The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-03-21
an INyATfATE RIVER
HOW THE. MlssIssIPPi SOMETIMES
EATS UP REAL ESTATE.

Thousand Dollars Worth of His Property
In One Night.
"No use talking, the Mississippi river ID
the most contrary thing on earth" re-
marked Captain S. e. King Of Greenville
Miss. During the civil war, it will be
remembered, there was a double bend,
much in the shape Of the letter s, OF the
river at Vicksburg. General Grant, voc.
know, wanted to change the course. Of the
river by cutting a channel through De
Soto peninsula, thus cutting of the upper
bend and causing the river to flow straight
across below Vicksburg and leaving the
town high and dry, Grant could then
have sent his gunboats by Vicksburg' n
escaped the Smelling from-the upper bat
teries Of the Confederates north Of the
town.. He put General McClernand and
several thousand men to work at cutting
this channel across the peninsula in front
of the town, and they worked for some
time, Notwithstanding the harassment
from the lower batteries Of the enemy.
But the contrary river wouldn't show the
least desire Of accepting such an ARTIFICIAL
channel anyway. The plan wss finally
abandoned and Grants gunboats had to
make the run before both the upper and
lower batteries. But in 1875 the Missis-
sippi river, of its own accord, out it's way
across De Soto peninsula below Vicks-
burg, but farther up than Grants artificial
channel was started. De Soto peninsula
Ia now De Soto island, and the body OF
water In 'front.' Of Vicksburg Is now known
as Centennial lake, taking the name from
the year that the Centennial was held az
| PHILADELPHIA. This Is only one Of many
Instances showing how the Mississippi re-
fuses to submit to the dictation Of civil
engineers and how itfollows its " stub
born course, winding and washing its
way here and there at its W will
"By the way, the Mississippi washed
several thousand dollars out Of my pocket
in one night about 15 years ago. At that
time I owned a row Of houses which began
almost three blocks away from the river
in Greenville, Miss. One day q govern
ment engineer said to me, The river VIII
some time wash away Its bank here, and
your buildings will tumble In
swell, I laughed at -him.- The bank
was rs feet high, and, besides, the river
was quite low. One morning I awoke to
learn that there had been a big cave in Of
the river bank the night before, and that
q couple of my buildings had been carried
away. I Joined the crowd Of people that
rushed to the river bank to see this de-
struction, and, I tell you, I never ap-
preciated the terrible power Of the Father
of Waters until I witnessed this scene.
While I was standing there talking with
friends another big slice Of land, o block
In width, crumbled away and fell into the
river, carrying with it several more OF my
buildings. You can imagine how / felt,
because I had been drawing an income OF
81, 900 q month in rentals from my build
ines. Now over half Of them were amass
Of debris floating down the river, and my
real estate was only so much dirt in TIM
bottom of the channel.
GAS I stood there watching my build.
ings and ground slip away into the river
a citizen approached me-. and said, Cap
tain, I'll give you 1900 for the remain
der Of your property
"'No, I'll not take less than $4,000
said I.
1.-THE words had no more than left my
tongue when there was another cave In,
and two more of my lots and buildings
tumbled into the greedy river. The citizen
then remarked to me, Captain, I'll give
you 81, 900 for your property now
81 refused to entertain this proposition,
which, Of course, was a pure speculation,
as no human agency could stop the cave
In. Pretty soon another n Of my lots
and its building went into the river, and
my speculative friend then offered me $500
for the remainder of my property. BY this
time I had concluded to trust to luck and
stand all losses, and T refused to sell at
any price. I now had n lot and n
building left. During the excitement an
old colored woman came up and said TO
me:
"'See heah, cap'n. will ye give me dem
brick what's in dat cellar under yer
house?'
ST told her she could have the brick. I
had q pile of new brick In the cellar under
my only remaining house. The old col
ored woman gave her husband % cents
to hire O team and wagon to haul away
the brick. Now, upon my word OF honor,
what I. am now going to say Is true.
While the old colored man was gone for q
wagon another cave in occurred, and my
last house and lot, brick and cellar and
all, tumbled into the river. The cave In
came 80 suddenly that the crowd OF people
standing on the bank had to flee for their
lives. After the excitement had somewhat
subsidized the old colored woman exclaimed:
CLAWS o. massyl Defe's my brick In
de bottom o. de ribber, an done los my
quatah.' =
GOT course, while the old oma was
out 25 cents, I was out another $1,000.
During this series Of cave ms that day
efforts were being made to place a long
frame store building on rollers and move
it to q place Of safety. But before the
building could be raised 1t began to tilt,
and the men were compelled to desert 1t.
Soon the store building slid into the river
and went kerchug to the bottom OF the
channel, as completely out of sight as II IL
had been the only pebble on the beach
"In. my opinion the Mississippi river 10
all right-when it doesn't come my way. l
built O nice residence in GreenVille several
years ago and had a beautiful flower be-
decked lawn between the house and the
river, which was a block away. That lawn
has long since been swallowed by the vo-
raoious nav of the Mississippi, and today
nv residence stands on the edgeof a a
that is rs feet high."-St. Louis Globe
Democrat.
Medieval Lynch Laws In Bavaria.
1t Is curious to note that in some parts
of Bavaria q method of procedure which Ia
called Haberfeld treiben still prevails and