The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-03

| UNIONTOWN AND GREEN RIVER
Returning, we whistled for landing at
Uniontown, KY, but were warned 60 keep
away, as it would endanger the safety of
some of the houses, every one in the town
being to greater or less depth in the water.
| But when they heard who we were, and
learned our object we were kindly well
coined, and no harm was done by our boat.
! Leaving weeks provisions for thirty eight
people we started for Mount Vernon, where
we tied up for the night No damage was
done here, and no relief required. So at
daylight we left for Evansville, reaching
there about 8 o'clock, when the work OF load
ing for an up-river trip was begun. Here,
despite the fact that the city pretends to care
obliged to leave supplies for sixty
people living in the bottoms above
and below town. The local relief
committee had acted very tardily, and
so far as was visible no practical aid had been
afforded. 1t is said. too, that a sum raised
for the sufferers along the Rhine is still in
| the bank there, not having been forwarded.
| Worse still, the impression has gone uncor-
rected that Evansville was largely in
terested in the supplies on the Isabella, and
a local paper there published without COM
ment vote of thanks passed at Uniontown,
| KY, ITO the Sunday-schoos at Evansville
| for the relief furnished by the Isabella" A
reporter of that paper was furnished free
transportation on the boat and knew that
not one cent had been contributed at Evans
vile toward that expedition.
In our two-mile trip up the Green river
on the Kentucky side, some very original
specimens of humanity were found living
in boats and dependent for a livelihood
upon the pecan crop, by selling which they
are enabled to add bacon, corn-bread
and tobacco to their daily bill
of fare of fish and 'possum.
In one of the boats Dr. Elder found woman
with a sore leg. She said it had been falling
for six months and didn't get any better. He
inquired what she had been using as a salve,
and was told that she had been rubbing it
with gunpowder and 'coon-grease! Assur-
| ing her that he thought he could improve on
| the treatment, he begged her to leave off the
powder and grease and apply something a
| little less vigorous than nitro-glycerine and
aquafortis.
Here the rescuing party became trife
reckless, and disspated by purchasing bar
rel of pecans. 1t is not necessary to state the
price, as the nuts could probably be bought
in indianapolis at the same figure, or less.
AT Enterprise, every house was invaded by
the river and we left weeks supplies for
ninety persons. Rockport stands high and
dry and asked no aid, but supplies for
thirty persons were left to be given prnci-
pally to sufferers on the Kentucky side. At
Grandvew, which was entirely submerged,
we ulllOduSQ GnOu5h plONlolOlo " 4CCu ~
persons.
The situation at Tell City has been over
drawn, and no more aid will be rendered
there Nearly all the houses were mum
dated, but none were swept away. The loss
will cause little ii any distress, and the town
! is really able to take care OF itself. Visited
| to-day, scarcely any evidences of the flood
will be visible But we LETT enough food to
feed $50 persons. The town is thrifty and
| has employment for every able-bodied man
there Cannelton requires no assistance.
At Alton we found that every house had
been submerged, and one or two had foated
| Oft their foundations Enough provisions
for 300 persons was left. On the re-
turn trip at Grandview, in conversation
with lady, she said she had moved her
things into a neishboring house that had
been used as a store and was two feet higher
than the residence. The family thought
| they were safe there. But on the following
morning they found two inches of water on
the floor. The wife and mother put on a
pair of rubber boots and got breakfast after
which boat carried their effects to the hills.
On the trip down forty-seven persons were
afforded aid, and the last OF the cargo was
disposed of.
| THOMAS ELLIS AND FAMILY.
Passing Grissom's landing on the Ken
lucky side, the captain of the boat called at
tenton to a small party on the river bank,
and said they had lost everything-hous e,
| cribs and ALL We landed at once and
| found that the mans name was Thomas
Ellis He being at some little distance, his
wife was asked if her husbands name was
not Thomas Ellis. She turned and called to
him, oh Tom, amt your right name
Thomas" He said it was and that settled
it. Being asked what he had saved, he
pointed to handful of rubbish, or plum
der" as they call it, supposed to be furni-
ture. Inquiry about his house developed
the fact that he had managed to save about
| twenty clapboards from the roof by placing
| them in the forks of a sycamore tree. all the
rest going somewhere down the river. On
! Thursday the river had left about six
| inches of the bank above the water line, and
the wretched family had moved back in a
boat, and there in mud six inches deep they
proposed to stay, with nothing between
them and the heavens, until they could
rig up some sort of habitation in
which to live. The family consisted
| OF five children, the youngest but six years
old. At the time of our visit dinner was in
course of preparation. pan OF biscuits was
ready to be put in the oven, and the stove
from which the smoke blew every way
was placed on two clapboards to keep it from
sinking in the mud. Looking at Mrs. Ellis's
| face on which had accumulated about nine
kinds of dirt, including pot-black, we con-
cluded not to dine with them and instead
| left them more wholesome grub than they
have had altogether since the war. The scene
will not soon be forgotten. The putty
coored, ill-clad creatures crouched among
their wretched household appliances in six
inches of mud, only dozen feet from the
| brink of river fifty feet deep, and with only
a score of clapboards to build house. They
purpose staying there until by some means
they become able to put some kind of struc-
ture between them and the inclemencies of
| the weather
Reviewing the whole field, the aggregate
loss will doubtless run into the millions, and
there will undoubtedly be great suffering re-
sultng from the Unprecedented inundation
The people along the river seem to have less
appreciation OF the magnitude of the daster
than those at distance, and are slower to
come to the rescue. But all who have con-
tributed to the purpose can have the satisfac-