Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-07-05
RIVER, BUSINESS. MISCELLANEOUS,

I
The river is stationary at this port,
but is falling at all points above. The
Ohio too, is declining from its mouth to
Pittsburg. White and the Arkansas
rivers are falling slowly, with four feet
in the former, and three and half feet
in the latter. The weather is clear and
pleasant.
The Phil Allin, Capt. James Lee, will
leave at five pm. this day for Helena,
Friar's Point and all way landings.
Stacker Lee is clerk.
Regarding the loss of the Lightest,
some few days since, in Red River, the
Shreveport Southwestern, of recent
date, says:
Capt. Readman reports that on Satur-
day morning between ii and II o'clock,
the steamer was crossing Slate Shoals
when she struck something which seemed
to be rock. She was running under
slow bells at the time, and Capt. Roots
was Just ahead OF the boat in the yawl,
sounding the shoals and passing the
word back to him (Readman). AS soon
as she struck, and had passed over the
rock, it was found that she was badly in
jured, and would surely sink. She was
headed for sandbar against which she
landed. The water alongside of the bar
was shoal in which she sunk. Capt. K.
says that the boat and cargo might have
been saved had it not been for remark
able occurance. At the time of her
sinking, there were but slight indications
of rise, but there was trouble up the
river of which no one dreamed. A
bosom of destruction, in the form or
shape of hinge freshet, was coming
down upon them. Capt. r. says that as
soon as the boat had been landed against
the bar, they procured ten hands from the
plantation of Mr.. Henderson, which was
near the scene Of disaster, and began to
roll the cotton ashore. He supposes that
some hundred or more bales had been
put off when the food came roaring and
surging along. Between twelve clock
m. and six clock in the evening, Capt
Readman says the river rose twelve feet,
washing away all the cotton that had
been rolled ashore, parting the hawser
which held the sunken steamer to the
bank, washing her out into the stream.
AS soon as she had swung ont into the
deep water she turned up on her beam
ends and drifted down at fearful rate
until she struck middle bar, upon
which she stuck, settling down on it un-
til the water came half way up the cabin
doors. She had not lain long on the
bar before the immense current, pressing
hard against the cabin, tore it from the
hull. The Waterman Of the steamer and
three negroes were drowned. Captain
Readman thinks he can save the ma
chinery as soon as the river falls. He
reports that, after rising about fifteen
feet from Saturday noon to daylight Sun
day morning, the river began to fall rap
idly, and had fallen three feet before he
left Sunday evening.
The Red Cloud was insured in the fol
lowing Cincinnati companies: Ameri-
can, $4,000; Enterprise, $4,000; Western,
$4,000; Firemen's, $4,000; Burnet, $4,000;
company unknown, $4,000. She had 900
bales of cotton, valued at 100000.
The Oceanus made her last run from
st. Louis to Jefferson, Texas, in SIX days
seventeen and to New Orleans in eleven
days and fifteen hours.
Trade on White river has about given
out for the season.
The St. Francis place in the ST. Fran
els river will soon be supplied by a
smaller boat