Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-11
The Article Written Last July of
Especial Interest Now.
HAPPEN BUT ONCE In AtLIRETIME''
Tacitus Hussey of Des Moines Writes
in ANNALS of Iowa" Issued Last
Summer of Great Flood of Earlier
Years.

is given very complete statement of
the facts concerning the great flood
OF 1901, which>is conceded by the old
est settlers to have been the only one
between the time of the settlement of
this locality by the whites and the pre-
sent year that could approach the re-
markable flood through which Ottum-
wa has just passed. The article is
from the pen OF Tactitus Hussey, OF
Des Moin0s and it is partially repro
duced herewith.
The article was written last summer
and at that time anyone would have
agreed with the writer that the Isl
Hood was an extraordinary event.
That it could occur again in lifetime,
however, was amply proven in the re-
cent high water which nearly all the
Old settlers admit was higher than that
OF over fifty years ago. Mr.. Hussey's
article, which is of especial interest at
this time, is at follows:
The Flood Of Isl.
| "The flood OF 1851 was one of those
extraordinary events which happen in
state but once in lifetime 1t could
scarcely occur again because of chang
es in physical conditions. The Des
| Moines river and it's tributaries
| drained then IS now very large ter
ritery. Nearly one-third Of the coun-
ties OF Iowa are touched by this stream
Which flows in a somewhat meandering
way across the state, from west to east
mingilng with the waters of the Missis-
| sippi about four miles below Keolul.
When 1t is remembered that in 1851
the upper part of the territory was in
a state Of perennial wildness and inca
pacitated by its grassy surface for re-
4 ceiving into its soil the rain, which
ran into the nearest streams, the Won
der will not be so great, 1t will be
remembered also, that the source OF
the Des Moines river touches Mime
sofa, SO famous for its heavy snowfall
which. melting somewhat later than
the SHOWS in the central part of this
state, fed the smaller tributaries and
kept their channels full until the
| spring rain clouds poured out their CO
pious contributions. The food of 1851
was phenomenal, and seemed to be the
elimination of what is sometimes call
, ed wet weather cycle" 6eavy rain
fall)
LET us take the record of the 'rair
guage' of eight years, beginning witt
1S4S, two years after the state, which
was the youngest and most promising
of the sisterhood, was admitted to thu
union:
1S4S, rainfall -. ..... ....26 inches
1849, rainfall SO inche
\ 1850, rainfall ..... $500. 40 inches
1851, rainfall ............. 74iA inches
1852, rainfall ..... ....... 40 inche
1858, rainfall 500. ....... As inches
1854, rainfall .....@.... 20 niche
1855, rainfall ..... 5000. % niche
st will readily be seen that rlor
than six feet of water fell upon tn
earth's surface IN less than five month
in addition to the melting of heav
SHOWS in the spring: this would max
each 'rivulet q roaring cataract an
convert ordinarily well-behavei river
into miniature oceans. 1t gas thu
that the flood of waters came, sweeI
ing out all sown and planted crops O
the low lands, and carrying away eN
2 erything loose and floatable. Bridge
: were few over the rivers below, Blu
the primitive ferryboats, fences, stool
stables, and in some cases farmhouse
were abandoned to the watery eli
ments, while the owners a!ed to tn
: hills, glad to escape Wa u leir lives,
MIR. Hussey says newspa pers Wer
:, not DIPnIlIul IN tHOSo udyS u III SuCu d
5 We're published contained but scant al
! counts of the flood.
OF the destruction on the upper pal
4 of the Des Moines, Mr.. Hus sey says
was principally in the undermining {
! the immense trees which stood on il
5 banks. Hundreds OF STATELY trees WEI
! uprooted and swept down. stream b
> the resistless current.
: Eddyville a Sufferer.
Eddyville was also q sufferer by tt
flood. A portion of the illage lyir
. close to the river was FINDER wat
: three different times, the Height of Il
9 flood being about the mid die of Jun
9 e. L. Smith, agent of tile u. S. e
! press at Des Moines, Tired there
: the time He came to Eddyville
1S45, and in the year 1850 entert
the service of Hon. Ed TGanning, wi
had a store and wareho use near Il
bank of the river. The river begs
to show flood signs abe ut the midd
of May and many of the families Ii
ing on the lowlands ha6l taken refus
on gravelly knoll where the dep