The Cairo bulletin., 1904-04-17
.CA|ROITES WERE
RAT "SCRAPPERS"
Admission Was Charged to See
the Fight.
GREAT FLOOD OF 1858
RECALLED BY oLD.TlMg RESI-.
DENT OF cAiRo-eoXCARS
WERE USED FOR
HOUSES.

Seeing by the Sunday Cairo Bulle-
tin of March 9th. which a kind Cairo
friend sent me. that my humble name
appeared as one Of the managers Of
she Hibernan Fire Company No. As
ball OF March II, 1864 or 40 years ago
/ tho ending Of the article winding up
with the comment Of the Bulletin as
follows, to wit Very few of the
men mentioned in the above list are
now known 10 be living, Mr. A. Su.
sanka is still with US, and Mr., NJ. b.
Iiarrell is in Chicago. and Mr. John
Clancy is also a,ill here, but the rest
are all gone" beg leave to enter
my humble and emphatic profess,
may be gone from Cairo, but am not
gone the way of all flesh not by a
iugful on the contrary am stil
alive. hearty and kicking, thank God,
and bid fair 20 exist on this mundane
sphere for years 10 come Ii is
true that when an old Cairoite looks
back TO the early days of Cairo ana
aer people and remembers his old as
/ sociate3 and other residents OF Cairo.
gho are gone. the list seems appal-
ling, and should serve to warn MS who
temain To be ready for Che great
reaper Of mankind. that reaper whom
none can eyade and whose visit is as
certain as fate itself
Landing in Cairo in the month Of
August. 1857. nearly ~ years ago,
young Irish greenhon, just out Of
school in Ireland young observant
and vigorous, the first thing that at
racted my attention was the wooden
high sidewalks and the houses built
IN stills, This was long before any
attempt was made 20 fll Cairo to keep
.6ut ina sipe water. which oozed
through the levees The next thing
brought 10 my attention vas lot Of
negroes huddled together near the
Illinois Central stone depot. being
banished from town as not being
wanted among It's residents. Living
with relatives who brought me from
ireland, soon became acquainted
with the majority of her people. with
current gossip Of the place, SO that
d lively recollection remains with me
10 this day.
Old Cairoltes will remember the
great food of 1858. when the Missis
sippl levee broke north Of tom. Soon
the entire city was like a roaring
river. People in one story dwellings
had to move to places of safety. while
The two-story dwellers had to move
10 the second story. The |. c. r. r.
Co very kindly placed large num-
her of box cars on their tracks ON the
Ohio leyee which were occupied By
the poorer classes of people, who
we're Obliged to live In them as best
they could for over eight weeks. Pre-
sent Cairoites would hardly give ere
dence to the fact that the largest
steamboat could navigate down Com
mercial avenue during that eyentful
time. In oruer 10 save the city the
leyee was cut by the authorities down
near the point to let the water pass
out az fast as It came in They were
strenuous times then. bu: the people
Of Cairo were equal to the occasion,
taking things philosophically and
cheerfully. accepting the ills brought
on them by the Faher Of Waters. It
was a common sight in those days 20
see men. women and children going
10 church In boats, hkiffs. on planks
and on anything that would float
Many time ! tied up my gondola,
in the shape of lGfoot plank, to the
steps Of st. Patricks church on Wash.