The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1913-04-03
The MISSISSIPPI

The hills and mountains Of
the great Mississippi watershed
are weeping, They are crying
because their crowns Of snow
are melting. The food of wa
tiers has covered the f fertil e
plains. Man and beast had to
flee away or perish.
The levee above Vicksburg,
Miss, has yielded to pressure
and surrendered the homes and
the wealth it guarded to the un-
conscious and nlerciless flood.
Thirty-one years ago today |
spent a night and day on the
steamboat Katie HOOPER, plying
between Madison, Arkansas,
and Memphis, Tenn, The forty
miles of railroad between these
two points was anywhere from
six to thirty feet under water,
and the iron horse had not been
taught to swim.
The fiat country of inexhaus-
tible fertility supported a lux
uriant jungle of a great variety
of underground vines that grew
in the shade. The cottonwood
trees which were from seventy
five to one hundred feet nlgh'
grew so close together the tops
Shut out the sun. The dark
Jungle was a safe retreat for
many wild beasts and much
came. Nothing but the flood
could drive them from their
hiding. All that could not fly
or climb a tree would take refuge
on the railroad track-that por-
ton west Of Madison. When
the train came along there would
be a mighty plunging into the
flood to escape the engine. Then
they would return to the refuge
on the road where thousands of
them soon became targets for
the hunters trusty rifle. Many
deer, wild hogs and turkeys
were thus gathered for the
Memphis market. Every day
a river steamer would carry the
trophies. Much time was re-
quired to load all this kind Of
freight.
The distance to be covered by
the water route was so miles
down the st. Francis and so
miles up the Mississippi river.
There was no-extra charge on
the boat except for meals at
seventy-fve cents each. Every
thing served was first class eX-
cept the fish. It tasted like bad
mud smells. It looked temp
ing, but it was three wears be-
fore fish tempted me -aHy more.
There We're a$eW mounds on
each side-eSfne river which the
Naser had not covered. On
these cattle and other domestic
animals were crowded as thick
as they could stand,
None of these herds We're in
the least danger Of a stampede.
They were all surrounded by a
fringe of the dead and the dy-
ing. Men in boats We're indus
triously at work getting that
part Of the dead animal that
goes to the lanyard. In those
times a great many people wore
shoes made Of leather from dead
COWS.
For many miles I rode in the
pilot house from which [ could
see men, women and children
in the windows of the second
story of their homes. Some of
them would cry out: What of
the river.' The answer got so
it seemed to go back to the anx-
ious query as an echo: Still
risingw At the gable end of
many houses that had put out
the signal of distress was the re-
lief or rescue scout boat pulling
the people out at the windows
and putting them in the ark.
I saw one man that must
have had pluck backed up by
inventive genius. He was near
his barn in a boat pitching hay
up to a parcel Of goats and four
mules on a scafoId. The ami
mails were still about six feet
above the water. There was no
balustrade or railing around the
scafold and I never heard of
any of the mules trying to es-
cape. I went to sleep that night
trying to guess how he man
aged to get the mules up there.
| am told that even birds build
their nests above high water
mark. julius E. Boggs.
Feb. 14th, 1913.