The Cairo bulletin., 1911-10-22

Dad Some day somebody viii
irive a well over there and be sur
prised to strike this engine.
While this rolling stock was gett.
ing over to its present grave Other
Kings were taking place on the river
| bank at Birds Point. John Bird had
| built fine house on his farm in 1871
| md naturally he selected site on
| he river on high ridge that il
| axes SO feet on the Cairo guage 10
| yerflow AT the same time the
ngine and coaches went overheard IL
ecame necessary to move this house
ack to save it. 1t was moved back
early mile. 1t has been moved
Jack three times and is now located
N the back line of the Bird farm.
There was quite an army post at
lirds farm during the rebellion and
their camp was on the same ridge
With the Bird home. Many soldiers
rom the north died while eamped
here from natural causes and were
,uried on this ridge which at that
ime dar not been oyerfowcd since
So. In the course of the erosion the
raves OF the soldiers were soon in
AIDED and as the bank gradually
rumbled away an arm or leg was eX-
,osed and then the whole body was
r. bbed of its grave and rolled into the
iver and down the stream with the
apid current. This continued until
II the bodies of the soldiers were
hus disposed of about one hundred
all
The next important interest in the
liver bank at Birds Point was the
oming to the Mississippi river of the
ron Mountain railroad.
This railroad first came to the
liver at Greenfield landing, and
erried to the Illinois shore and
,auled into Cairo They soon found
hey had made a mistake and that it
tas expensive and foolish to enter
air by her back gates, especially as
Ter back yard extended about three
lilies, which made quite a haul be-
ore they got into the city proper.
che engineers that laid out that
quite did it to avoid the caving bank
Birds Point, no doubt, but they
NV at once that they were long
avs from Cairo, and the road was
uilt into Birds Point
The business was done by ferry
rom Birds Point for quite while.
\ wharf boat was located there and
reight and passengers were hauled
y the old Three States to the l. C.
Tharfboat on the Cairo side. This
arrangement continued for while,
ut the growth of the business was
UGH that different arrangement
eemed to be necessary, and it was
lecided to build an incline This
ncline was single track incline
md built about 1873.
The first transfer boat was the
Tuinus S. Morgan She was built at
Jacksonville in 1873. She struck a
ravel lump below Missouri point
ne morning coming out to Cairo and
ank. Cot Nelis, now on the Stacker
zee, was the pilot on watch. This
7reck was an obstruction in the
hannel and was removed by the
nagboat Wright. This occurred in
905 or 1906. In her long career
he Morgan had but five masters
Captains Adkins. Sandusky, Hurd,
Goodrich and Lippitt-All now dead
kept Captain Jack Goodrich and
captain w. D. Lippitt.
When the Iron Mountain got their
ncline and yards built and business
Ding they found that they had a
OBJ on hand to protect the bank.
Just here let us say a word about
'ow and when the river banks cut
n the spring when the river is high
md the sand bars are all covered
there is rarely any erosion as the
gater has ample room and is not con-
'entrated in its flow against the
bank. When the river goes down, the
channel begins to form and as the
sand bars are uncovered the flow of
water is confined to a much less
space which increases the current
As the river continues to recede the
current is still more concentrated
md narrowed to permanent course,
which causes it to cut or scour out
he bottom, and here you have the
'hannel. Where it runs into bend
t cuts out the bottom at the base of
he river bank and the bank falls
N. This is usually continued until
The river gets down to low water,
which Is usually in September or
October, when it stops. and there is
no further trouble until the same
thing takes place next year. am