The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-11-22

it's source with the greatest velocity
for several hours in consequence OF an
elevation of its bed. But this noble
river was not thus to be stayed in its
course. It's accumulated waters came
booming on, and, overlapping the bar
rier thus suddenly raised, carried
everything before them with resistless
power. Boats then floating on its sur
face shot down the decilvity like an
arrow from bow, amid roaring bill
lows and the widest connections. A
few days action of its powerful cur
rent sufficed to wear away every YES
tige of the barrier thus strangely in
terposed, and its waters moved on in
their wonted channel to the ocean.
The day that succeeded this night OF
terror brought no solace with its
dawn. Shock followed shock. A dense
black cloud of vapor overshadowed the
land through which no struggling
sunbeam found its way to cheer the
Responding heart of man, who, in
silent communion with himself, was
compelled to acknowledge his weakness
and dependence upon the everlasting
God. Hills disappeared and lakes were
found in their stead. Numerous lakes
became elevated ground, over the sur
faces of which vast heaps of sand were
scattered in every direction. In many
places the earth for miles was sunk
below the level of the surrounding
country without being covered with
: water, leaving an impression in NINA
ture of catastrophe much more i'm
T, portant in its effects, which had, per-
haps, preceded it ages before. One of
the lakes formed on this occasion is
from sixty to seventy miles in length.
and from three to twenty in breadth.
1t is in some places very shallow, and
! in others from 80 to 60 feet deep,
which is much more than the depth of
the Mississippi river in that quarter. y
In the midst of such terrible con-
vulsion as this the first of western
steamboats, was pursuing her way to
the south. When Bradbury and has
keelboat were near the mouth of the
Arkansas they were passed by the
steamboat, which had weathered the
gale and came through all the war OF
the elements without any serious in
jury. The Englishman says in his
book: "She was very handsome ves-
sci of 40 tons burden, and was impelled
by powerful engine" He afteward
took passage on this vessel at Natchez
for New Orleans, and in his descrip-
tion of the operation grew enthusiastic
over the perfection of the machinery
and the skill and daring of the crew.
The voyage, considering all of the
untoward conditions under which il
was made. was certainly one of the
most remarkable in history, and the
English writer doubtless had higher
appreciation of the dangers and diff
culties which had been met and over
come than would have been possible if
he himself had not been an eye-wit-
ness of Them When the first shocks of
the earthquake came, the keelboat, on
which he was passenger, was tied up
! to an island near the center of the
stream. The shock made channel in
the island and one-half or more of il
disappeared.
The Roosevelt family was in the
van of progress which made the new
Louisiana, fact which may we'll be
considered in estimating the attitude
of that member of the family who il
now in the White Hoouse toward the
centennial exposition. The demon
stration of the practicability of steam
boating on the western rivers solved
a great many Louisiana problems. 1t
set this section in the foreground al
the country with unlimited possibili
ties of wealth and development, which
could be easily reached, and in which
it had become possible to make easy
distribution of the products of wealth
and outside exchanges of such pro
ducts. The earthquake, coinciden
with the voyage, postponed for few
years the day of heavy immigrations
but ii the steamboat had not conn
when it did that day would have beef
much longer postponed. The steam
boat taken down the two rivers b,
Capt. Roosevelt assured the futur
greatness of all the country west of tn
, Mississippi. 1t made it possible TO
!, population to come in and the product
of the soil to go out.
1t seems strange that it was six year
after the Roosevelt family had de
: monstrated the practicability of tn
l navigation of the Mississippi river be
3 fore steamboat reached st. Louis
\ but that fact gives the highest con
3 firmation of the value of steamboatin
to the new country. In 1914 the terri
: toriaI legislature made a census SHOW
D ing the entire population of Uppe
4 Louisiana to be less than %. 600. Th
9 population came with the era of steal
f navigation. In 1918 the application
for the organization of new countit
= were more than trebled. Within
Q year there was an organized deman
g for state government. At the begin
j. ming Of 1918 there.were seven .brie
Q buildings in st. Louis. The close
4 that year saw more than one hundred
st. Louis Globe Democrat.