RIVERS. 45 



owned by General Darke. Between the states of Ohio and 

 Kentucky, there are no islands in this river, worth naming. 

 Those near Manchester, are mere collections of mud. Ten 

 states of the Union, contribute to the volume of water, flowing 

 along in the channel of the Ohio river, — to wit : New York, 

 Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, 

 Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. Its valley occupies 

 eight degrees of latitude, and eight degrees of longitude. It 

 remains impeded by frost, but about two months in the year, 

 from Cincinnati to its mouth. So many of its tributaries rise 

 on its southern side, that it closes late in the year and opens 

 early in the succeeding one. These southern streams have 

 freshets in them, one after another, so as scarcely ever to be 

 all up, at any one time. 



When the freshets in the southern branches have done 

 pouring their increased waters into the Ohio, the northern ones 

 begin to pour theirs into it, though, inasmuch as the streams 

 in Ohio state, all rise in about the same latitude, and on the 

 same elevation, they often rise about the same time. The Al- 

 leghany and Monongahala branches rise in the Alleghany 

 mountains, among the snows and ices of that Alpine region, and 

 these are the last to swell the Ohio. Those who dwell alono- 



to 



the banks of this fine river, know, from the drift-wood, and oth- 

 er indications, what particular stream, has produced the fresh- 

 et. The Big Sandy, sometimes brings down from its sources, 

 in North Carolina, the reed cane. The hemlock floats from 

 the head waters of the Alleghany. When this last river is 

 up, and it is the last to rise, the rafts of pine boards, descend 

 the Ohio, covered with families, removing into the Western 

 states. These bring along with them, their all — their wives, 

 children, horses, cattle, dogs, fowls, wagons, and household fur- 

 niture, of all sorts. Sometimes from four to seven rafts, after 

 they have descended to Pittsburgh, unite all together, and float 

 onward to Cincinnati, before they are separated. Wherever 

 the raft is sold, the immigrants either settle down, or land, and 

 move forward in their wagons, to where they wish to settle. 

 Since the introduction of steam boats, the old keel boat, is 



