The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-11-23
An INSATIATE RIVER.
HOW THE MISSISSIPPI SOMETIMES
EATS UP REAL ESTATE.
Captain King of GrcenvilIe Tells How
the Father of Waters Swallowed Several
Thousand Dollars Worth of His Property
In One Might.

the most contrary thing on earth" re.
marked Captain S. Ii. King OF Grcenville'
Miss. During tho civil war, it Will be
remembered. there was q double bend,
much in the shape of the letter ,, or the
river at Vicksburg. General Grant, yoS
know, wanted to change tho course OF the
river by cutting q channel through LIE
Soto peninsula, thus cutting oil the upper
bend and causing tho river to low straight
across below Vicksburg and leaving the
town high and dry. Grant could then
have sent his gunboats by Vicksburg and
escaped the Smelling from tho upper bat
teries of the Confederatcs 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 harasslnent
from tho lower batteries Of the enemy.
But tho contrary river wouldn't show the
least desire of accepting such an artificial
channel anyway. The plan was hnally
abandoned and Grants gunboats had to
make the run before both the upper M
lower batteries. Blu in 1875 tho Mlssls'
sippi river, of it's own accord, cut its way
across De Soto peninsula below Vicks
burg. but farther up than Grants artificial
channel was started. De Soto peninsula
Is now Do Soto island, and tho body OF
water in front of Vicksburg is now known
as Centennial lake, taking the name from
the year that the Centennial was held al
Philadelphia. This is only one OF many
instances showing how the Mississippi re,
fuses to submit to the dictatlon OF clYb
engineers and how it follows its own stub
born course, winding and washing Ito
way here and there at its own will
"By the way, the Mississippi washed
several thousand dollars out of my pocket
In ono night about Is years ago. AT that
time owned q row of houses which began
almost three blocks away from the river
in Greenville, Miss. One day q govern.
ment engineer said to Inc, The river will
some time wash away it's bank here, and
your buildings will tumble in
"Well, L laughed at him. The bank
was rs feet high, and, besides, the river
was quito low. Ono morning I awoke to
learn that there had been q big cave in OF
the river bank tho night before, and that
a couple Of my buildings had been carried
away. 1 Joined tho 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 tho Father
of Waters until I witnessed this scene.
While I was standing there talking with
friends another big slice OF land, a BLOCK
In width, crumbled away and fell into the
river, carrying with it several more OF my
buildings. You car imagine how I felt,
because I had been drawing On income OF
81, 900 q month in rentals from my build
ings. Now over half Of them were q mass
of debris floating down the river, and my
real estate was only SO much dirt IN tbs
bottom of the channel.
GAS I stood there watching my build
lngs and ground slip away into the river
a citizen approached ME and said, Cap
tain, I'll give you $1,000 for the remain
der Of your property
"'No, I'll not take less than $4,000
said I.
"The words had no more than left m5
tongue when there was another cave in,
and two more of my lots and buildings
tumblcd into the greedy river. The citizen
then remarked to me-, Captain, I'll give
you 81, 600 for your property now.'
IT refused to entertain this proposition
| WHICH,, VI COulSCJ do q pun CISSoAeStS1f
as no human agency could stop the cave
In. Pretty soon another INT of my lots
and Its building went into the river, and
my speculative friend then offered me- $500
for tho remainder of my property. By this
time I had concluded to trust to luck and
stand oil losses, and I refused to sell at
any price. 1 now had ono lot and one
building left. During the excitement al
| old colored woman came up q said tG
me:
"sSee heah, cap'n, will sc give me dem
brick what's in dat cellar under yer
house?'
II told her she could have the brick. ]
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 q team and wagon to q away
the brick. Now, upon my word Of honor,
what I am now going to say is true.
While tho old colored man was gone for o
wagon another cave in occurred, and my
last house and lot, brick and cellar and
all, tumbled into the river. The cave in
came so suddenly that the crowd of people
standing on the bank had to tlcc for their
lives. After tho excitement had somewhat
| 6uU6lUcQ lu0 Olu SOlOISo Ill
CLAWS O. massy! Dere's my brick In
de bottom O. dc Tibber, an l done los my
quatah.'
"Of course, while the old woman was
out 20 cents, / was out another $1,000.
During this series of cave ms that day
efforts were being made to place q long
frame store building on rollers and move
! 1t to O place of safety. But before the
building could DO raised It began to tilt,
. and the men were compelled to desert it.
| Soon the store building slid into the river
and went kerchug to the bottom OF the
channel, as completely out of sight as If 1t
had been the only pebble on the beach,
"In my opinion the Mississippi river is
all right--when it doesn't como my way. !
built O nice residence in Grccnvillc several
years g and had q beautiful flower be-
decked lawn between the house and the
river, which was q block away. That lawn
has long since been swallowed by the 70.
racious nav Of the Mississippi, and today
my residence stands on tho edge of a bank
that is rs feet high."-St. Louis Globe
Democrat. 4
49, p~-~-1