Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-11

!
the lay Of the ground. Just above the |
business part of the town small ra-
vine opened into theriyer, and below |
the business district q small stream
emptied into the river. In the times |
of high water these ravines overlooked |
and formed bayous. The business was
located along First street or the river |
| front, and in the rear Of this, and about |
| midway between First and Second |
| streets the ground was lower. Until
| 1851 there had been no Inconvenience
| experienced from the water backing
up and forming these bayous, but this
year it kept rising until it began feel
| ing it's way along the low ground in.
| the rear of the business houses, con-
Meeting the lower and upper bayous
and at last left the business portion of
the town an island.
| At first a gangway answered the pur-
pose of keeping up communication be-
| tween the business portion and the
mainland; but in short time the cur
/, rent became too strong and swept it
away,-so it became necessary to pro-
vide some sort of a craft to meet this
emergency. Everybody made water
craft from the best material which
could be found. had one of the most
unique At that time l was serving
my last year as an apprentice to the
| tin trade. The proprietor had just
manufactured peddling-box for the
purpose of hauling his wares through
| the country in order to supply country
dealers This peddling-box was made
of inch pine boards nailed together and
in proportion and appearance might
have been taken for baby flatboat.
lrL 10 ~l-o II,
on and was sitting by the side of the
| shop. / caulked it UP as well as
could, launched it, and with pole to
propel it started for the mainland. 1
soon found it to be real broncho to
ride. 1t bucked worse than broncho.
A broncho might fail sometime to
throw it's rider-but this, never! There
4 was always some water in it, and this
{. would roll from one side to the other,
so at about the third lurch it never
failed to throw me, to the great amuse-
ment of those on shore. The water
soon became too high to run craft
of that kind, and the proprietor bought
an excellent skiff of some parties who
had come down the river, and put me
in possession of it. From that time
on, / roamed the surging flood with the
freedom Of a buccaneer. By this time
the water was running over the lowest
places on Front street and kept rising
until it came onto the floors of the
business houses. The merchants
moved their goods higher up on the
, shelves and on the tops of the coun-
, tiers, all the while saying, "It certainly
will not get much higher" But it kept
coming up until it reached the top of
the counters in some instances, and in
, Others about half way up, and remain
ed at that point for short time. Then
it began to recede and reached about
;, the original high-water mark where it
, remained something like week. 1t
: then began to rise again, and reached
a point few inches higher than be-
: fore After a short time it began to
: recede again and continued to do SC
. until it was finally within its banks
L where it remained.
In little while all traces were clear
!, ed away and business was resumed
( and everything moved along as if there
= never had been a flood. There ap
:. peared to be no serious results from
e It, The water passed the high-wate
d mark in the fore part of May, and re
n coded the last time, about the middle
g of June, causing an interruption OF bus
/ mess of about five weeks. 1t caused {
y great deal Of inconvenience and les!
a of business but the people kept in goot
e spirits through it all. Some one foun(
i! some horseshces and a game OF quoits
e was started, and soon almost ever,
t, one was quoit-pitching, apparently get
n ting some fun out of what would seen
If great calamity. But it was yer.
e quiet and monotonous. Not o stir Blu
d. the water as it swept by between tn
Y. houses and submerged districts. /
III ''gondolier" with his girl was occasion
d ally seen passing among the submers
" ed houses taking in the situation; OF
at perhaps, larger craft with youngster
III aboard, with mirth and song, some
/" what relieved the monotony.
ID The Late Edwin Manning.
y, Concerning the late Edwin Manning
Id father of Calvin Manning Of this city
r. who has passed away since the articl
z was written Mr.. st. John said "Edwi
le Manning, general merchandise, corne
IN of Van Buren, and First streets, is pei
haps the eldest merchant in the stat
in of Iowa, having come to ''Ioway TER
ne tory" somewhere about the thirtie:
ut He was one of the founders of Keosal
lie qua, and the oldest merchant of tha
place, and although 81 years of age,
Id physically strong for one of his years
er The old sign, Mannings Store still r.
e, mains, representing a remarkable bus
n ness career of about sixty-siX years.
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