San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-03-08
The Modern Deluge.

Inc hodern Deluge.
The future scientist from Timbuc.
too, tracing the history of the extinct
inhabitants of Cincinnati in the
ruins, buried under the growth of
centuries, would write out the story
of the deluge of 1888. At first the
inhabitants welcomed the rise of the
Ohio as a promise OF coal and navi.
CATION. AS it kept on they thought
1t sensation, and began to plume
themselves on the prospect of as high
water as the food OF 1917 and even
OF 1882. They looked ON the calami.
ty OF the poor people who were driv.
EN- from habitations near the river,
and ON the hurry of merchants in
lifting heavy goods out of their cellars
in the bottom" 1t kept on, and
merchants had to move again, and
were driven out of the first story, and
a multitude of poor people were
homeless, leaving their all in the
rising waters.
Then the Gas Works were sub
merged, and the city left in darkness;
then the Water Works, leaving the
city without water in flood. The
coal yards were in the midst of sea.
The railroad stations and tracks were
drowned. The whole people began
to realize that great calamity was
upon them. Yet they thought that
when the flood had reached the hight
of 1882 it would be satisfied, and re.
cede; but it kept on. Communica.
ton with the country was cut off, and
the flood was the same in the coun.
try. A famine for food came on tor
of light famine, fuel famine, a
water famine, and with inhabitants
driven from their houses by the con-
tinually advancing waters. Churches
and all public buildings were crowded,
and every house that was still above
the water was invaded by all it could
hold, until these in turn had to fly to
higher ground.
The mind cannot conceive the an
guish and terror of this, when the
population of great city was all in
the same terror and suffering. II
was pandemonium of hunger, cold
and desperation. Many in their de.
spair refused to leave their dwellings,
and these were found, centuries af-
ter, by the excavations of discoveries,
man and wife, parents and children,
lover and maiden, mother and the
babe at her breast, in mutual en-
brace, buried in the yellow earth
brought down by the river flood.
The .semi- circle of the hills was
crowded with hundreds of thousands
of shelterless, starving people, fast
dying of want, exposure, terror and
despair. Since the flood must be,
it was merciful that it was at an &C
celebrating rate. 1t surrounded the
hills and climbed on over the highest
parts, until at last only one spot, q
narrow knoll, stood above the dread
full wilderness of waters.
Here, upon pile of stones which
he had heaped, sat the last survive,
of the inhabitants of Cincinnati
Even his portrait, in painting Of
the scene, was found, strangely pre-
seved. The last mans wife has dice
of want and terror in his arms, and
now lies floating on the rising waters
by the rock. He sits on the rock
almost destitute of apparel, contem'
plating the dreadful waters with
countenance in which fine concep'
ton has mingled with wonderful ar
the expression of tenderness, suffer
ing, hopeless despair, plucky deter
mination and defiance, which tell the
story of the dreadful tragedy, and ex
press an heroic soul that feels as
man, and, as man that had suffered
the worst, defes all that can ye
come to him.
A picture of all the calamities o
the deluge is concentrated in thu
single figure. An idea is entertained
by many that creation is ever repeat
ing itself in great cycles; that wha
now ishas been thousands of year
before, and will be again. If thu
brief narrative is not the history o
the deluge OF 1888, it is of the forme
deluge, and of that which will be
And as the deluge is moral suaslon
to be sent at times when the wicked
ness of the world has overcome a
ordinary instrumentalities, an extra
ordinary rise in the rivers is to ever
one a loud call for moral introspec
ton.
"WHAr becomes of our bodies?