The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-26

sippi is contained in a petition to the King
of France by the people of Kaskaskia, ILL.,,
written in 1925, asking for grant OF land on
account of the flood of the previous year.
The inhabitants of the village were driven
from their homes and took refuge on the adj
jacent bluffs The food of 1874 was still
more damaging to the Kaskaskians, who
were a second time forced to the highlands.
Our honored fellow-citizen, Colonel Don
Morrison, was a rising young man of Kas-
kaskia at the time of the latter washout, and
abandoned his flooded homestead and went
out, like Noah's dove, in search of land,
which he found in abundance
In 1772 the American bottom was again
flooded, and considerable damage was done
to the settlers. Fort Chartres, short dis
lance above Ste. Genevieve, was originally
more than half mile east of the east bank
of the river, and the site has almost totally
been swallowed up by the encroachments of
the river. The year 1875 is known in the an
mails OF the French settlers as lanne DIES
grandes eaux, or the year of great waters.
The flood of 1911 was quite damaging, and
the American bottom was entirely sub
merged, the settlers in all the towns and
farm-houses seeking refuge i'll ST. Louis and
on the adjacent hills.
In 1926 the river flooded the whole extent
of the bottom, being at its highest about the
middle OF June. But tie flood of 1874 was
the most memorable. The preceding winter
was comparatively milo, OUT MANY heavy
snow-storms occurred throughout the North
west. The "spring freshet' commenced the
latter part of March, and by the LIST of May
the river was bank high; but the water fell
without overlooking, and no danger OF
flood was apprehended. Heavy rains set in,
however and by the middle of May appear
ances were thres teuing. The banks were sub
merged by the Goth, and the water reached the
doors of the stores on the levee north of Pine
street A subsistence followed, and by the
9TH of June the river had shrunk to its usual
limits at that season. Then the rain storms
again set in, and there was rise in all the
rivers. By the 10Th the water was again
over its banks, and the rise continued for
several days and reached nearly to the
mark of 1926. 1t continued to rise until the
2Sth, when it commenced falling again. and
gradually diminished to its proper compass.
While the flood was at it's height steamboats,
were loaded and unloaded from the second
stories on the levee, and several fair-sized
steamers made excursions from the city to
the Illinois bluffs, a distance of ten or twelve
miles, passing over the tops of houses in
Illinoistown (now East st. Louis).
The damage done by the food of "A was
much greater than that of any previous
year At that time the American bottom
was becoming settled by small farmers and
gardeners and there was no sign ola levee
anywhere to protect their fields and houses.
Many of their cabins were carried entirely
away by the flood, and it was no unusual
sight TO see a squatter perched on the roof of
his domicile with his dog by his side and a
family of chickens near by, floating along at
a speed of eight miles an hour. The destitu
ton of that year, however, was a small mat
ter in comparison with the distress
that must inevitably follow the
present flood. The City Council
then appropriated 81, 900 to the sufferers, and
the sum was deemed liberal. 1t was rela-
lively as much as if the citizens of st. Louis
were to donate to present sufferers at least
$4,000
The floods of 1851, 1854, 1853, 1868, 1867,
damage, and need not be more than referred
to.
The Mississippi below the mouth of the
Missouri is always muddy, In the spring
time, when the Missouri is on the rise, the
Mississippi is swallowed up by its lustier
continent, and becomes a "Big Muddy"
to its mouth. The waters carry
immense deposits of sand, con-
siderable quantities of which are
forced through the jetties of the South Pass,
and are taken up by the gulf stream and de-
posted on the Florida Keys. Certain scient-
lists maintain the theory that the Mississippi
is gradually filling up, and in the course OF
time will find new channel for its waters.
The bayous of Louisiana are only outlets for
the surplus waters of the Mississippi, and, as
they are being damned for plantation pur-
poses, the other outlets are overtaxed, and
overfiows are becoming more frequent. How
long it will take to make the bed of the
river dry land, no one can tell.