Chapter Fourteen

THE FLOOD YEAR - 1851.

Mr. Isaac Kalbach relates that himself and eight other passengers left Fort Dodge on a small vessel in the spring of 1851, coming down the Des Moines river to its mouth, and found the waters very low. So shallow in places that to lighten the load, the passengers would often get off the boat and walk around a small rapids in the river. On May 12th the rain began to fall. These dates are clear in Mr. Kalbach's mind because of the fact that he arrived in Oskaloosa with his family on May 13th of that year.

The water fell in torrents and sheets almost every day for about a month. Then it began to let up some, but not wholly. Everything was flooded. Grist mills and saw mills and all industries of that kind were closed because of the floods. Their machinery was under water. The new roads of the county were practically impassable. Merchants could get no more goods, and the people found no sale for their products except the home consumption. Farmers could do but little work, tradesmen were idle, and business was paralyzed. There was corn enough in the county selling for ten or twelve cents per bushel, but corn meal sold for two dollars and fifty cents per bushel, because of the difficulty of getting it ground. Flour sold for twenty-one dollars a barrel and much of the time could not be had at any price. Hominy had to be made every day, as it would not keep longer than about twenty-four hours in hot weather. Many families used the mortar and pestle to reduce the corn to meal for more convenient use. John W. Jones, an Oskaloosa merchant, and John B. Stewart secured the loan of a pair of burrs from Duncan's mill, north of town, which they fished out of the water and brought to town and set them up just north of the old jail. They were enabled to make pretty good meal for their neighbors out of the corn that came to them, but made no effort to produce flour. Just about this time we find this note in the Herald of June 27th of that year: "We have learned that on Tuesday night last a steamer laden with flour landed at Eddyville and there discharged its entire cargo. It is thought the boat will return in a few days and ascend the river to Fort Des Moines. Success to the trade, we say."

James Young, another enterprising Oskaloosa merchant, determined that he would have some goods from Keokuk if they were to be had. So he took a good team of horses and managed to reach the city and made a purchase of about eight hundred pounds of needed supplies for his store. On the return trip, he got as far upas Birmingham and there he hopelessly mired. Leaving his goods, he managed to reach home. One of his customers, Wesley Mettler, had a six-yoke team of oxen which he used in breaking prairie. Mr. Young secured the service of these stalwarts and their owner to make the trip to Birmingham for his much needed supplies, which they did in the slow and s-ure method of these faithful servants of men.

During the period of excessive rainfall, flowing water was everywhere. Culverts and bridges in the country, and sidewalks and street crossings in town were swept away. Water ran across South Market street ten feet deep. After a hard rain the square and its adjacent streets would be covered with water. The city was not graded then as now. Fish, which had come up from the river, were left in ponds within two and three blocks from the square.

The events occurring out on the rivers in the county were both serious and tragic,. especially on the Des Moines. Mr. George DeLong relates an incident with which he was conversant. Being unable to do much work, the men of the neighborhood spent much time about the river bottoms doing what they could to save the property of those who were suffering most. While in this work Van B. Delashmutt and a Mr. Dunn were in a skiff in the flooded district trying to rescue drifting property, when they struck a swift current and upset their craft. Delashmutt caught hold of a bending sapling and seeing that his companion was about to sink, he seized him by his hair as he was going under. Twisting around over the bending bush which was almost submerged in the water, he clung with a death grip to his now senseless companion, holding his head out of the water as much as possible and calling to the men on the shore. One of the men- Jarvis Boyd- took in the situation in a flash and mounting a spirited horse he entered the stream far enough above to swim by where the life and death struggle was going on. In spite of his best efforts the swift current carried him by. Undaunted, however, he landed as soon as possible and struck again into the angry waters. During this time Delashmutt was in imminent peril of being swept into the current with his heavy load. This time Boyd came near enough to seize Dunn and dragged him to the shore half dead for a time. He then made the third trip and brought in Delashmutt from his perilous situation.

Eddyville was under water and its people took refuge on the eastern bluffs. Dick Butcher, who was one of its enterprising merchants in that year, moved his stock of goods to the second floor and carried them out in boat loads to the foot of Cemetery Hill, where he retailed them out to his customers from a wagon.

The question of bread for the family when mills were many miles distant with no roads or bridges, was a hard question for the early settler to solve. In the spring of 1851 Dr. E. A. Boyer and his neighbor, Van Delashmutt, found their supply of meal and flour almost exhausted. It was quite impossible to get anywhere because of the high water. They heard of a corn cracker some eight or ten miles up the river and sent W. A. Delashmutt with four bushels of corn packed on two horses. He arrived at Mr. Nossman's, the owner of the mill, only to find that it was out of repair. On learning, however, of the pressing need, the mill was doctored up and by daylight next morning Mr. Delashmutt was ready to return with his four bushels of ground corn. During the day Dr. Boyer noticed a vessel ascending the river loaded with flour. He put out into the swollen stream with two men and.a large canoe. Hailing the steamer, he requested the captain to sell him a supply of flour. The captain told him it had been ordered by the government for the soldiers at Fort Des Moines and he could not sell it. Dr. Boyer told him he must have some flour if he had to scuttle the boat to get it. After some conversation the captain agreed to let him have two barrels of flour for the privilege of loading his vessel with rails which were floating about in drifts along the river. His vessel had made the trip from St. Louis and was short of fuel. Dr. Boyer got his flour ashore and rolled it up by the side of his cabin, covering it with some boards. When his friend Van Delashmutt came over shortly afterward he took him out to show him his prize. He could not have been more dumbfounded if he had been confronted by a bear. How two barrels of flour could have reached that wilderness home unannounced was more than he could understand. The true pioneer never enjoys a good thing alone, and Mr. Delashmutt got one of the mysterious barrels and its welcome contents.

We give below a number of extracts from the editorial pages of the Herald during the summer months of this disturbing year:

"The stage coach in attempting to cross a small stream between Ottumwa and Eddyville, Wednesday last, met with a serious difficulty by getting into deep and rapidly running water. The current being rapid and the animals becoming entangled, it was with difficulty that the driver and passengers were saved. In the struggle the coach turned over in the water and one horse was drowned. The driver and two passengers in the coach got out as best they could after taking a cold water plunge."
"One of the heaviest rains we ever witnessed occurred on Wednesday of last week. The rain literally fell in torrents for over an hour. The face of the whole country presents the appearance of one vast lake of rushing water. Much damage has been done by the floating away of fences, bridges, etc. The corn has been injured by washing of the ground and portions of it will have to be replanted. The small creeks and other streams are much higher than was ever before known. It is said that scarcely a bridge or footlog remains over a stream in the whole country."
"The mail matter received here a few days since was completely saturated with water. One sack took a new route down the Des Moines river."
"Destruction of property on the Des Moines river has been very great. Whole farms have been cleaned of fences, grain houses and everything else of a movable nature. The river was never known to be so high before. The inhabitants of the bottom lands have been compelled to desert their houses and flee to the bluffs for refuge. A number of dwellings were carried entirely away. This calamity will doubtless be hard on the citizens in the immediate vicinity of the river, as it has not only destroyed the present crops, but has taken away the old crops that were in store for the present season. Ottumwa, Eddyville, Red Rock and Fort Des Moines are almost submerged by the overflowing of the river."
"A man named Sendert DeYong, a native of Holland, was drowned at Union Mills, in this county, on Saturday last. He and a number of others were engaged in replacing the floor in the bridge. He was a much esteemed workman in the mill."
"We learn that a young man was drowned in the Des Moines river in the 'vicinity of Des Moines on Friday last. Two small boys were also drowned at Red Rock a few days ago."

The Keokuk Dispatch of June 6th of that year says:

"Alexandria is three feet under water and the Mississippi and Des Moines bottoms are submerged for miles, and still the rivers are rapidly rising and the floods descending. The inhabitants at Alexandria are driven into their second stories and cut off from communication. The state of things is most deplorable. Not only the city but the country for eight miles back is submerged. We can not but express the hope that they will accept the hospitalities of our city, which are most cordially tendered them."

Ottumwa Courier:

"This is the greatest rise ever known by the whites in the Des Moines river valley, and probably will not occur again in the next half century. Owing to the wet weather and extremely bad roads we have not been able to get our supply of paper from the river. Our subscribers, therefore, need not be disappointed should there be no issue next week. This we regret but can not prevent. The fault is not ours. By the week after we expect to be on hands again, as usual."

During this year, when the roads were quite impassable, there was great interest in the building of plank roads in this part of Iowa, especially between Burlington and Oskaloosa. The old Herald files are filled with notices of public meetings for that purpose all along the line.

Oskaloosa was at that time very prominently considered as a most suitable location for the state capital. A correspondent of the Burlington Gazette of March 19, 1852, has this to say on that subject:
"Oskaloosa, the point to which all now center by common consent, is known to be one of the healthiest and most beautiful inland towns in the west. It can easily be made the focus of all the stage lines in the state, and, as if nature were destined to do for her what the state has blindly failed to do, it is a positive fact that no less than one railroad from Muscatine and two plank roads from Burlington; the one through Keokuk county and the other through Fairfield, are now pushing onward toward Oskaloosa, making her their declared destination. These facts, which are well known, if none others, would prompt us to select Oskaloosa for the future seat of government."