The Oskaloosa herald., 1905-04-13
CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
The Flood Year--1s51.


self and eight other passengers left
Fort Dodge on a small vessel in the
spring of 1851, coming down the Des
Moines river to it's mouth and found
the waters very low. So shallow in
places that to tighten the load, the
passengers -S'ould often get OFF the
boat and walk around small rapids
in the river. On May 18th the rain
began to fall. These dates are clear
in Mr.. Kalbach's mind because Of the
fact that he arrived in Oskaloosa with
his family on May 18th of that year.
The water fell in torrents ana
sheets almost every day for about a
month, Then it began to let up some,
but not wholly. Everything was food
ed. Grist mills and saw mills and
all industries of that kind were closeo
because of the floods. Ineir machin-
cry was under water. The new roads
of the county were practically i'm
passable. Merchants could get no
more goods, and the people found no
sale for their products except the
home consumption. Farmers could
do but little work, tradesmen were
idle, and business was paralyzed.
There was corn enough in the county
selling for ten or twelve cents per
bushel, but corn meal sold for two
dollars and fifty cents per bushel, be-
cause Of the difficulty of getting II
ground. Flour sold for twenty-one
dnlI n nd pf inn
could not be had at any price. HON.
my had to be made every day, as It
would not keep longer than about
twenty-four hours N hot weather.
Many families used the morter ana
pastle to reduce the corn to meal for
more convenient use. John w. Jones,
an Oskaloosa merchant, and John B..
Stewart secured the loan of pair or
burrs from Duncan's mill, north of
town, which they fisAed out of the
water and brought to town and set
them up just north of the old Jail.
They were enabled 10 make pretty
good meal for their neighbors out Of
the corn that came to them, but maze
no effort to produce -four. Just about
this time we find this note in the Her
aid of June 81 of that year: I'VE
learned that on Tuesday night last a
steamer laden with -four landed at
Eddyville and there discharged IT'S en-
tire cargo. 1t is thought the boat will
return. in few days and ascend the
river to Fort Des Moines. Success to
the trade, We say" ..
James Young, another enterprising
Oskaloosa merchant, determined that
he would have. some goods from Keo-
kuk if they were to be had. So he
took a good team of horses and man
aged to reach the city and made a
purchase of about eight hundred
pounds of needed supplies for mis-
store On the return trip, he got as
far up as Birmingham and there he
hopelessly mired. Leaving his goods,
he managed to reach home. One of
his customers, Wesley Mettler, had a
six-yoke team of oxen which he USED
in breaking prairie. Mr.. Young Sc
cured the service Of these stalwarts
and their owner to make the trip to
Birmingham for his much needed sup
plies, which they did in the slow and
sure method of these faithful servants
of men. .. >...
During the period of excessive
rainfall, flowing water was every
where. Culverls and bridges in the
country, and sidewalks and street
crossings in town were swept away.
Water ran across South Market street
ten feet deep. After hard rain the
square and it's adjacent streets would
be covered with water. The city was
not graded then as now. Fish, which
had come up from the river, were left
in ponds within two and three blocks
from the square.
The events occurring out on the
rivers in the county we're both serious
and tragic. Especially on the Des
Moines. Mr.. Geo. belong relates an
incident with which he was CONVEX
SAINT. Being unable to do much work,
the men of the neighborhood spent
much time about the river bottoms
UOluS WudI IuCy NOulu " oofO thN
property of those who were suffering
most. While in this work Van B. De-
lashmutt and Mr.. Dunn were in a
skiff in the flooded district trying to
rescue drifting property, when they
struck swift current and upset their
craft. Delashmutt caught hold of a
bending sapling and seeing that his
companion was about to sink, he
seized him by his hair as ne was go.
ing under. Twisting arUund over the
bending bush which was almost sub
merged in the water, ne chung with a
death grip to his now senseless COM
panion, holding his head out Of the
water as much as possible and calling
TO the men on the shore. One of the
men-Jarvis Boyd-took in the situa-
ton In flash and mounting spirit
ed horse he entered the stream far
enough above to swim by where the
life and death struggle was going on.
IN spite of his best efforts the swift
current carried him by. Undaunted,
however, he landed as soon as posi-