The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-04-09
THE MISSOURI RIVER FLOOD.

To make some estimate of the extent Of the
country devastated by the present food IN the
upper Missouri: river il is to be borne in mind
that the deluge extends from Bismarck to
Sioux City, distance of over q thousand
miles Along this whole distance the Missouri
bottom, OF valley" a. it is called, is from five
to fifteen miles in width, and lying from 10 to
90 feet above the surface of the river at low
water is az level rs n floor. This bottom" is
the richest land in the world, and though in
constant danger, not so much from overflow rs
from the habit of the river frequently to
change its channel, sweeping away whole
farms in week when it does so, many people
are tempted to settle on this rich land and take
the risk Of the calamities that yearly threaten
them
The past winter up the Missouri has been
one of unprecedented severity, and the ice in
the river above Yankton appears TO have aver.
aged from 3 to feet in thickness. When two
weeks ago the floods from above, by the melt.
ing of the deep SHOWS, began to break up she
ice, 1t came down in sheets feet thick, and an
acre ia extent, and of course at every sharp
bend of the river formed gorges, by which the
waters were damned and sent over the ada.
cent bottoms" Thus for hundreds of miles
above Sioux City the whole valley" became
one vast sea, the water averaging from to Is
feet in depth. The flood in most cases came
so sudden that people had all they could do to
escape on horseback to the bluffs, while houses
had to be deserted and live stock abandoned
to perish by cold or drowning. In the towns
and villages, the people by mutual aid, were
generally all enabled to escape, but IN many
cases isolated families, having no boats or 9TH
'er means to get away, persisted. The loss of
life in this way Is said to foot up several hun
dreds. To give a few instances:
AT Mandan q town of 500 inhabitants ten
miles below Bismarck, the flood came 80 sud
denly that no stock or household goods could
be saved, and the entire population was turned
out Of doors The streets were damned with
ice from A 20 10 feet in depth, and the people
took refuge on the nearest bluffs, where they
are being relieved by supplies sent from Bis
marck. The loss IN goods, houses, &c, to the
town IS estimated at 100000.
The towns of Jefferson, Hamilton, Elk Point,
Yankton, &c, are all more or less under water,
though with high knobs in them, upon which
the inhabitants are gathered, surrounded by q
sea from to 10 miles wide and from 9 to 20
feet in depth.
The town of Griesland, with 80 houses and
$50 people; the town of Nermillion, with 800
inhabitants; ana the hamlet Of Bonhomme,
with Is inhabitants, have all been swept away.
With the first named no lives were lost; with
Verm,lllon 30 lives were lost, and with the last
named Of the 10 inhabitants perished. All
over the bottoms, however, near these villages,
there were isolated farm houses the occupants
of which, with their goods, stock, &c. are
swept away with only here and there life res
cued. Not head of stock, from Sioux City
to Bismarck, amounting to many thousands,
is known to have been saved, except an occas-
ional horse upon which the owner escaped to
the bluffs. The ice over great extent of this
vast sea of desoation, after the waters subslde,
will be piled IN such masses that it will take
TIL June to melt it, so that few of the drowned
out farmers will be able to raise any crops this
season.