and not a sound IS heard except the
light rafting of the sky-lights when
the wind Is on her quarter. We never
saw a boat run SO steadily or so noise
lessly-a great desideratum to persons
possessing sensitive T We
reached Memphis at12M.. 22anda half
hours from Paducah. 8
IA wMunHrw ~ uA-.Er