Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-05-01

yards and found the track had been
| forced down the embankment by the
| current, he then started to return, and
when about half way back ne found
| the road had slid away behind him,
| and he could not get back to us. L
| then sent a handcar with the section
men into town for an engine to take
US back, but before the engine arrived
the road had gone for a number of
rods behind us. so there we were CAST
away half a mile from land and about
J the same distance from water, and il
was nearly night before we were taken
off the cars as boats had to be brought
| from Sacramento and they We're in
| great demand throughout the city it.
! self. When we left the cars The water
| was nearly up to the floors. We had
! to make several loads of our company.
and in getting to the city we. had to
| drag the boat i portion of the way
| over land and then ferry across the
| rapids at the breaks in the embank-
ment of the road. We We're so much
that when darkness came on we fou al
| ourselves a long mile from the city
on what was known as Poverty Ridge.
and then the water was rushing
! through the breaks in The r street
! levee with such force that we dared
not attempt to go further. so we had
to remain on the Ridge all night. and
! need not say that it was a night of
terrible suspense to many of US, for
we could know nothing of the condi-
ton of our families. We only knew
that between us and them was a rag
| ing torrent carrying death, devasta-
ton and ruin in its course. and that
from a distance beyond the reach of
our assistance we could distinctly hear
the despairing cries of men, women
and children who were expecting
every moment that their homes would
be ahoat and themselves borne with
them. But by eleven o'clock the water
began to recede. and those in SUCH
immediate peril were saved. Late in
the night we found shelter in the huuLe
of whole-souled. generous Irishman
who took US to his home. where he
gave us hot coffee, bread and meat,
and a good fire at which to warm our
almost frozen limbs. Many Of us had
eaten nothing since the day before,
yet we had no desire for food. The
anxiety about 1Ur IA Miles and the IN.
certainty of their fate took away APP
petite. Soon after daylight . boat
came for us and we then learned with
unspeakable gratitude that all We're
safe. though they had 20 be taken f'Oni
the houses in boats. When / returned
] found my dear ones with some
twelve or fifteen other families in pos
session of a large tWO-stOry brick
house on the same block on which
come into the streets two of the rail-
road men, knowing that I was away,
went to the house and took I'D the
carpets, raised the piano and sewing
machine on boxes and placed most OF
the furniture in the upper story. And
right quickly they had to work too.
for when all was done the boat came
to the front door and my wife, with
the children, stepped in from the sec
ond story window. My youngest
daughter had favorite kitten for
whose safety she seemed exceedingly
anxious but before leaving the house
she appeared to have forgotten her
, anxiety, and it was lost sight of, but
ext Gay, on opening one Of the trunk,
out jumped the kitten, the little girl
having put it there for safe keeping.
The food occurred on the ninth IF Do
cember. and-by the tenth the water
had receded so far as TO get down to
the floor of our house and | began to
Try to clean UP. The 'Slum" was about
an inch deep. so the next day we
packed our wearing apparel and went
to San Francisco. As late as the end
| Of February. 1862, the water over
about half Of Sacramento was STILL
deep enough for row boats. and almoSt
every boy and girl appeared to have
learned how to use a pair of oars.
There were regattas on the principal
streets every day, and amongst the
young folks it was, no doubt. a mat
ter Of deep regret when the water
finally drained off and the streets were
once more dry. Our meeting house
suffered severely from each of the
floods Chat was the third during the
year,. The second flood brought the
water over the tops Of the pews de
strOyed all the upholstery and hymn
books and ruined the Sunday school
library. EVERYBODY connected with THE
church had so much of his own bust
ness to attend to that no one could
give time to the meeting house, SO th'
Rev Mr.. Charlton took off his jacket
and rolled up his sleeves" and all
alone commenced the work Of repair
ing damages and renOvating the house
He raised three hundred dollars at
Mr.. Cheney's church in San Francisco.
and with this amount and his own Ia
Dor he got everything righted and the
church looked better than before.
I wonder how many there are who
remember the Pony Express" The
Pony was a small, one horse con-
Germ carrying a mail never exceeding
twenty-five or thirty pounds The
regular overland mail in 1861, car
ried letters and papers at the usual
rates and ranged from fifteen hum
dred to fOrty-five hundred pouuoS.
The Pony Express was a great insti-
tuition 1t grew out of q desire to OBJ
tain as speedy communication with
the east as possible, a desire which
was strengthened by the obvious need
Of the federal authorities to be In
touch with the union men OF the coast
IN case that the already impending
war cloud did not pass harmessly
overhead. 1t was Senator William n
Gwin, VINO afterwards joined the con-
federates who was the first to see the
feasibility of a fast overland mail as
well as to point out the danger to
both the Panama steamer route ana
the Southern Overland stage route
should secession become anything NJ tore
than a threat. April 8, 1860 was the
Gate settled on for the Inauguration of
the enterprise and ten days the limit
time between San Francisco and St
Joseph. The mail was carried from
San Francisco to Sacramento by boat
and it was from the latter city that
the real start was made. The first
express went through on time. and
elaborate preparations were made to
welcome the rider with the eastern
mail Both San Francisco and Sacra
mento We're alive with enthusiasm
In Sacramento the whole citV~turned
out with guns, bells, bands and any
thing else that could be relied upon
to make noise. No time was lost i'm
conveying the precious packet to the
steamer for the rest Of the trip. and
as the announcement of its proba BILE
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