The professional world. (Columbia, Mo.) 1901-192?, 1903-06-12

"
Boon's Lick country-opposite
Boonville, Mo-, the previous year,
hence there were no farms to be
injured or crops TO be destroyed.
We have no means of knowing
how high the water reached that
year, but that it overlowed the en-
tire bottom, in the lower part Of
the river, and caused great damage
to the settlement on the Mississippi
is attested by the early records.
SIN the spring of 1926, a very
singular overflow occurred at the
mouth of the Kaw. There are
two or three persons now living in
Kansas City who were living here
then for it was in the previous
year (1825) that the Indian title to
the land, where the city now stands,
was extinguished, and the pioneer
crossed the Blue. In that year the
annual June rise was very high
and the Missouri was flowing bank
full. 1t so happened hat there
came down from the Kaw a trem-
endous rise, like a solid wall of
water. This tremendous wave,
when it reached the Missouri, could
not escape, but was damned up
and thrown back over the west
bottoms, which it submerged ten
or twelve feet. The entire bottoms
was then, of course, a primeval
forest, and where now stand the
immense warehouses of a city,
were dense thickets of ppwpaw and
grape vines. The same concur.
renee of circumstances may never
take place again, but nature some
times repeats her strange freaks.
SPY far the most destructive
flood that ever occurred on the
Missouri river was in 1874. 1t is
remembered as the "great food of
A." and will never be forgotten
by those who witnessed it's terrible
results. 1t was caused, as usual,
by continuous rainfall on the lower
river coming on top of the annual
June rise. The month of May had
been attended with unusual rains
and for weeks previous to the 10th
of June the precipitation had been
unprecedented. The down pour
had been almost continuous for
weeks. About the 5th of June the
water began to overflow the banks,
and the river confined to rise until
the 18th, when Cat Jefferson City,
it came to a stand and began to re-
cede. The entire bottom of the
Kaw to the mouth of the Missouri
was completely submerged, and
from bluff to bluff the river pre-
sented the appearance of an inland
sea. The destruction of property,
considering the sparse population,
was enormous, and much suffering
ensued. The channel of the river
was covered with drift wood and
houses were frequently seen float
ing down stream with people cling
ing to the roofs. Steamboats, no
longer confined themselves to the
channel of the river, but ran the
cutoff through the woods and across
corn fields.
"One marked popularity Of the
food of IA was the fact that it
was confined entirely to the
lower river. 1t did not extend
above Kansas City and the river
above that point during the entire
season was unusually low. Capt.
Joseph LaBsrge took the steamer
Omega to the mouth Of the Yellow
stone that year and had great diff
Guilty in ascending the river above
st. Joseph on account Of the low
stage Of the water.
SIN 1845 and again in 1851 there
was unusual high waters in the
river, and all the second bottoms
and low sloughs were submerged.
The damage to farms, however, was
slight and nothing to compare to
the destruction Of 1914.
The next most destructive flood
in the Missouri river was in 1881.
1t was not however, near 80 des-