The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-10-04

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ssor sspases IS g sss9s gI III 3. ,' M
a, :sI len LsSinsten 1t aoaa ta;asy. Gen
ysaFln A.s V. p ssn y Z , sSh >
$stS, He has Ind no aynapss o,ns al, nlexl
DE reralysSs, only, d, iasnfing, tayper ,ffr0n
!, nsispal g. Yves meyer spesshless
us s,.s, ~ 0Lly All
ss,,s3,sIs IA tstsnh olh
Hoa1ssning about y1rassf and FreSShye 3:
{ 80 iii nn antsS estings Sa hss that some Eve p
six Goods la sJasnes river within the las
century ssrikiBgly illustrate the theory Q
Professor MauaY that the mountain II range e
arrest the clouds flying across the! connneh
arosn the seas and draw from them tlon
stwstesy contents. ,IuEtAe@ eases or tho nos
'dooas their waters came down 'l. tfoW ~
,monntasns, when little or no rain hea iiailel
.lhetween the sea ard the monntain regton
The swollen and raging current came upoi
the people here in Richmond, entirely o!
ssafpfise sort or surprise which we rs may O.
AVOID now by the help, of the telegraph
a,rat this only enables as to protect ourselse'
Fenthe results Of q natural phenomeno1
which viii go on to the end Of time! -, 81,
In comparing foods now with those o
the last century we sholldsnot forget The
widely different Typographical 'toneiitio OF
the country them and now dHaf77f,, when
the famous hood occurred, the country had
great deal more forest than now, and pep
pie were busily engaged In clearing away
the dense and powerful growth upon i nue.
of the lowiantis Of the upper; James irl NIi
AS most convenient way Of. getting rid y,
the timber that numbered the ground, mpch
bfsie WAS rolled and felled into the riYIpeer.
Hence we see that in, the accounts of the;
flood Of 17T7I we are told that the river WAS
full of drift wood, and TINT it so collected
about the prows and anehor-ehains of yes-I
sells in the river as to sweep them down the
current. These very much batied attempts;
to build stationary strctures about the river.
and helped to carry away bridges and dams,
and to block up narrow passes, swell theS
current, and increase its destructiyeness. ;.
We are told also of a surprising number
OF, houses washed away and stock drowned
People then clustered nearer the river.
They were combining themselves more, TO
the best lands, and knew not so well the
dangers Of the food; fornbut a generation
or so had known any thing Of them. ',.'
e But, from contemporaneoiIs conditions
of the land and the-ferest, we do not be-
lieTe that rises in the river could have been
80 sudden then as now, and they could
hardly have, reached, such high points.
Then the vast forest surface, covered
NTH leaves, held as Il sponge great
part of the water which fell, and
which, being shaded, was ri slowly
evaporated, and was mainly pereolated
through leaves and earth, and thus followed
the subterranean veins, and appeared in
cool and clear springs, which then abound
ed to the extent Of ten for one that you
VIII find now. Besides, there were nll-
merous ponds, which, like, reservoirs, held
q store of water for gradual absorption bv
the earth and slow evaporation. Thus,
the water from rains was, stayed in the land
and found its way with comparative leisure
to the rivers. ,..,.,. ..,,.
Now the forests are much less extensive,
the ponds are ditched, and the falling va
tiers run with much more rapidity to the
streams, and thus they are immediately
filed, and bear their floods on to the chief
conduits to the sea, which are of course
swollen more suddenly and higher than In
former times. 49,, ,.:,,,,. -,..,,...i !
For these reasons Meare distrllstfll about
the stories of greater rises in rivers a hun
bred wears agothan now ; and especially re-
kard the history Of the food of II as ia
1ome points extravagant. One particular
may be mentioned, viz; that a captain an.
Ghared near the Falls sounded the river as,
,rose, and found chat It rose forty feet
love high tide; and yetnit is stated that
K hoekoe Warehouse, then located near
thockoe creek, not far from where Palmer,
Aartsook s CO. IS store now stand on ground
much lower than the level Of, the same spot
at this time was not submerged Thefacts
are incompatible, and the last stated is the
true one The warehouse had g very low
roo roof, and, would probably have been sub
merged had it steed eH-she same ground on
esa,irday last. .1'sa''Hii' ,''''rH fS'i'f a''
The iastfresh is probably the highest #. that
has occurred since the settlement Of Mr.
ginia. 80, -