Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1873-12-25
h River Fresl,cts.

A correspondent writes TO the
Marietta Register, of the 18th, as
follows, concerning the floods:
The rivers here have been high
this week-higher than before since
January, 1862. twelve years ago
next month, when the water was
about 3 foot above what it is o
Yet it was not one of the big floods,
such as came upon this locality nine
times in the last hundred years. 1t
came to q stand Monday evening,
when Front street, below Putnam,
was under water, which barely came
upon the floors of a few stores. was
just even with the floor of the Post
Office, and about 6 inches below the
floor at the front of the sores of Bos-
worth, Wells & Co. The most nots-
BILE food here since the first settle
ment was in February, 1839-over
10 feet higher than it was this week
yet in June, 1872, it was some 8 feet
higher at Wheeling than it even was
in 1882. as marked by tle first set
tiers there at the bsckvater at the
falls of Wheeling Creek. In ITS
there was another food, within 2 feet
of the mark of that of 1882; and in
1874 the water here was just about
the level of that in 1882, as appeared
from marks at the cabin OF Isaac
Williams, on his 'tonahawk i'm
provement," opposite the mouth of
the Muskingum. When the first set
tiers began building onfthe low bot
toms at Marietta in 1888, Indians
shook their heads, and said they had
seen the water up to a certain height
on the sycamores, but their warnings
had been disregarded as exaggera-
tious, and for twenty-five years after
there was no flood to overflow the
banks of the rivers, or twenty-nine
years after the great food of 1874.
But in January, 1918, the security of
Marietta was sadly disturbed, when
came, upon them one of the most
appalling floods known in our history,
the famous ''ice fresh,'' as it was
called. The river was full of very
heavy running ice, causing great
destruction Of property. The water
came to a stand January %, at which
time 1t had turned severely cold,
making ice thick enough SO people
could walk on it over all the lower
part of the town, at a hight of some
FIVE or six feet aboue that OF the
water this week. April l, 1915, the
water a little higher than it was in
1918, yet but little damage was done.
The famous food of 1882 vas at its
height here February Ii. The win
ter began early, and ice stopped
navigation in the last Of November,
1881, the mercury standing l20 above
zero on the morning Of the 18th and
29th. December Is, it was 100 be-
low zero. From January 20 to Jan
uary 80, 1882, sixteen inches Of snow
fell here, and in the first part of
February snow lay upon the ground
over a foot deep. Heavy rains came
on, eight inches of rain falling here
from February / to the 18th. The wa
ter here began rising on Thursday,
9th, and came to a stand on Monday,
18th, when it stood about two inches
deep on the floor of the building now
used for the preparatory department,
in the college yard; and it was some
fifteen inches deep in the front rooms
Of the house of DIR. Hildreth. The
river was out of its banks for nine
days. The destruction of property
along the UnIo was immense.
At P%ittsburg the food was at its
height on the morning of the 10th;
Wheeling, afternoon of the 18th;
Marietta, morning of the 18th; Gin
cinnati, morning of the 18th, where
it was oye sixty feet above low wa
ter. The next high flood here was
in December, 1S47, about six feet
below that of 1882; and on April %,
1852, about four feet and a half be
low. The great food of April ID,
1860, was next to that of 1882. at
this point, since the first settlement,
coming up within about three feet of
the highest mark in 1882.