The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-12-22

ABOUT the um6 III inc great nOOO IN
IS44.-EDrToE Jo'ae86ors, (Hl.,) Sc
zette.l
IMPORTANT MENORANDA.
The Mississippi being at 4 good
boating stage of water, commenced
rising rapidly on the 18th day Of
May, 1874, and continued rising at
the rate of from two feet to thirty
| inches every twenty-four hours, until
the lst day OF June, at which time It
was within eighteen inches OF high
water mark in the years I80S and 1926.
1t then commenced falling gradually
until the 10th of Jane, at which time
/ it had fallen some five or six feet, so
as TO leave all the farms free from
water, which were previously about
half covered with water generally.
with the exception of Jacob Treese's 5
farm, and few others. This rise
was presumed to come out of the
MISSISSIPPI river on the 1lth of Juno
the Missouri flood came down, and
the Mississippi commenced rising
again, and continued to rise at the
Ia to of from one foot to eighteen in
ches every twenty-four hours until
it inundated the entire bottom, COW
ering every farm in it from eighteen
to thirty feet, that being the depth of
soUndings on the road from j Jonesbo-
rough to LittlCton's old ferry, and to
Wiliiard's ferry. Horses, cattle.
sheep and hogs were destroyed in
vast numbers, Notwithstanding every
exertion was used by the benevolent
and enterprising citizens throughout
the country. Wood boats, ferry,
fats, canoes and skifs and divers
RATS or other crafts, made upon the
spur of the moment, were exercised
in collecting and boating the stock
'and household property OF the alarm
ed and distressed citizens to the high
lands. Many of the citizens living
near the bank of Illinois shore, led
with their families in CONSERVATION
to the Missouri shore, leaving ali
their horses, Id cattle and house
hold effects to their Fatc. The latter
rise and overflow Of the river contin-
ued until June %, when it came to
stand the citizens having in great
degree made ap end of removing the
effects of the suffering inhabitants to
the neighbOring hills. On the lst Of
July the waters began greatly to re-
cede, and continued to fall until the
- day OF July, when it became con-
fined within the banks Of the river.
1t is worthy of remark that about
one-half the houses in the Miesissip
ri bottom were removed from their
foundation; all the fences wholly re-
moved and washed away. All the
warehouses on the bank fell into tho
river, and many dwelling houses
shared the like fate.
The inuudation was ten or twelve
feet higher than that of IS0S. or of
1926, and higher than ever known
except in 17S5, " hen it rose thirty
feet above the common level. and
from the reports recorded in Beck's
history of Illinois and Missouri, it
was the greatest AOod known during
the last $50 years, at which period
the Mississippi washed in a part Of
Fort Chartres. Mr.. Cerre, the oldest
French settler in ST. Louis, saws the
inundation Of the Mississippi and
Missouri was not as high by some ( or
) feet in lISI as it was this year, 1874
and all the old settlers of ksskaskia
agree in saying that the overflow OF
l7S5 left one dry spot in the town Of
kaskaskia, which was covered in
1874 with water five feet deep. The
steamer Indiana was chartered bv
the nuns to take the pupils of the
nunnery to st. Louis, and received
them on board at Col. Menard's door,
and passed along the road to St.
Louis, on which there were was from
six to fifteen feet of water, leaving
the river so far to the left of the
whole route. Some two hundred
citizens went up from kaskRakia on
the Indiana, and about three huhd-
red found shelter on the premises or
Col. Menard, and many more spread
their tents along the blufis.
Millions OF dollars will not cover
the loss sustained by this food in the
States of Illinois and Missouri. Some
of the most valuable farms in those
States have been rendered worthless
for several years. The whole Amer
icau bottom from Alton to Cairo was
submerged, continuing seven hund-
red square miles of the finest land in
the world. La Beete Reyuard was
The only point Of land out Of ,cater in
1885; so says the ST. Louis RePu6lt-
can.
The great flood was occasiOned by
the swelling OF the Northern rivers
which empty into the Missouri and
upper Mississippi, and b. The melt
ing of the snow on the eastern de-
cIivity of the Rocky Mountains.
The Spanish and Portuguese hts
tOrians of De Soto's marauding eX-
pedition tell us that in March, 15f2.
all the high grounds Oh the west side
of the Mississippi, from the mouth
of the Ohio 10 Red River, were sub
merged several feet. There is doc
ument in the clerks Office of Ran
dolph county, Ill, st kaskaskia,
dated l12J. soliciting q grant Of lots
aud lands from the crown of France,
ard urging as reason the "great
. food" of the preceding year, 1924,
which OverfOwed the village, des-
trOyed the houses, and drove the in
habitants to the bluffs.
The bottom lands along the Misais-
sippi, from Alton to Cairo, al the
mouth of the Ohio, average five
miles in width. Since the BIissis-
sippi was first discovered by Eu-
ropesng the waters had passed over
all the low grounds from bluff 10
bluff several times. Ilie bottom was
submerged from biHlf to blUfi in 1912,
aud 1924. In 1855 this bottom was
+ again covered. and small boats passed
from ST. LOTis TO haskaskia oyer the
land. In. 1911, at the annual June
rise of the Missouri, part OF the
American bottom and the common
fields of ST. GeHevieve, were inun-
dated.
In 1926 the river inundated fhe
town OF Illinois, opposite st. Louis,
and also the low lands along the
American bottom, but not as high by
ten feet a. the food Of 1871. The
food at St Louis attained its great
est height ON the 2Tth of June, 1871,
=. A 1. l.