The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-06-01
RECORD OF FOUR FLOODS.
High Water Of This Season Compared
with That OF 1874, lsb1 and 1858.


AS the present flood in the Mississippi
appears to have reached its elimination
unless It should receive accession from
the usual June rise in the Missouri
some account Of the record Of previous
floods in the same stream may be Of in
terest.
There have been three previous floods
since the settlement of the country,
which are well remembered by persons
now living, and In which the rise reached
about the same point as the present.
These were in 1874, 1851 and 1853, and
the limit above the low-water mark at
st. Louis In those years was as follows:
1874. Ale feet 1858. 1863 feet
1851. ....... 1855 feet 1892. ...........36 feet
1t will be seen from these figures that
the flood of 1892 has not'reached point
equal to those of 1851 and 1858, though
within q fraction of each, but still falls
short OF each by several inches, and Of
that OF 1874 by nearly six feet. The
present flood has been sufficient to cover
about the same area in Illinois as the
previous ones, in spite of the increased
height and strength OF levees, except at
East st. Louis, where the levee con-
struction has been effective in protect
ing q portion Of the town. Owing to the
vastly increased area under cultivation,
both on the Mississippi and Missouri,
the loss from the destruction of crops
and the carrying away OF houses and
other property will be greatly increased
over that Of former years.
The statistics given show that the
flood OF 1874 is entitled TO rank as the
most memorable as to height. Like all
the others, it was the result Of q long
succession of spring rains followed by
an unexampled June rise in the Missouri
caused by the melting Of heavy SHOWS in
the Rocky Mountains. Previous to this
date little IL any progress had been
made in the construction OF the leyee
system above the mouth of the Ohio,
and consequently the stream was not
confined TO comparatively narrow
channel as now. AS a consequence,
after it began to overflow its banks a
greater volume Of water was required to
cause a moderate rise at st. Louis,
where the river, by overlooking the
American Bottom, spread to a width of
eight to ten miles. Yet it then reached
a height of nearly forty-seven feet
above low water, covering the whole
OF what is called The Levee" or
Front street, where now the lower rail-
road bridge crosses the river, and flood
ing the business houses on that street
to a depth Of several feet. AS the city
has since been extended to the bottom
lands, both above and below the old
city, some idea may be formed Of the
increase OF the area exposed to the raw
ages of the present floods. The whole
Of the American Bottom" opposite st.
Louis, extending from Alton to Chester,
and covering an area Of one to ten miles
wide by ninety miles in length, was
completely submerged with the excep-
ton of few mounds and ridges, so that
steamboats, reached the Illinois bluffs
from eight to ten miles from st. Louis.
1t has since become one OF the most
highly cultivated and productive Sec
tons Of the State, and the loss in the
destruction Of some crops and in delay
ing the planting Of others, to say moth
ing of other property, is almost meal
culable
or course all these floods, with others
which occurred at later periods, inflicted
immense damage upon the lower Missis-
sippi, where the levee system was not
as complete as it Is now. A flood In
1882 devasted nearly 900 acres in
the States OF Arkansas, Mississippi, and
Louisiana and compelled the furnishing
homeless people, with tents for shelter
ing large numbers. The loss in Louisi-
ana alone was estimated at $4,000, 900.
Another flood in February and March,
1890, which was chiefly confined to the
lower Mississippi, coming from the
Arkansas and Red Rivers, was also very
disastrous. The number of "crevasses"
(breaks in levees) during the present
flood has been very great, and heavy
loss is inevitable.
Floods in 1876 and 1880 caused heavy
loss to the farmers on bottom lands in
Illinois between Warsaw and Quincy,
and between Quincy and the mouth of
the Illinois, in consequence Of the
breaking of newly constructed levees,
which protected large area Of recently
reclaimed farming lands. There were q
few losses of life, many narrow escapes,
and the destruction of growing crops
was almost complete. The rise at Quincy
in 1851 was 22.S feet, in 1876 10 feet,
and in 1880 II feet. So far this region
has escaped serious disaster. but the
DeS Moines River has burst its bounds
near its mouth and wrought havoc among
the rich farms in the rear OF Alexandria,
Ill.
Doubtless the most memorable and
disastrous floods in this country have
been those occurring in the Ohio, usu-
ally at the time of some sudden breaking
up Of the ice in the winter or early
spring. The following are the limits
above low water reached in Cincinnati
in different years: 1884, GA feet inches;
1S47, 63 feet inches; 1862, 81 feet 4
inches; 1882, So feet inches, and 1883
(the highest ever KNOWN, 66 feet 4
inches. The latter destroyed a number
Of lives, millions Of property and de-
vastated several prominent cities,
Shawneetown, ILL.,, being among the
number